The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) announces funding availability under the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The Department will allocate approximately $27.1 million of Federal Fiscal Year 2010 funding for the Commercial Revitalization ($2.7 million), Housing Rehabilitation ($8.1 million) and Neighborhood Revitalization ($10.8 million) categories. In addition, approximately $148,000 will be available for Planning and Design Specifications grants. In order to be eligible to apply in these categories, applicants cannot have an open grant in any of the three program categories or an open Planning and Design Specifications grant.

The Department also has approximately $5.4 million available in the Economic Development category for job creation/retention activities. In the event that funds in this category remain available after the application deadline, applications in the Economic Development category will be reviewed and eligible applications will be awarded subgrants on a first-come, first served basis.

Also, approximately $1.5 million for the Emergency Set-Aside is designated for state-declared emergencies. These funds will be available from April 1 of the year for which they are allocated through the third quarter (March 31) of the next State fiscal year. Any funds in the set-aside for which a notice of intent to submit an emergency application has not been received prior to March 31 will be reallocated in accordance with Section 290.044(4), Florida Statutes.

Eligible local governments must meet specific population requirements and cannot be participants in a CDBG Urban Entitlement Program. The population requirements are: cities with not more than 50,000 residents and counties with not more than 200,000 residents. The application process is conducted in accordance with Sections 290.0401 – 290.048, Florida Statutes, and Rule Chapter 9B-43, Florida Administrative Code.

The Federal Fiscal Year 2010 application cycle for all of the above-mentioned categories of funding will begin (“open”) October 1, 2010 and end (“close”) at 5:00 p.m. (EST), November 17, 2010 (“the deadline date”). Applications must be submitted on forms required by and in the format specified by the Department and must be received in the: Florida Small Cities CDBG Program Office, Department of Community Affairs, The Sadowski Building, Room 260, 2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100 by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on the deadline date. An electronic copy of the application in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format (on a CD) can be submitted as the second copy of the application, as long as one complete hard copy with original signatures is submitted.

If you have questions, please contact the: CDBG Grants Management staff or Jacquelyn Dupree, Community Program Manager of the Small Cities CDBG Program at (850)487-3644 or by email: jackie.dupree@dca.state.fl.us.