Shakeups of the federal bureaucracy seem to have affected an office vital to Sarasota County’s hurricane recovery.
Local officials are relying on the U.S. government’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to address housing and infrastructure needs caused by the disastrous triad of hurricanes that struck the area in 2024 – Debby, Helene, and Milton. The program in overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Community Planning and Development.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that that the Trump Administration plans to cut the staff at that HUD office by more than 80%, a personnel reduction to 150 from 936. HUD spokesperson Kasey Lovett did not deny the reporting and asserted that hurricane recovery efforts won’t be affected.
“HUD’s mission to serve all communities — especially following tragedies — remains unchanged,” Lovett told the Times.
Emily Blaine, the spokesperson for Sarasota County’s program for spending the hurricane recovery money, Resilient SRQ, said in an email to the Herald-Tribune that HUD had informed Sarasota County of a “workforce restructuring.” The county will now work with a new representative in the department.
“In an email to us, HUD emphasized their commitment to customer service and continued collaboration,” Blaine said. “We are actively working with HUD to ensure continuity in disaster recovery efforts and to keep ongoing projects moving forward.”
Sarasota County officials seemed confident they would receive the $210 million earmarked for the post-2024 storm season rebuild. The county has less than 90 days to submit a spending plan to HUD for approval. Whether a steep staff cut could muddle or delay that process remains unclear.
The Resilient SRQ program began when the county received a $201 million CDBG grant for Hurricane Ian recovery. Sarasota County announced in January another round of funding and the continuance of the program to distribute it.
Federal rules require that 70% of the new grant must benefit households with an income of $64,506 or less. 85% must “tie back” to the storms or otherwise be used to build resiliency for future storms. All of the funds must also be used within six years of project approval.
The county received a similar sum for recovery after 2022’s Hurricane Ian.
Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at [email protected] or [email protected]
