Hurricane Helene Recovery Programs for Pinellas County

August 5, 2024: Hurricane Debby made landfall in Florida. September 26, 2024: Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida. On October 9, 2024: Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key. Three hurricanes in as many months. For those affected by these storms, programs like the Hurricane Helene recovery programs set to launch on October 20, 2025 could be a literal life-saver.

For many Floridians, and especially those living in Pinellas County, rebuilding after 2024’s extremely busy hurricane season remains a challenge, to put it mildly. That’s part of the reason why the State of Florida and county governments like Pinellas are organizing disaster recovery and relief programs for residents and business owners.

One example of a Hurricane Helene recovery program that homeowners throughout Pinellas should know about is Pinellas People First Hurricane Recovery.

What Is Pinellas People First?

The People First Recovery program is the name for a Pinellas County initiative that includes multiple sub-programs aimed at helping various groups throughout the county recover from the damage caused by hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. 

The programs under this Pinellas County hurricane recovery initiative include:

• Homeowner Rehabilitation/Reconstruction. This program is aimed at helping homeowners who haven’t yet completed repairs to their homes so they can finish rebuilding, repairing, or replacing damaged home infrastructure.
• Homeowner Reimbursement. This program is to reimburse homeowners for any hurricane damage remediation they’ve already completed. (note: this only covers code-compliant work for income-eligible homeowners).
• Local Landlord Program. This program is for landlords to rebuild or repair their rental properties after hurricane damage (though the state may require landlords to accept certain terms and conditions).
• Homebuyer Assistance. This program is meant to help certain prospective homebuyers purchase a new home that falls outside of flood zones. This could help cover down payments, closing costs, etc.
• Disaster Relief Reimbursement. This reimbursement program is to help homeowners recover some of their disaster relief-related expenses, such as having to pay for rent, their mortgage, or their utilities. (for up to six months of documented costs).

Who Can Apply for This Hurricane Helene Recovery Program?

So, could you, as a Pinellas County resident, qualify for one of these programs under the “Pinellas People First” initiative?

Maybe. There are some qualification criteria that you need to meet before you can apply for relief under one of these programs:

1. You must be a Pinellas County resident (excluding St. Petersburg).
2. You must fall within a set income eligibility threshold (varies by program):
   1. Disaster relief: No more than 80% area median income for Pinellas County: ($58,450 for a single person, $66,800 for two people, $75,150 for three, and $84,450 for four).
   2. Homeowner Rehabilitation/Reconstruction, Homebuyer Assistance, and Homeowner Reimbursement: No more than 120% of Pinellas County’s area median income ($87,600 for one person, $100,080 for two, $112,680 for three, and $125,160 for four).
   3. Local Landlord Program: no income requirement, but there is an agreement to “rent units at an affordable rate per federal guidelines for five years.”
3. You must have “ongoing housing or financial needs not fully covered by FEMA, insurance or other state or federal programs.”

Yes, there’s a specific exclusion in the program for Saint Petersburg residents. If you live in St. Pete, then you’ll have a separate list of hurricane Helene recovery programs available to you through Sunrise St. Pete.

How Much Will This Hurricane Helene Recovery Program Cover?

The program has $813 million in funding available, most of which is earmarked for the People First initiatives, with some funding “for small businesses and nonprofits, as well as investments in local infrastructure will be announced at a future date.”

But, how much can you get in funding through each program? Here’s a quick breakdown of the maximum funding available from each program:

• Homeowner Rehabilitation/Reconstruction Program: Maximum of $375,000
• Homeowner Reimbursement Program: Maximum of $50,000
• Homebuyer Assistance Program: Maximum of $80,000
• Disaster Relief Reimbursement Program: Maximum of $15,000 (also requires eligibility for the rehabilitation/reconstruction program).
• Local Landlord Program: Maximum of $375,000.

The differences in how much each program covers is a reflection of what they cover. For example, since the homeowner rehab/reconstruction program is meant to help pay for rebuilding a whole home, it covers more than the homebuyer assistance program, which helps with down payments and mortgage rates on a new home purchase.

The disaster relief program, which is only meant to cover corollary costs, covers the least and is restricted to low-income households to help them recover money they spent as a result of Hurricane Helene & Hurricane Milton.

As reported by Fox13, “70% of the grant has to be spent on residents with low to moderate incomes.”

What Are the Restrictions on Each Hurricane Helene Recovery Program?

As with any government program, there will be restrictions on what the funds cover. Also, homeowners who sign up for the program may need to follow special guidelines which may vary from one program to the next.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each program’s funding award terms and the documentation you’ll need:

So, what do each of those terms mean for you? Here are two glossaries to help you understand what each term means:

Funding Award Guidelines Glossary of Terms:

• Duplication of Benefits: A verification process to ensure that you aren’t receiving benefits under other state/federal programs for the same work on the same property.
• Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) Insurance (If applicable): The program requires applicants living in a SFHA to obtain and maintain flood insurance to qualify for assistance.
• 5-Year Primary Residence Agreement: The program requires the applicant to commit to living in the home as a primary residence for no less than five years.
• 5-Year Mortgage: To enforce the 5-year primary residence agreement, the program requires the applicant to agree to a forgivable five-year mortgage, which automatically reduces at a rate of 20% per year. If you stay in the home, you won’t have to pay anything back, but if you move before the five years is up, you’ll have to pay the mortgage back.
• Code Compliance: All completed repairs must have been properly permitted and meet code compliance requirements per the Florida Building Code (FBC).
• One Payment Limit: The program is limited to a single payment to each eligible household.
• Homeowner Rehabilitation/Reconstruction Eligibility. The homeowner must also have qualified for the Homeowner Rehabilitation/Reconstruction program (exclusive to the Disaster Relief Reimbursement Program).
• Rental Agreement (Landlord Only): The landlord must agree to rent the property to an income-qualifying low-to-moderate income tenant for five years and maintain insurance coverage.
• Rate Agreement (Landlord Only): The landlord must agree to rent the home at High HOME rent rates to income-eligible tenants for the five-year compliance period.

Required Documentation Glossary of Terms:

• Identity Proof: This includes your Driver’s License/state ID OR permanent residency documentation for all adult household members. You also need birth certificates for household members under 18.
• Household Income Proof: This includes documents like W-2s, bank statements, 1040 or 1040A, etc. which help prove your household income level.
• Ownership Proof: Documents proving you own or lease the residence such as a deed, mortgage statement, landowner consent, or title.
• Primary Residence Proof: This can include any one of: a homestead exemption, FEMA individual assistance or SBA award. Alternatively, you can use any two of: DL/state ID, Utility bill, insurance documents, employer statements.
• Property Taxes: Proof from tax assessor of property taxes paid in full or of a payment plan in good standing.
• Mortgage Statement (if applicable): Most recent mortgage document showing no ‘arrearages’ (meaning you’re not behind on payments)
• First Mortgage Commitment: A current (i.e., not more than 30 days old) pre-approval or loan commitment with required lending terms.

When Can I Sign Up for This Hurricane Helene Recovery Program?

So, when can you start applying for assistance or reimbursement under this initiative? The People First initiative will start accepting applications starting on Monday, October 20, 2025!

There are two primary People First Help Centers that the program will operate out of:

1. 2600 McCormick Drive, Suite 100, Clearwater, FL 33759
2. 5000 Park Street N, Suite 4, St. Petersburg, FL 33709

Yes, the program that isn’t available to St. Pete homeowners has an office there.

What if I’m Not Sure I Live in an Area Covered By Pinellas People First?

If you live on the outskirts of St. Petersburg or have a mailing address there and aren’t sure if you can apply for Hurricane Helene Recovery assistance under this or the Sunrise St. Pete program, you can go to the People First program’s main website page and enter your address in a search to see if your home address is covered.

Need New Impact Windows as Part of Your Hurricane Helene Recovery Effort?

If you’re still recovering from last year’s hurricanes and qualify (or expect to qualify) for a grant under the Hurricane Helene recovery programs in the People First initiative, reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors!

Our window installation experts specialize in installing impact windows for Pinellas County homeowners. And, unlike some window installation services, we only ever use in-house employees for every window install—we never outsource to a third party. 

This way, you can rest assured that your new windows will be installed to meet FBC requirements so they can pass the requirements of Pinellas’ Hurricane Helene/Hurricane Milton recovery programs.

Reach out today to request an impact window installation estimate from the best window replacement company in Pinellas County!