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BCC Chair Kathleen Peters meets with President, federal officials

Pinellas County Commission Chair Kathleen Peters on Sunday championed local priorities for hurricane relief during a visit with President Biden. The President and a federal delegation were in the Tampa Bay Area to survey damages from hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Peters and Pinellas County Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins joined the President and other officials at a media briefing in St. Pete Beach where the president pledged full support for communities ravaged by the back-to-back hurricanes. Peters thanked federal and state officials for their actions, including Governor DeSantis’ support with emergency storm debris removal and facilitation of resources to get the Port of Tampa open and gas back at the pumps. She also outlined some of the County’s priority requests for federal assistance.

“I sent a letter to the State, which will then go to the White House, asking at a minimum to merge the two storm declarations. By merging the two into one disaster, it will help expedite the process and make recovery quicker,” said Chair Peters.

The full list of priorities included in her letter to the Governor are:

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-specific requests:

  • Combine both hurricanes into a single FEMA major disaster declaration to reduce the administrative burden on municipalities and residents.
  • Increase the federal cost share for debris removal.
  • Provide guidance for rapid storm debris removal and demolition for catastrophically damaged areas.
  • Waive any FEMA requirements for Natural Resources Conservation Service approval before FEMA Public Assistance is made available for waterway debris removal activities.

FEMA Individual Assistance Requests

  • Make available the full range of FEMA Individual Assistance programs.
  • Provide safe, secure, and affordable temporary sheltering assistance to vulnerable residents.
  • Support the addition of two Disaster Recovery Centers to the existing one in Pinellas County.
  • Approve the Permanent Housing Construction program for limited home repairs to address extraordinary damage to the available housing stock.

Additional Federal Assistance Requests

  • Beach nourishment: Waive the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ requirement for the standard perpetual easements and construct the Pinellas County Shore Protection Project at Sand Key, Treasure Island and Long Key to rehabilitate the recovery of our coast.
  • Support immediate response needs to address the failure of the Lake Seminole dam to protect critical infrastructure and the environment.
  • For funds already awarded to the County, expand flexibility of programs administered by agencies such as Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Treasure to be repurposed for hurricane recovery efforts.
  • Launch Operation Blue Roof to provide temporary roof coverings for homeowners and landlords impacted by the storm.
  • Assign additional Federal Highway Authority inspectors to complete roadway and infrastructure assessments to accelerate the timeline for permanent repairs.