The Brief
- Applications open in a few weeks for part of the $813 million grant Pinellas got from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- The money is designated solely to help residents recovering from Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton.
- County leaders hope to have money in people’s hands by Christmas.
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. – Keith Dalton says he just recently finished renovations on his Treasure Island home after Hurricane Helene destroyed almost everything inside.
“Financially, it has been rough,” Dalton said. “Mentally and spiritually, it has been brutal.”
“We ended up having about three feet of water in the house, which just devastated everything,” Dalton said.
He got some money from FEMA, but paid upfront for things like rent at another home while his family was displaced. According to Pinellas County officials, Dalton’s home was one of more than 33,000 that Hurricane Helene damaged. Hurricane Milton, not even two weeks later, damaged around 12,000 homes.
County leaders say a new $813 million Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will help residents recovering from Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton.…