When the President declares a major disaster, Congress may appropriate funds to HUD when there are significant unmet needs for long-term recovery. HUD then notifies eligible states, cities, and counties if the level of damage qualifies them to receive CDBG-DR grants. 

Lasting Manatee is Manatee County’s program for its allocation of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In January 2025, Manatee County was identified as a direct recipient (Grantee) of CDBG-DR funds in the amount of $252,711,000 to address unmet needs resulting from the 2024 hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton.

Disaster damage to be addressed by this funding must relate to the 2024 hurricanes Debby (DR-4806-FL), Helene (DR-4828-FL), and Milton (DR-4834-FL). The sole exception is that there is a mitigation component to the funding that can be used for activities to protect against potential damage from future disasters.  

Lasting Manatee is a team of staff from within the Grant Administration Division of Manatee County’s Department of Government Relations. 

CDBG-DR funding supplements other federal recovery assistance programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). CDBG-DR funds cannot duplicate funding available from federal, state, or local governments, private and nonprofit organizations, insurance proceeds, or any other source of assistance. CDBG-DR funds may only address an unmet need where no other funding source is available.

Unlike the permanently authorized recovery assistance programs from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), CDBG-DR exists only when Congress enacts a specific appropriation for the program. CDBG-DR funding can be used, based on grantee decisions, for a range of long-term investment in housing, infrastructure, economic recovery, and public services that other federal funding streams may not address in whole or part.

Lasting Manatee is currently in the process of collecting data on unmet recovery needs for Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. This data will determine how CDBG-DR funds will be used within Manatee County. All CDBG-DR funded programs and activities will be included in the County’s Action Plan. 

CDBG-DR funds are focused on restoring and rebuilding infrastructure, housing, and community facilities affected by disasters. Examples of eligible activities/projects include, but are not limited to:

• Housing: new construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of housing; homeownership assistance; and buyouts to address qualifying disaster impacts.
• Infrastructure (public facilities, public improvements), local match (to satisfy a match, share, or contribution requirement for any other Federal program), and elevation of non-residential structures to address qualifying disaster impacts.
• Economic revitalization: attraction, retention, and return of businesses and jobs to a disaster-impacted area.
• Mitigation: local match for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), projects contributing to risk reductions and the overall recovery of the community, including large-scale hazard mitigation and resiliency projects and other infrastructure to protect communities from hazards, and other projects that incorporate resiliency measures.
• Public services (limited to 15% of allocation): housing counseling, legal advice and representation to address housing title issues, and job training.

In total, HUD requires that 70% of all CDBG-DR funds must be spent on activities that benefit low- and moderate-income (LMI) populations. 

HUD requires that 70% of all CDBG-DR funds must be spent on activities that benefit low- and moderate-income (LMI) populations. Additionally, all CDBG-DR activities must meet the following requirements:

• Be an eligible activity under CDBG regulations (24 CFR Part 570).
• Meet one of three CDBG National Objectives (24 CFR 570.208).
• Tie back to the specific disaster(s) for which the funds were appropriated.

When implementing CDBG-DR activities, the County must follow all HUD and other applicable regulations such as Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA), environmental review, minimizing displacement, public participation and other requirements. The exact requirements depend on the specific details of each activity and/or project.

The entire County of Manatee may benefit from CDBG-DR funding with respect to HUD’s eligibility criteria, as outlined in the Frequently Asked Question titled, "What are the requirements for using CDBG-DR funds?".

The following steps must be completed before Lasting Manatee launches its specific recovery programs:

1. Project Suggestions and Community Input: County and Local Partners (such as municipalities, housing authorities, and major social service organizations) have been asked to share their unmet needs related to these storms. Lasting Manatee will also host public meetings to enable community residents to suggest projects and offer feedback on programs that can best serve our community. The information collected, along with the projects submitted to the County for funding, will help inform the identification of unmet needs and the development of long-term recovery programs to be included in the Action Plan for submission to HUD.
2. Unmet Needs Analysis and Draft Action Plan: Using a variety of data, to include input from suggested projects, public meetings, and resources from other federal agencies, Lasting Manatee will develop an unmet needs analysis and draft an Action Plan to propose a general framework for how funding will be used to address recovery and mitigation needs across the county.
3. Public Comment Period: Following approval by the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), the draft Action Plan will be posted for a 30-day public comment period. Lasting Manatee will use a variety of methods to solicit input from the community, including at least two public hearings as required by HUD.
4. Review and Submit Action Plan: After reviewing public comments, Lasting Manatee will finalize the Action Plan and present it to the Manatee County BCC for direction and approval. The finalized Action Plan will then be submitted to HUD for approval.
5. Action Plan Review by HUD: HUD will review the Action Plan within 45 days and may request revisions or approve the plan as submitted.
6. Program Launches: After HUD approval of the Action Plan and execution of the Grant Agreement by Manatee County, currently anticipated in late Fall or early Winter 2025, the programs contained in the Action Plan will launch on a staggered basis. Lasting Manatee may request clarifying and additional information from previously submitted projects to determine eligibility. In addition, Lasting Manatee may also request additional projects for consideration of funding via a Notice of Funding Opportunity.

The draft Action Plan will be published at mymanatee.org/lastingmanatee for public comment in late spring 2025.

If you need assistance now, please visit https://extreme-weather-dashboard-manateegis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/recovery for a list of disaster-recovery resources.

Yes, translation services are available. Please provide advance notification of your language preference to Lasting Manatee staff, and assistance will be arranged. 

You can get involved by:

• Attending public engagement events to learn more about the program and share your thoughts.
• Submitting comments on the draft Action Plan during the public comment period via email, webform, mail, or telephone, or by attending a public hearing.
• Staying informed by visiting the Lasting Manatee website (mymanatee.org/lastingmanatee) and signing up for email updates.

For more details on upcoming meetings or to provide feedback, visit mymanatee.org/lastingmanatee, or email [email protected]. 

Anyone who requires a reasonable accommodation, such as an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, to participate in the County’s programs, services, or activities should contact Carmine DeMilio, ADA Compliance Coordinator, at (941) 748-4501, ext. 6016 or  [email protected], at least 3 business days prior to any applicable scheduled meeting.  If you are deaf/hard of hearing and require the services of an interpreter, please contact the Florida Relay Service at 711.

You can contact Lasting Manatee by calling 941-742-4787 or by emailing [email protected].