St. Petersburg begins distributing federal disaster relief checks

City officials closed the application portal in February after receiving exponentially more requests for assistance than planned. Photo by Mark Parker. 

St. Petersburg is now distributing $61 million in residential storm recovery funding following several months of federal delays.

​Case managers, who are “just getting started,” have awarded more than $48,000, according to Thursday’s announcement. The social media post called the payments an “important step in helping our community recover from the 2024 hurricanes,” and a priority for Mayor Ken Welch.

​Residents who applied for disaster relief assistance, which includes reimbursements for rent, mortgages, and utility bills, are receiving the program’s first checks. Welch noted that “not that long ago, our landscape looked completely different.”

​“Just think back to the debris, the damage … all the things that really changed our way of life, and how quickly we recovered in most of the city,” Welch told Power Broker Magazine. “And we’re still providing assistance to those who are still in recovery. I think folks realize it takes leadership to do that, not theatrics.”

​The long-awaited federal funding stems from the $160 million Sunrise St. Pete initiative. Thursday’s announcement notes that disaster relief applicants should continue working with their case managers for program updates.

​However, the city stopped accepting applications for residential recovery funding on Feb. 15, two months after the portal opened, due to an influx of requests. The Sunrise St. Pete’s website states that staff are reviewing previous submissions to “see if we can serve more people.”

​“Intake may reopen only if funds remain,” states the website. “Please note that reopening is not guaranteed.”

​City council members approved the $61 million residential recovery program in early October 2025. A historically long government shutdown prevented the opening of applications in November.

​St. Petersburg began accepting funding requests in December. However, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) told Welch’s administration in January that it was amending a grant agreement received in October.

​HUD subsequently issued a new contract that incorporated executive orders related to gender ideology, discrimination, abortion, and immigration. The city council approved it on Jan. 22.

​Welch called the federal delays “crazy.” Pinellas County did not encounter the same issues and began distributing its $813 million People First Hurricane Recovery Program checks in December.

​Sunrise St. Pete awards for home repairs, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and elevation assistance will “follow later in the spring, after damage assessments are complete,” states the website. The city understands the “impact this has on residents” awaiting payments and is “moving as quickly as possible to ensure funds are released promptly.”

​Officials initially expected 784 people to apply for the disaster relief assistance. They received 1,560 applications in less than two months.

​The city also planned to provide 98 households with up to $375,000 for home rehabilitation, reconstruction, and elevation. Residents submitted 747 applications before the portal closed on Feb. 15.

​Another 308 people applied for up to $50,000 to repair their homes, 30 more than expected. The website notes that applicants are not “first-come, first-served.”

​The lowest-earning households, particularly those with age-dependent or disabled members, are first in line for rehabilitation and reconstruction funding. Tenants in those categories receive priority for relief payments.

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