Gordie’s Midday Gossip: Sunrise St. Pete

A look back: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 12: Neighborhoods are flooded with oil and water two weeks after Hurricane Katrina went though Louisiana September 12, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. U.S. President George W. Bush, on a tour of devastated New Orleans, rejected charges that the government was slow to respond to Hurricane Katrina because the nation's military was over-extended in Iraq and denied race component to Katrina response. Hurricane Katrina hit the region on August 29, 2005, causing numerous deaths and severe property damage in Louisiana and Mississippi. (Photo by Carlos Barria-POOL/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)

By Gordie Daniels

City of St. Petersburg to Host Public Webinars on Sunrise St. Pete Disaster Recovery Program on Nov. 5

The City of St. Petersburg invites residents, small landlords, and community stakeholders to a public webinar on Wednesday, November 5, and learn about Sunrise St. Pete, the City’s disaster recovery program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.

Sunrise St. Pete will support long-term recovery from the 2023 and 2024 storms, Idalia and Helene. The program will provide assistance for repairing and rebuilding homes and reimbursing disaster-related expenses to help residents restore their homes, prevent long-term displacement, and maintain safe, resilient housing. The City will receive $159.8 million in CDBG-DR funds to administer these efforts.

Options include:

Lunchtime Session: 12:00 p.m. ET

Evening Session: 5:30 p.m. ET

Registration links are also available at www.sunrisestpete.org . A recording will be posted on the website the following day for those unable to attend.

The Sunrise St. Pete program will begin accepting applications to support residents impacted by Hurricanes Idalia and Helene pending HUD approval of the City’s Grant Agreement. The webinar will outline steps residents can take now to be ready when the application portal opens.

Topics discussed at the webinar will include:

Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, and Elevation for homeowners and small landlords with up to four units

Reimbursement for Repair for homeowners and small landlords with up to four units

Disaster Relief Payments for low- and moderate-income renters and homeowners

Program staff will explain eligibility, required documentation, how to prepare to apply, and anticipated timelines. Attendees may submit questions in advance via the form linked at www.sunrisestpete.org The team will answer as many questions as possible during the sessions and will add all questions to the program FAQ afterward.