Hurricane Sally swept over the Florida panhandle, making landfall on September 16, 2020, as a Category 2 hurricane, and bringing heavy rainfall and flooding.
The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that the state of Florida will receive $187,383,000 in funding to support long-term recovery efforts following Hurricane Sally through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Office of Long-Term Resiliency. Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding is designed to address needs that remain after all other assistance has been exhausted. When
applying for funding through the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Sally IRP,
applicants must provide a detailed description of damage caused by Hurricane
Sally, including plans to mitigate against future damage, and show how the
proposed project will assist the community in rebuilding after Hurricane Sally.
Eligible Counties
- HUD designated Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) Areas (80%
of the Funding awarded to these counties through a competitive application
process)
- Escambia County
- Santa Rosa County
- State designated MID areas (20%
of the Funding awarded to these counties through a competitive application
process)
Proposed Rebuild Florida Programs
Housing Programs
- Rebuild Florida Subrecipient Housing Repair and Replacement Program ($45,000,000) - A subrecipient program designed to repair, replace, or reconstruct homes damaged by Hurricane Sally.
- Rebuild Florida Voluntary Home Buyout Program ($22,000,000) - Designed to encourage risk reduction through the purchase of residential property in high flood-risk areas to help reduce the impact of future disasters.
- Open for public comment until Friday, March 31. Please email comments to sallyrecoverygrant@myescambia.com
- Escambia County proposed Voluntary Home Buyout grant application would include:
- Escambia County’s local match for these approved Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs (HMGP) – Total HMG Request $1,705,171.70
- Bristol Park – 23 Homes
- Total Grant = $10,286,246.00
- Local Match = $1,028,624.00
- Countywide Acquisitions – 13 Homes
- Total Grant = $3,495,359.00
- Local Match = $349,535.90
- Ranchlands – 5 Homes
- Total Grant = $1,091,130.00
- Local Match = $109,113.00
- Escambia County, Pensacola, and Cantonment – 13 Homes
- Total Grant = $2,178,988.00
- Local Match = $217,898.80
- New Escambia County Homes Located in Low Moderate-Income Areas – 15 Homes Estimated
- Estimated ask for these 15 Homes is $5 Million
- TOTAL Grant Application estimated at $6,705,171.70.
Infrastructure Programs
- Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Program ($67,000,000) - Subrecipient administered program designed to fund infrastructure restoration and hardening projects in communities impacted by Hurricane Sally.
- Public comment period has closed.
- Escambia
County proposed infrastructure repair projects approved at the March
23 BCC meeting:
- New ECAT energy efficient Escambia County Transit Center and solar powered bus shelters at the facility with ADA upgrades. Will also serve as an emergency shelter - $30,000,000
- Beach Haven Phase 3 - $6,000,000
- Regional Stormwater projects that will include the following - $27,896,768
- PHS Drainage Improvements Phase I, II, and III - $1,800,000
- Oakfield Acres/Palafox - $11,200,000
- Carver Park Phase II - $2,160,000
- Monroe Avenue - $2,000,000
- Gulf Beach Highway Pipe Replacement - $1,500,000
- Brickyard Road - $2,000,000
- Olive Road street and drainage improvement - $7,236,768
Economic Revitalization Programs
- Rebuild Florida Hometown Revitalization Program ($13,513,850) - Designed to support the recovery of economic activity in commercial areas of Hurricane Sally-impacted towns and cities by facilitating the return and recovery of businesses, jobs, and provision of goods and services to the community.
- Open for public comment until Wednesday, April 12. Please email comments to sallyrecoverygrant@myescambia.com
- Escambia County's proposed Hometown Revitalization grant application would include:
- ECAT Solar Powered Community Bus Shelters with ADA Upgrades: $3,500,000 – Improvement of streetscapes and solar-powered lighting. Bus shelters will provide necessary refuge during inclement weather for those connecting to employment, educational opportunities, and other services, as well as provide the necessary lighting to feel safe and secure, especially when traveling before sunrise or after sunset.
- Palafox Street Sidewalks from Highway 29 to Nine Mile Road (4.8 miles): $5,000,000 – This project is located in an LMI area containing a commercial district that includes multiple small and larger businesses, restaurants, and places of work that experienced impacts during Hurricane Sally. With the multitude of LMI residences located in the vicinity of these places of businesses, this project is expected to provide a greater economic opportunity for the local community to walk to places of employment and provide an increased opportunity for businesses to return to pre-Sally profitability and restore jobs that were lost. This project will install sidewalks and correct drainage issues, providing a safe mode of transportation to these businesses. The project will also provide safer opportunities to walk to schools and to transit stop locations.
- Regional Sidewalk and Drainage Projects: $3,709,000
- Jackson Street Sidewalks and Drainage from 57th Avenue to New Warrington Road (1.47 miles): $2,300,000 – This project is located within an LMI area that includes small businesses, including West Jackson Square, that experienced impacts during Hurricane Sally. Many of these businesses are sustained by pedestrian and bicycle traffic, but there is no safely defined path for this type of transportation. This project will install sidewalks and correct drainage issues, providing a safe mode of pedestrian and bicycle transportation to these businesses. The project is expected to encourage further pedestrian traffic and increase the economic opportunity for these businesses. The project will also provide safer opportunities to walk to schools and to transit stop locations.
- “W” Street Sidewalks from Airport Boulevard to Highway 29: $604,000 – This project is located within an LMI area that contains a commercial district that includes multiple small businesses and larger businesses, restaurants, and places of work that experienced impacts during Hurricane Sally. This project will create interconnectivity to existing sidewalks and is expected to provide a greater economic opportunity for the local community to walk to places of employment and provide and increased opportunity for businesses to return to pre-Sally profitability and restore jobs that were lost. This project will install sidewalks and correct drainage issues, providing a safe mode of transportation to these businesses.
- Hollywood Avenue Sidewalks and Drainage from Massachusetts Avenue to Fairfield Drive (.76 miles): $805,000 – This project is located within an LMI area that contains small businesses that experienced impacts during Hurricane Sally. With the multitude of LMI residences located in the vicinity of these places of business, this project is expected to provide a greater economic opportunity for the local community to walk to places of employment and provide an increased opportunity for businesses to return to pre-Sally profitability and restore jobs that were lost. This project will install sidewalks and correct drainage issues, providing a safe mode of transportation to these businesses. The project will also provide safer opportunities to walk to schools and to transit stop locations.
- Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program ($5,000,000) - Designed to provide funding opportunities for local workforce development boards, educational institutions and technical centers located in the communities most impacted by Hurricane Sally to train new workers in construction trades.
- Workforce Affordable Housing Construction Program ($25,000,000) - Designed to construct new affordable rental housing in areas impacted by Hurricane Sally.
Citizen Participation
Escambia County values citizen and stakeholder engagement and will provide a reasonable opportunity of at least 30 days for citizen comment and ongoing citizen access to information about the use of these grant funds. During the development of our grant applications, we will consult with disaster-affected citizens, stakeholders, local government, public housing authorities, and other affected parties in the surrounding geographic area. Please look for press releases, social media posts and public meetings.
Citizen Complaint Procedures
Escambia County takes citizen complaints seriously and has developed a complaints resolution protocol to ensure that timely response is provided to all citizens or entities within 15 working days of receipt of the complaint. Please email complaints regarding any of the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Sally Escambia County projects to sallyrecoverygrant@myescambia.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
State Action Plan
DEO led the state's efforts in creating the federally required State Action Plan that provides a high-level strategy for how the funding will be used to address eligible communities' long-term recovery and mitigation needs. The State Action Plan was developed with input from state and community partners, as well as citizens, to determine the remaining long-term recovery needs and most critical disaster mitigation needs.
The State Action Plan was posted for a 30-day public comment period beginning May 6, 2022 and ending June 6, 2022, during which comments were submitted on the State Action Plan. The State Action Plan, as approved by HUD, is below:
Additional Documentation
Threat Assessment for Less Severe Hazards - Action Plan Attachment
Program Documentation Requirements
Procurements and Solicitations
Policies and Procedures
Resources
