Pasco County is seeking project proposals from local agencies and departments for federal disaster mitigation grants, a process that could direct money toward flood, wildfire and storm protections in Wesley Chapel and other fast-growing unincorporated areas.
County Emergency Management staff briefed the Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group on upcoming federal grant opportunities at a meeting Monday, July 27, at the Pasco County Emergency Operations Center in New Port Richey, according to the county's public notice. The one-hour session also included updates on current mitigation projects and countywide resiliency initiatives.
The grant solicitation is open to county departments, municipalities and other local agencies. Mitigation Manager Andrew Wertz is the point of contact for submissions at [email protected].
Why it matters for Wesley Chapel
Pasco County's 2024 Local Mitigation Strategy identifies the SR-54 and SR-56 corridor, which includes Wesley Chapel, as one of the county's highest-growth areas and flags wildfires near the Suncoast Parkway and I-75, flooding, and tropical cyclones as top hazards for east Pasco. As of 2023, 2,308 businesses countywide sat in a Special Flood Hazard Area.
An estimated 92% of Pasco's 608,794 residents live in unincorporated areas like Wesley Chapel, meaning county-level mitigation decisions apply directly rather than filtering through a city government.
How the process works
To submit a project for LMSWG consideration, an entity must have adopted the county's most recent Local Mitigation Strategy, complete a Project Submission Form and Scoring Sheet, and present the project at an LMSWG meeting, according to March 2025 meeting minutes. If selected, the LMSWG chairman signs a letter of support and the project moves to the appropriate federal grant platform.
The LMSWG is a multi-agency body that includes county departments, municipalities, co-ops, nonprofits and private citizens. It reviews, ranks and prioritizes proposed mitigation projects before they are submitted to the Florida Division of Emergency Management for funding.
Federal funding under pressure
The stakes for local grant applications may be higher this cycle. Florida communities lost $293.2 million in FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program in 2025, affecting more than 25 jurisdictions statewide, according to an analysis by the Florida Policy Institute, a state policy research organization. The same analysis noted the Trump administration has signaled intent to eliminate Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, the primary federal source the LMSWG process feeds into.
At its March 2025 meeting, the LMSWG discussed Pasco's allocation of roughly $11.5 million from its combined Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton HMGP funds to the state's Elevate Florida home-elevation program. That allocation was expected to fund about 33 elevation projects at approximately $350,000 each, with 301 county applicants competing for slots.
What's next
Minutes from the July 27 session have not yet been posted. The county publishes them at mypas.co/Mitigation.
Meetings are open to the public and announced on the Pasco County public notices calendar. Residents and agencies with questions can contact Wertz at [email protected] or call the Department of Emergency Management at 727-847-8137.
