Chuck Lane, director of the Pasco County Office of Disaster Recovery Resources, told Spectrum Bay News 9 the timeline leaves little room for delay.

"Any funds we spent on a project that doesn't get completed, we run the risk of having to pay it back," Lane said. He added that some projects will take four to 4½ years to complete.

Where the $235.4 million will go

The $235.4 million funds 20 projects split into three categories, according to a Pasco County news release:

• Critical infrastructure: Nine projects, $122.3 million. Drainage repairs, septic-to-sewer conversions, road and bridge access fixes, traffic safety improvements and lift station elevations.
• Public facilities: Six projects, $67.6 million. A senior services center, library hardening, an east-side shelter and services center, transit evacuation operations and Pasco Hope expansion.
• Mitigation and cost share: Five projects, $31.1 million. Stormwater improvements in areas including the Sea Pines neighborhood in Hudson, a detention center backup generator, lift station protection and hardening of critical facilities.

The east-side shelter and services center is among the public facilities projects. No projects name Wesley Chapel specifically.

How the county chose projects and what's next

Lane said roughly 40% to 45% of Pasco County sits in a floodplain, making stormwater and drainage work urgent beyond hurricane season.

Tim Lagudi, program manager of the Pasco Better Future Program, said the county studied storm damage data and met with residents and local leaders to identify the greatest needs. He said the first round of funded projects primarily follows the people and areas damaged by the storms, though some west-side projects will affect residents countywide.

Commission Chair Jack Mariano, in a county statement, characterized the approval as a generational investment of nearly a quarter-billion dollars aimed at turning recovery into resilience.

Work is already underway on some first-phase projects, including renovation of the Hudson Library. Lane said a second phase of projects should be ready in about five years, after the first phase expires.

The county has not released a project-by-project timeline showing when construction starts on each project or which neighborhoods see work first. Residents can find project details at mypas.co/BetterFuture.