Subject:
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Community Development Block Grant Mitigation program Subrecipient Agreement with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the Community Development Block Grant Mitigation program (CDBG-MIT) Subrecipient Agreement with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO).
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development created a new CDBG-MIT Program with $633 million available to the State of Florida for disaster mitigation projects. The program is administered through the DEO.
• The Pinellas agreement provides CDBG-MIT funding in the amount of $992,000.00 to be used in finalizing a countywide flood mitigation action plan.
• The project will include substantial data collection, risk assessment, adaption strategy development, and public education and outreach.
• Resulting plan will be used to educate the public and identify flood resilient strategies to benefit the county and our municipalities.
DEO Agreement No. MT028; County match not required.
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Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
2.1 Provide planning, coordination, prevention and protective services to create and enhance a safe, secure, and healthy community
Practice Superior Environmental Stewardship
3.3 Protect and improve the quality of our water, air, and other natural resources
3.5 Foster a sustainable and resilient community that is prepared for sea level rise and a changing climate
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources
Summary:
Summary
The purpose of the Florida DEO CDBG-MT grant award of $992,000 is to provide funding for the County to reduce risk from future hazards. The project will provide substantial benefits to the community by addressing current day flooding situations and future conditions, including extreme weather events and impacts from sea-level rise. This effort will result in a robust dataset that will be used to educate the public and identify flood resilient strategies to benefit the county and its municipalities. The planning effort will leverage the state-approved Local Mitigation Strategy and recently completed Sea-Level Rise and Storm Surge Vulnerability Assessment. Outcomes from the project include flood hazard data acquisition, community asset inventory collection, flood hazard modeling and map development, asset exposure analysis, adaptation strategy development, public engagement, and mitigation prioritization and actions for community planning and procedures.
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Background Information:
In response to presidentially declared disasters in 2016 and 2017 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that $633 million in first-of-its-kind funding would be available to the state of Florida for disaster mitigation projects. These funds are available through HUD’s newly created CDBG-MIT and will be used to fund disaster mitigation programs to better protect Florida from future disasters.
Administered by the State of Florida’s DEO, a federally required State Action Plan was developed in partnership with state agencies, as well as with input from local communities and stakeholders to determine Florida’s critical disaster mitigation needs.
On May 15, 2020, the DEO launched the Rebuild Florida General Planning Support (GPS) Program, making a total of $20,000,000 available for eligible applicants, including units of general local government (UGLG). The GPS program is designed to provide funding opportunities for local governments to engage in pro-active mitigation planning and to create regional plans that will enable the state of Florida to withstand future disasters. Pinellas County submitted its proposal to the DEO on July 31, 2020 and conducted a follow-up presentation on October 1, 2020. Winners of the grant were announced on January 8, 2021.
Fiscal Impact:
Total project cost over the course of two (2) years is $992,000.00 No match is required. Existing awarded projects will be used as leveraged funds. Sources of leveraged funds include the Pinellas County General Fund, Florida Department of Historical Resources, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The cost breakdown is as follows:
FY 2022: $649,000.00
FY 2023: $343,000.00
This Agreement is consistent with the development of the FY 2022 Tentative Annual Budget. The revenue and associated expenditures are both included in the General Fund within Environmental Monitoring cost center, Environmental Management Division of Public Works Department.
Staff Member Responsible:
Hank Hodde, Sustainability & Resiliency Coordinator, County Administration
Kelli Hammer Levy, Director, Public Works
Partners:
Cities of Belleair Beach, Belleair Bluffs, Clearwater, Largo, Madeira Beach, Oldsmar, Pinellas Park, Seminole, St Pete Beach, St Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, and Treasure Island; Towns of Belleair, Indian Shores, Redington Beach, and Redington Shores
Attachments:
Agreement