Hillsborough County secures $709M for stormwater recovery and resilience projects

Hillsborough County, Florida has been awarded $709 million in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support long-term recovery and mitigation efforts following hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Approximately half of the funding will be directed toward stormwater and wastewater infrastructure improvements, including repairs to channels, culverts, pump stations and lift stations, as well as upgrades aimed at strengthening resilience against future storm events. The investment reflects the scale of damage caused by back-to-back storms in 2024, which brought storm surge, heavy rainfall and widespread flooding across both coastal and inland areas.

An initial slate of projects includes drainage improvements across multiple communities, countywide culvert renewal and repair, channel restoration efforts, and resiliency upgrades to 171 wastewater lift stations. Many of these projects are expected to enter the design phase as early as summer 2026. Funding will prioritize low- and moderate-income communities and areas with the greatest unmet recovery needs, underscoring the role of targeted stormwater infrastructure investment in disaster recovery and climate adaptation.