COVID-19 CDBG Funding

Community Development Block Grant – Coronavirus

Under the CARES Act, Community Development Block Grant – Coronavirus (CDBG-CV), $5 billion in federal funding has been made available to states to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Program, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) will administer the allocated funding to communities throughout the state. The funding will assist low-income families and the most vulnerable citizens.

Florida’s Total Allocation is $285.6 million. Of this, Monroe County is eligible for funding within the Small Cities (Non-Entitlement) Community Program, which totals $42 million statewide.

CDBG-CV Program Requirements

Eligible Activities: Acquisition; Public Improvements; Public Facilities; Business Assistance; Microenterprise Assistance; Public Services; Planning; and Broadband Planning and Public Infrastructure.

COVID-19 Tie: Under the CARES Act, funding is available through the Community Development Block Grant Program for activities that prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

National Objective: Each activity funded by CDBG must meet one of the following HUD required National Objectives:

  • Provide benefit to low- and moderate-income (LMI) persons.
  • Prevent or eliminate slum or blight conditions.
  • Address urgent community development needs, which pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community for which other funding is not available. 

Rowell’s Waterfront Park Enhancement

Monroe County is requesting up to $2.5 Million to enhance Rowell’s Waterfront Park in Key Largo to serve as a future infectious disease testing and vaccination site. While Monroe County has testing and vaccination sites in the Middle Keys and Lower Keys, Key Largo currently does not have adequate facilities to host a testing and vaccination site. The residents in the Key Largo area have remained significantly underserved during the COVID-19 epidemic. This grant application will help alleviate this urgent need. The pre-application was submitted and it is now under review by DEO. 

Public Hearing

In compliance with state and federal requirements, Monroe County is conducting a  Public Hearing to hear public comment on the CDBG-CV grant application for Rowell’s Park at 1:30 pm on February 17, 2021 at the regular schedule Monroe County Board of County Commissioners. As per the grant requirements, public notice of this public meeting and public notice of the comment period was published in the Citizen, as the newspaper of general circulation in Monroe County, and also posted to the County’s website.

Forward any comments on this application to Wetherington-Helene@MonroeCounty-fl.gov. Contact Person: Cary Knight, Knight-Cary@MonroeCounty-Fl.Gov.