Accessibility Public Records News Calendar Human Resources Hurricane Recovery

RESTORE Act

The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States (RESTORE) Act established the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to allocate penalties paid from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig drilling explosion and offshore oil spill. The Trust Fund is distributed by federal agencies or councils through five different components.

View the current Trust Fund allocations for each of the five Gulf Coast states, including the 23 Florida counties. Pinellas County has opportunities to apply for grant awards through the Direct Component, the Comprehensive Plan Component or the Spill Impact Component.

Direct Component

Awards are administered by the U.S. Treasury, which approved the Pinellas County Multiyear Implementation Plan (MYIP) in November 2015 to fund four initial MYIP project applications.

The Board of County Commissioners approved the current Pinellas County Multiyear Implementation Plan (MYIP) on May 20, 2014.  The plan was developed by a coordinated working group of 16-17 individuals from academia, non-profits, city government, public utilities, environmental agencies and seafood-related businesses.

For all plan inquiries and / or project or program proposals, please email watershed@pinellas.gov or call (727) 464-4425.

RESTORE Act 2025 Amendment Public Comment

Pinellas County proposed an amendment to the original Multiyear Implementation Plan (MIP) to fund the following four additional projects.

Under Federal RESTORE Act grant provisions, the Draft MIP Amendment, including preliminary project scope and budget, underwent a 45-day public comment period.

The Division of Environmental Management addressed or incorporated public comments in the amendment proposal. The Plan will be presented to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners as a resolution for approval. Environmental Management will then submit the MIP Amendment to the U.S. Treasury for approval which then allows the County to apply for planned project funding awards.

The public comment period ran January 25, 2026 through March 11, 2026.

Comprehensive Plan Component

Awards are administered by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. Pinellas County is currently a subrecipient of an award through the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

Spill Impact Component

Awards are administered by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council through Florida’s Gulf Consortium. The Consortium is a public entity created in October 2012 and approved by the State Expenditure Plan for economic and environmental recovery of the Gulf coast.