- June 9, 2025
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Michelle Davis, grants division manager for Manatee County, said she could have never imagined using the word "only" in reference to a nearly $253 million grant.
The county was awarded the biggest grant in its history from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in January, and it is still not enough to cover the damages caused by Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton during the 2024 hurricane season.
Within three weeks of the grant's announcement, $1.2 billion in requests were submitted by county staff, municipalities and nonprofits.
On top of financial constraints, the grant also comes with timing constraints. The county doesn’t expect the approved programs to start accepting applications until early next year.
“We are going by the regulations of HUD,” David said. “It’s not as fast as we would like it.”
The county held a public workshop June 3 at the newly renovated John H. Marble Recreation Center to go over the process and programs and also collect feedback from citizens.
In the crowd of about a dozen residents, three attendees were representing nonprofit organizations — The Salvation Army, The Boys and Girls Club and Hope Pathways of Manatee County.
“I’m trying to put as many tools as I can into my toolbox because I’ve got to get ready for the next round,” said John Agnelli, director of advocacy and strategic initiatives for the Boys and Girls Club.
The “next round” is the 2025 hurricane season that began June 1.
On Oct. 10, the day after Hurricane Milton battered Manatee County, Agnelli texted a two-question survey to families that the club serves: Do you have electricity, and do you have food?
Agnelli said he remembers the exact percentages because they made such an emotional impact on him. Out of 230 responses, 97% had no electricity and 98% needed food.
With the assistance of Detwiler’s Farm Market, thousands of pounds of food and water were distributed over the next five days.
Many of those families, eight months later, have not been able to return home yet.
Agnelli said some have moved out of the area, and other families are essentially couch surfing. Some of the family units have had to separate for the time being because there’s not enough room in one house, so the family is divided between multiple living arrangements.
While the county does not have a list of specific projects the grant will address yet, it has divided the requests into general program categories and funding amounts.
The entirety of Manatee County qualifies as what HUD calls the "MID area," the most impacted and distressed.
However, not all of Manatee County qualifies for the grant funding because it is earmarked for low to moderate income areas, of which there is only one in Lakewood Ranch.
Based on the HUD-provided map dated 2016-2020, one small portion of Greenbrook, on the southeast corner of State Road 70 and Lorraine Road, qualifies under the grant's income guidelines.
However, because the Braden River also affects areas outside of Lakewood Ranch, there were four initial projects submitted for consideration.
Two involved maintenance, which the county is already handling. The other two projects were for a bypass channel improvement and automated outfall structures.
Outfall structures provide staff with the ability to remotely lower the water levels before a major rain event.
There are three categories that qualify for the Infrastructure Recovery and Resiliency Program:
The county has six years to expend the funds. However, Davis said HUD representatives told her they think it could take up to 10 years because the county will be "stretched thin to find enough contractors" to complete the work.
For more information or to submit a comment, visit MyManatee.org/LastingManatee.
