INITIATIVEs
AMPLIFY HOPE
AMPLIFY HOPE
Hurricanes Helene and Milton left a lasting mark on our Clearwater community, impacting residents, families, and local businesses with flooding, storm surge, property damage, and significant financial hardship.
In the aftermath, our community came together in an extraordinary way.
Through AMPLIFY Hope, a community-led recovery initiative, generous individuals, businesses, organizations, and partners stepped forward to help provide direct financial assistance to Clearwater residents and businesses affected by the storms. Thank you to every person and organization who donated, shared the initiative, and helped support our community during an incredibly challenging time.
We are especially grateful to the Philadelphia Phillies for their generous Million Dollar Match grant, which significantly expanded the impact of AMPLIFY Hope and helped provide critical recovery assistance to those who needed it most.
Because of this incredible support, AMPLIFY Hope was able to help local families and businesses as they repaired their homes and properties, replaced essential items and inventory, reopened their doors, and continued the long process of recovery.
Applications for AMPLIFY Hope assistance are now closed.
For individuals or families who continue to need assistance or are looking for available community resources, please contact First Contact (211 Tampa Bay) by dialing 211. Their team can help connect residents with available services and resources throughout the Tampa Bay area.
To everyone who contributed to AMPLIFY Hope: thank you. Your generosity demonstrated what makes Clearwater special—a community willing to come together, support its neighbors, and help one another rebuild.
Together, we helped restore hope to Clearwater.
RESOURCES
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Immediate Needs
- Places to Play, Stay, Eat & Shop Following the Hurricanes
- Business Damage Assessment Survey
- Florida Emergency Information Toll-Free Line: (800) 342-3557
- To report price gouging in Florida: (866) 966-7226
- NOAA
- National Weather Service
- Duke Energy Outages Map
- Florida Division of Emergency Management – (850) 815-4000 or Dial 711 (TDD/TTY)
- State of Florida Shelter Locator by County
FEMA AND SBA RESOURCES
Navigating the FEMA process for both home and business assistance requires a slightly more detailed approach since FEMA offers different types of aid for individuals and businesses. Here’s a step-by-step guide for each:
Navigating the SBA (Small Business Administration) disaster loan process can be a critical step for businesses recovering from a disaster like a hurricane, flood, or fire. Here’s a guide to help businesses through the process:
If you need additional assistance, please reach out to our team to assist you at 727-461-0011.
CORE
CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees is a national nonprofit providing financial grants to food & beverage service employees with children when the employee, their child, or their spouse/partner faces a life-altering medical crisis, death, injury, or natural disaster. CORE is here to give a hand-up to qualifying families during their time of need!
HOPE FLORIDA
Serving as the emergency response arm for the Hope Florida initiative, Activate Hope pulls together the private sector, nonprofits, and government resources to help Floridians get back on their feet following a natural disaster. Activate Hope helps connect Floridians with outside resources to provide food, household goods, home repairs, and more. Click the button below and fill out the form to request help today!
SMALL BUSINESS EMERGENCY BRIDGE LOAN PROGRAM
The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program provides short-term, zero-interest working capital loans that are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer term recovery funding such as federally or commercially available loans, insurance claims or other resources.
Loans are available up to $50,000 per eligible applicant.
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS & RECOVERY
BUSINESS DAMAGE ASSESSMENT SURVEY
The State of Florida has opened the Business Damage Assessment Survey for Hurricane Helene & Hurricane Milton. Please take a moment to complete the survey. Completing the survey helps to ensure the appropriate services are available during recovery.
UPDATES FROM THE CITY
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DEBRIS REMOVAL
The following locations are available for commercial haulers:
Facility | Address | Phone |
Anclote Metal Recycling | 806 Anclote Rd, Tarpon Springs | (727) 938-2822 |
Best Metal Recycling (Clearwater) | 15122 63rd St. N., Clearwater | (727) 524-2550 |
Best Metal Recycling (Tarpon Springs) | 1599 Rainville Rd., Tarpon Springs | (727) 937-6962 |
Trademark Metal (Clearwater) | 2032 Gentry St., Clearwater | (727) 447-6960 |
Trademark Metal (Pinellas Park) | 9380 67th St. N., Pinellas Park | (727) 544-5810 |
Construction & Demolition Debris Disposal
The following locations are available for commercial haulers:
Facility | Address | Phone |
Angelo’s Recycled Materials | 1755 20th Ave. SE, Largo | (727) 588-9529 |
Sarnago & Sons | 1741 N. Keene Road, Clearwater | (727) 446-4909 |
Waste Management | 12950 40th Street, Clearwater | (727) 572-8779 |
Waste Pro | 11880 34th Street N, Clearwater | (727)-304-4500 |
Vegetative Debris
The following locations are available for commercial haulers:
Facility | Address | Phone |
Angelo’s Recycled Materials | 1755 20th Ave. SE, Largo, 33771 | (727) 588-9529 |
Veransa Clearwater | 12101 40th Street N, Clearwater, 33762 | (727) 299-9300 |
WHAT TO DO WITH SAND
From Pinellas County: If clean sand from the beach ended up on your property you can return it to the beach and dune above the high tide line (mean high water). It must not have stains, odors or debris, and you must not place it over dune plants, turtle nests, hurricane generated debris or construction debris.
If the sand does not meet the criteria above, you must request permission from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (850-245-2094 or CCCL@FloridaDEP.gov). Once you have permission, the same placement restrictions apply.
Failure to follow these rules may result in civil penalties.
Don’t put sand in your trash or out in the road.
If you’re using heavy equipment, be cautious of buried water lines and other infrastructure. Call 311.
CRA GRANT PROGRAM
The Community Redevelopment Agency has streamlined our Downtown Clearwater Community Redevelopment Area Commercial Grant Program. Applicants can now apply for one grant program and select the best option that fits their business needs and project size. The grant opportunities offer varying levels of support and address both short—and long-term challenges that commercial stakeholders have experienced in Downtown Clearwater. This comprehensive business assistance program offers assistance for both exterior and interior business improvements.
Commercial Grant Program Downtown CRA
Eligible applicants must meet the program guidelines and be located within Downtown Clearwater Community Redevelopment Area boundaries. Interested parties should note that no projects will be funded retroactively, and applications must be approved prior to beginning work. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and are subject to CRA approval and budget availability.