EPA Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant Opportunities are Now Open!

2021 Request for Applications Application Due Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2020 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time EPA’s Brownfields Program provides funds to empower states, communities, tribes, and nonprofit organizations to prevent, inventory, assess, clean up, and reuse brownfield sites. A brownfield site is defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may…

Florida League of Cities Elects New Officers for 2020-2021

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida League of Cities, the united voice for Florida’s municipal governments, yesterday announced the election of its officers for the 2020-2021 term. The officers were elected and installed during the association’s annual business meeting held virtually this afternoon. City of Orlando Commissioner Antonio “Tony” Ortiz was elected president of the Florida League of Cities,…

HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson visits Fort Myers Opportunity Zone neighborhoods neighborhoods

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson toured some of Fort Myers’ lower-income communities Wednesday to tout a program meant to revitalize neighborhoods. The Opportunity Zone incentive was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and is meant to provide tax incentives for projects in low-income communities that have traditionally been underdeveloped. There…

Ron DeSantis: Eight Small and Rural Communities Getting Funds From Competitive Florida Partnership

At the end of last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $280,000 has been awarded to eight small and rural communities through the Competitive Florida Partnership grant program administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO). The Competitive Florida program establishes a partnership between the community and DEO to create a strategic vision to advance their economic development needs while…

Local municipalities using social media, email to encourage U.S. Census participation

Households have until Sept. 30 to complete their U.S. Census questionnaires, which determine how billions of dollars in federal spending is distributed and how many congressional districts each state gets. With less than two months remaining for households to respond to the U.S. Census, local municipalities are ramping up efforts to encourage residents to complete their questionnaires. In…

Clearwater Launches Restaurant Aid Program

CLEARWATER, FL — The city of Clearwater’s Community Redevelopment Agency has launched a new voucher program to spur downtown dining and the heart of Cleveland Street will remain closed to vehicle traffic to offer more room for distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The CRA’s new pilot program is a limited time, limited quantity voucher program…

Rural Communities Funding Opportunities

Business and Industry (B&I) CARES Act Program USDA is making available up to $1 billion in loan guarantees to help rural businesses meet their working capital needs during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, agricultural producers that are not eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency loans may receive funding under USDA B&I CARES Act Program provisions included in the…

DEP’s Coastal Partnership Initiative Grant Program is Accepting Applications

  The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Coastal Management Program announces the opening of the Coastal Partnership Initiative funding opportunity for Fiscal Year 2021-22. Funding is available for Florida’s 35 coastal counties.  Any municipalities within the designated county boundaries, and which are required to include a coastal element in their local comprehensive plan, are eligible.…