County poised for $201 million Housing and Urban Development grant

Sarasota County is earmarked for a $201.5 million allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery to assist with Hurricane Ian recovery help create the Resilient SRQ program.

To receive the grant, county staff will complete a series of submissions and develop a public action plan for use of the grant funds for the Resilient SRQ program. Once finalized, the plan will require approval from the Sarasota County Commission and HUD prior to the county taking receipt of the funds.

During the next several months, the county will undergo an unmet needs assessment and develop an action plan that will detail projects and programs to best meet the needs in the county identified in the assessment. The projects will be designed to primarily assist low- to moderate-income households for housing, restoration of infrastructure, economic revitalization and mitigation. 

"I'm so proud of the county. We responded so well to the early needs,” said County Commission Chairman Ron Cutsinger in a news release. “One thing we've said along is that it’s a long road to recovery, and this money is going to really help with people rebuilding their homes, rebuilding infrastructure and filling the gap of unmet needs.”

Development of the Resilient SRQ program action plan is a community endeavor and the public is invited to participate. More information will be made available at SCGov.net/ResilientSRQ.