First round of Pinellas hurricane recovery checks sent to residents

First round of Pinellas hurricane recovery checks sent to residents

Just in time for the holidays, Pinellas County is distributing the first of many checks for the People First Hurricane Recovery Programs, helping local families impacted by recent hurricanes pay bills and purchase a safe home.

Pinellas County Commission Chairman Brian Scott personally delivered the first disaster relief check to a family of five in Seminole who were forced to move from their rental home after hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The family represents just one story among thousands who have applied for help so far.

"For families still struggling after last year's hurricanes, this kind of vital help can't come quickly enough. That's why our County made a commitment to get this money in people's hands immediately after our federal funding was approved," Scott said.

"We have hundreds of millions of dollars still available for the people of Pinellas to finish rebuilding their lives, so we encourage anyone with ongoing needs to apply today."

While more than 3,700 people have applied for help since the programs opened in October, these applications represent only a fraction of the financial help still available through the County's $813-million Pinellas Recovers grant funds.

The grants are available to people who lived in Pinellas during hurricanes Idalia, Helene or Milton and still have unmet financial needs, including rebuilding homes to meet codes, reimbursement for code-compliant repairs, support for lost income or storm-related expenses, down payment and mortgage assistance for homebuyers and a program for local landlords to repair units for affordable housing.

Per federal guidelines, the programs prioritize vulnerable residents with lower incomes, but help is available for anyone who makes up to 120 percent of the Area Median Income - that's $87,600 for an individual or $125,150 for a household of four. There are no income limits for the Local Landlord Program.

The online application, along with program information including income qualifications and what documents you need, is posted online at recover.pinellas.gov.

Help is also available in-person Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at:

• 2600 McCormick Drive, Suite 100, Clearwater
• 5000 Park Street, Suite 4, St. Petersburg

You can also call 727-606-3307 to speak with a case worker during the same hours.

A majority of the County's federal grant is committed to the People First programs, but additional help for small businesses and nonprofits, as well as investments in local infrastructure, will be announced at a future date.

Anyone in Pinellas is encouraged to apply to the People First programs, except for residents of St. Petersburg - the City recently launched its own recovery program using the same federal grant funds, Sunrise St. Pete.