Manatee County has approved plans for $252.7 million in federal disaster recovery funds awarded in response to Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, most of which will be spent on housing repair, infrastructure restoration and hardening to withstand future storms.
Manatee County commissioners voted 6-0 on in favor of plans for spending the Housing and Urban Development grant funding during a special meeting on June 20. At-Large Commissioner Jason Bearden was absent during the vote.
The commission had already given the plan an initial thumbs up in May before a 30-day public review period that has concluded. The county will now submit plans for the grant, the largest in Manatee County history, for HUD review. The county expects to be able to accept applications from residents in January for money from the grant after a HUD decision in the fall.
“I want us to be able to celebrate this moment because this has been a six-month, almost seven-month process,” said Michell Davis, Manatee County Grant Administration Division Manager. “I’m really excited that we were able to get here, to finalize the action plan.”
Disaster recovery spending plan addresses many, but not all, critical needs
Despite the $252.7 million surge in funding, the plan shows that many funding requests will go unmet. The project intake process drew more than 140 submissions, and the action plan identified $1.2 billion needs that would not be funded by the grant. Those needs are estimated at $483.5 million for housing, about $748 million for infrastructure, and $4.3 million in economic revitalization.
From the available funds, the county earmarked about $130 million for infrastructure recovery and resilience, including stormwater drainage improvements, flood control upgrades, utility hardening and retrofits for public facilities. The county will also invest $75.6 million of the grant funds in homeowner recovery programs, $20 million to support affordable rental housing rehabilitation, and $12 million for voluntary buyouts of flood-prone properties.
HUD also requires that 15% of the grant, or about $33 million, be used for mitigation, aimed at reducing the toll of future disasters.
Residents can visit the Lasting Manatee website at www.mymanatee.org/departments/government-relations-department/cdbg-dr for details about the plan.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee County approves spending plan for $252.7 million in hurricane relief grant money
Reporting by Jesse Mendoza, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
