Feds have $250 million grant for Manatee hurricane recovery. Will funding get blocked?
Manatee County is set to receive a grant worth over $250 million to bounce back from disaster impacts following catastrophic damage from Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is the largest the county has ever received and is also meant to strengthen infrastructure against future natural disasters, according to a news release.
The HUD grant’s distribution was potentially jeopardized after President Donald Trump announced a federal funding freeze on Monday. But that order was temporarily blocked in federal court Tuesday, and the White House rescinded a guidance memo Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
Manatee secures federal hurricane relief grant
Manatee County commissioners began to discuss how they might use the funds at a public board meeting on Tuesday. Proposals included addressing flooding issues and making roads and neighborhoods more resilient to hurricanes.
“This is because of Helene and Milton,” said Michele Davis, Manatee County’s grant administrator. “This was allocated to be able to rebuild the disaster-impacted areas. So looking at different things that FEMA does not pay for to either be able to repair back or to strengthen against any future storms.”
Davis said 80% of an area has to be low- and moderate-income by HUD standards for the project to be covered by the $252.7 million grant.
Davis provided several examples of projects that could qualify, including:
- Land acquisition for flood control or stormwater mitigation
Widening roads or bridges bottle-necked during evacuations
Elevating infrastructure
Buying out flood-prone residences or businesses for flood control areas or “stormwater parks”
- Match some FEMA funds for Helene or Milton recovery efforts
“This is a good first step,” said Commissioner George Kruse. “I look forward to seeing that project list.”
Several commissioners supported distributing some of the funds to Manatee County’s six other municipalities — Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Longboat Key — and allowing them to set their own funding priorities.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard, whose district includes parts of Bradenton, Palmetto and some unincorporated areas, advocated for wastewater improvements.
“Some focus needs to go on the City of Bradenton and their wastewater systems,” Ballard said, referring to Bradenton’s troubled facility that has spilled millions of gallons of sewage into the Manatee River in recent months. “I would also like to see some focus on Pearce Drain.”
Will federal government freeze funds?
Staff acknowledged that Trump’s recent executive order could impact the distribution of the funds but said they would move forward with identifying eligible projects.
“We are very excited about this and this is our first opportunity to actually sit with the board and have a discussion about this in public,” County Administrator Charlie Bishop said Tuesday. “Unfortunately, (Monday) night that spirit was dampened a little bit by a hold put on (by) the Trump Administration. But we’re still going to continue with the process.”
The temporary block of Trump’s federal funding freeze was set to expire Monday. On Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget rescinded the memo, the Associated Press reported, amid widespread confusion about the future of funding at the federal and local levels.
At Tuesday’s commission meeting, Kruse said a federal decision to pause funding could have broad impacts.
“It’s going to affect a lot of other things in Manatee County,” Kruse said. “And just wait to see all the public comments at our next meetings if that money stops for even a week or two.”
What happens next?
The grant is a six-year funding agreement that could start as early as June 1. County staff are compiling a list of eligible projects to present to the county commission. An approved project list will be published in an Action Plan on a website with public comment as soon as March 22, a news release said.
Non-profits and municipalities may also submit projects for funding consideration in an online form.
Reporter Ryan Ballogg contributed to this report.
