St. Pete Standard

St. Petersburg Expands Rebate Program Citywide to Increase Affordable Housing Supply and Quality

St. Petersburg, FL (July 21, 2023) – The City of St. Petersburg has expanded the Rebates for Affordable Residential Rehabs Program. The program that was initially offered to the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) is now available citywide.

The City of St. Petersburg has allocated significant funding to reach more residents and enhance the quality of life in our neighborhoods and communities. All rebates will help increase the supply and quality of affordable housing in St. Pete.

This program expansion represents another robust addition to Mayor Kenneth T. Welch’s Housing Opportunities For All Plan.

Eligible homeowners in St. Pete can apply for funding to make specific building improvements to their residential properties, including:

• Structural repairs
• Roof replacement
• Electric/plumbing upgrades
• Window/door replacement
• HVAC replacement
• Insulation upgrades
• Kitchen/bath upgrades
• Constructing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU)

Funding is provided in the form of a rebate of up to 40% for the pre-approved construction value to cover part of the actual cost of materials, labor, and reasonable profit and overhead. Funding may be provided for single-family or multi-family residential properties and must meet qualifications for affordable housing.

QUALIFICATIONS

Properties eligible must meet the City’s requirements for workforce or affordable housing, which is defined as households whose income is at or below 120% of the Area Median Income.

Applicants are required to make a minimum investment of $10,000 per residential unit on eligible building improvements with all work performed must be by licensed contractors and sub-contractors as required by State law and the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board.

HOW TO APPLY

The application can be found at stpete.org/HomeRebates. Rebates will be awarded until funding has been exhausted. Applications will be processed on a first-come first-served basis.

Program information can be found at stpete.org/HomeRebates. 

About Mayor Kenneth T. Welch’s Housing Opportunities For All Plan

To address St. Petersburg’s growth and rising housing costs, Mayor Kenneth T. Welch launched the Housing Opportunities For All Plan in April 2023. The plan is an expansion to the City's existing 10-year Housing Opportunities for All Plan. Enhancements to the plan include support for renters, financial assistance for residents to preserve existing affordable housing and make properties livable for longer, and incentives and strategic funding to produce more affordable units in St. Pete. More about the plan can be found at www.stpete.org/AffordableHousing. 

About Pillar For Progress: Housing Opportunities for All

Housing Affordability is a linchpin in Mayor Ken Welch and his team's agenda. To purposefully impact the community, affordable housing programs provide greater incentives for qualified buyers to achieve first-time home ownership and encourage developers to construct more new housing for low- and moderate-income homeowners.