TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced $20 million is now available to local governments through the Rebuild Florida General Planning Support Program. The Rebuild Florida General Planning Support Program is designed to provide funding opportunities for local governments, educational institutions, state agencies and non-profits to develop or update state, regional or local plans which will enable the state of Florida to withstand future disasters.

The funds are allocated through HUD’s newly created Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) program formed in response to the 2016 to 2017 presidentially declared disasters.

Local governments, educational institutions, state agencies and non-profits may apply individually for funding to propose projects that meet program requirements, including benefiting low-to-moderate income (LMI) populations.

The deadline to complete an application is July 31, 2020, and DEO staff will be available to provide technical assistance to communities during the application process. For more information about the program, including how to complete an application, visit the Rebuild Florida General Planning Support Program’s webpage.

To provide local governments, state agencies and educational institutions with more information about the Rebuild Florida General Planning Support Program, DEO will host a webinar at 2:00 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, May 21, 2020. Click here to register.

According to the guidelines set by the Federal Register, at least 50 percent of CDBG-MIT funds must be spent in HUD-designated Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) areas, with the remaining funds spent in state-designated MID areas. The CDBG-MIT funding is available for use in 51 Florida counties.

Last month, DEO launched the Rebuild Florida Critical Facility Hardening Program with $75 million in funding for local governments and state agencies to increase the resilience of critical facilities that serve a public safety purpose for local communities.

Rebuild Florida is a partnership of DEO and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Launched in September 2018, Rebuild Florida uses federal funding for Florida’s long-term disaster recovery efforts. For more information, visit RebuildFlorida.gov.

About DEO

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce and community development efforts, expediting economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities and promote economic resiliency. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.

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