Hurricane Recovery Requests Near $1B in Manatee County, Fla.

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(TNS) — Manatee County officials recently announced that over $250 million in federal grant money is on the way for local hurricane recovery efforts, and the requests for help are flooding in.

At a commission meeting Tuesday, county staff revealed that they have already received over 100 project requests totaling nearly $1 billion since applications opened three weeks ago.

In late January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $12 billion in disaster recovery grants, including for Florida communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The storms caused over $700 million in damage in unincorporated Manatee County alone, including severe flooding and wind damage.

HUD recently awarded Manatee County $252.7 million. The money must be used to fund disaster recovery efforts, strengthen communities against future disasters or help reinvigorate the economy in disaster-impacted areas, according to HUD.

Here’s who has requested funds so far, according to Manatee County staff:

* Local government: Government organizations have made 64 requests totaling $743,058,679 (Includes Manatee County and all five municipalities: Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and the Town of Longboat Key)

* Nonprofits: 29 organizations have requested a total of $132,913,931

* Community organizations: Five organizations have requested a total of $61,538,000 (Includes homeowners associations)

* Businesses: Four businesses have requested a total of $15,139,000

* Faith-based organizations: Two organizations have requested a total of $10,010,000

Here’s what the funding requests include:

* Over $470 million in flood prevention projects, including projects to create new bypasses and storage areas for flood water, add storm surge protection and improve sewer systems

* Over $178 million in infrastructure improvement projects, including elevating roads, strengthening bridges, housing and sewer improvements

* Over $138 million in affordable housing-related projects, including plans to elevate structures, repair damage and fund emergency shelters and trailers

* $121.7 million in building repairs

* $88.2 million for emergency equipment

* Over $74 million for pre- and post-disaster services, including post-storm shelter, recovery, mental health and career help services

* $57.7 million for new shelters and facilities

What happens next?

County staff are reviewing the funding requests to determine which ones meet all requirements for further consideration. They will then present a list of eligible projects to the Board of County Commissioners for officials to approve.

Residents will also have several opportunities to comment on proposed projects, county grant manager Michele Davis said.

Once approved, county staff said they will publish the selected projects in an online “action plan,” where residents will have 30 days to review and comment before they are submitted to HUD. The action plan is due by March 22, but that may be delayed if HUD grants an extension, Davis said.

Applications for funding consideration are still open. Visit MyManatee.org to apply.