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Milton recovery continues two years later
Numerous families are still not back in their homes following Hurricane Milton. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch explains how the city is still recovering two years later. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As Hurricane Isaias begins to hit the Florida Panhandle, St. Petersburg is receiving new Federal funding to go towards storm relief for homes that are still damaged two years after Hurricane Milton.
Eleven-thousand homes in St. Pete were damaged or destroyed.
The mayor announced today that $173 million has been allocated to the city, funds that will be used mostly for those who were affected by Hurricane Milton.
Over $120 million must be used for housing, including for rehabbing damaged homes and building new ones where no rehab is possible.
What they're saying:
The mayor says those whose applications have been denied do not have to resubmit, they will be automatically reviewed.
It could be four months before applications are processed.
"Milton was a type of storm we hadn't experienced before," said Mayor Ken Welch. "Within hours of the storm, it damaged thousands of homes and businesses, forced us to shut down water reclamation facilities for the first time, it ripped the roof off Tropicana Field and even sent a large crane into a downtown building. At the time, we didn't know what the recovery process would entail, but we knew our city and its residents were resilient."
The Sunrise St. Pete program has seen 2,600 applications, with about 1,666 currently being reviewed.
The total amount of Federal aid is $340 million.
What's next:
The mayor expects a four-month turnaround once applications are approved for having a home rebuilt.
The turnaround time for others may vary depending on needs.
Twenty St. Pete Firefighters are headed up to the Panhandle to help.
The Source: Information provided by the city of St Pete at a press conference on October 9, 2026.