$252 Million for Manatee Hurricane Recovery: Where Every Dollar Goes

When the news headlines say “$252 million for Manatee hurricane recovery,” it’s natural to assume that money will somehow reach individual homeowners. The reality is more nuanced. The grant is $252,711,000 — a federal HUD CDBG-DR award covering many categories of recovery work — and only one of the five programs Manatee is rolling out is the Home Recovery Program homeowners apply to.

See the Home Recovery Program overview →

What CDBG-DR is

The Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program created by Congress to help communities recover from major disasters. CDBG-DR funds are distributed through state and local governments — not directly to individuals — and each grantee writes a CDBG-DR Action Plan describing how the money will be spent.

Manatee County’s $252,711,000 allocation is tied to the 2024 hurricane season — specifically the damage from Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. Manatee’s Final CDBG-DR Action Plan was approved by HUD on July 16, 2025 and is published at lastingmanatee.org/pages/documents.

The five Lasting Manatee programs

Per Lasting Manatee’s published Program Guides and Action Plan, the $252.7M is being spent across five programs:

1. Home Recovery Program (HRP)

Owner-occupied home repair, rebuild, replacement, and elevation. Up to $250,000 for repairs, up to $450,000 for reconstruction or elevation. Income limit 120% AMI. The program homeowners apply to. Pre-application window: May 1 – June 30, 2026. Program details.

2. Rental Recovery Program

Repair and rehabilitation of rental units damaged by the 2024 hurricanes. Program Guide published April 28, 2026. Designed to preserve and restore rental housing for low-to-moderate income tenants. Program list.

3. Buyout and Safe Housing Program

Voluntary buyouts of properties in high-flood-risk areas, plus replacement housing assistance. Program Guide published April 24, 2026. Aimed at reducing future disaster losses by removing residential properties from repetitively-flooded zones.

4. Infrastructure Recovery and Resiliency Program (IRRP)

Repair, rehabilitation, and resilience upgrades to critical infrastructure: flood control and drainage, water and sewer, stormwater management, and public facilities. Per-project caps: $500,000 minimum, $50,000,000 maximum for County projects; municipality projects have separate limits. Project applications submitted by municipalities, not individual residents.

5. Planning and Administration

HUD CDBG-DR rules cap planning + administration combined at typically 15% of the grant. This funds the Lasting Manatee staff, environmental reviews, contract management, fraud prevention, and quarterly performance reporting. The Lasting Manatee office at 1112 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, runs out of this allocation.

Mitigation set-aside

HUD CDBG-DR rules also require a portion of the grant be used for mitigation — projects that reduce future disaster risk. For IRRP specifically, “projects without disaster tieback may be funded with mitigation set-aside (up to 15% of the allocation)” per Lasting Manatee’s IRRP page.

What this means for individual homeowners

If you are an individual homeowner trying to access these federal funds, the program you care about is the Home Recovery Program. Applications are submitted through LastingManatee.org and we have a full eligibility and application guide here:

Manatee County Home Recovery Program: A Guide for Homeowners →

What about renters?

Renters affected by the 2024 storms benefit indirectly through the Rental Recovery Program, which funds rehabilitation of rental units. The county is also required to ensure non-discrimination and equitable distribution of recovery funds, including for tenants in damaged properties.

What about small businesses?

Manatee County’s CDBG-DR Action Plan is housing- and infrastructure-heavy. SBA disaster loans remain the primary federal vehicle for business recovery from the 2024 storms.

Why distribution is taking so long

HUD CDBG-DR programs operate under federal procurement, environmental review, and anti-fraud rules that take time to set up. Per Lasting Manatee’s published timeline:

• May 21, 2025: Draft Action Plan published for public comment
• June 30, 2025: Final Action Plan submitted to HUD
• July 16, 2025: HUD approves Action Plan
• Late Fall 2025: Grant Agreement executed
• March 10, 2026: Amended and Restated Grant Agreement executed by HUD
• April 24–28, 2026: Program Guides published for HRP, Rental Recovery, and Buyout/Safe Housing
• May 1, 2026: Home Recovery Program pre-application opens

That’s about a year from grant award to first application opening — typical for CDBG-DR.

How WrightWay fits in across these categories

WrightWay is a Florida-licensed General Contractor (CBC1253650) and IICRC-certified restoration firm. As CDBG-DR-funded work moves into construction, we are positioned to handle:

• Owner-occupied home repair and rebuild work funded by the HRP
• Multi-unit and rental housing reconstruction funded by the Rental Recovery Program
• Mitigation upgrades — impact windows, roof straps, code-compliance work — that may be paired with HRP-funded reconstruction

If you would like a contractor estimate while you wait for your application to advance, call (941) 379-8669.

Source: lastingmanatee.org/pages/hrp, /pages/irrp, /pages/programs, /pages/timeline, and /pages/documents, captured 2026-05-08. All allocation amounts and program descriptions are set by Manatee County’s CDBG-DR Action Plan and may be amended; verify current allocations at lastingmanatee.org/pages/documents.