Monroe County To Apply for Additional Resilient Florida Program Grant Funding

Today, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners discussed potential grant applications for road adaptation projects and other projects to be submitted for funding under year four of the Resilient Florida program, which was signed into law by the State of Florida in 2021 (Section 380.093, F.S.).

The goal of the Resilient Florida program focuses on evaluating local assets, assessing their vulnerability, and providing grants to support long-term resilience needs. This year, County staff proposed three project applications to be submitted by the Sept. 1, 2024 deadline:

· Stillwright Point Road Adaptation (Key Largo): Design and permitting is grant-funded and underway (expected to be completed in March 2025). Staff again will apply for construction funding for 50 percent of the $40 million cost. A federal match for 50 percent has already been identified and is on reserve for the project.· Sands neighborhood construction (Big Pine Key): The design and permits are complete. The County secured $8.1 million in CDBG-Mitigation grant funding and will apply for the additional $12,225,289 from Resilient Florida. The County also applied last year, and an award may be pending. If an official award is received before this year's Sept. 1 deadline, then a resubmittal of the application would not be necessary.· Planning Grant to Update Sea-Level Rise Projections and Develop Conceptual Design and Cost Estimates for Adaptation Priorities: Staff proposed submitting a Planning Grant application to address new sea-level rise projections signed into law this year and develop conceptual design and cost estimates for non-road adaptation projects. The municipalities will be included. This ultimate project list would provide grant opportunities for future years.

Since the start of the Resilient Florida program, Monroe County has been awarded $45.2 million for projects like the Stillwright Point road elevation design, Twin Lakes road elevation and stormwater, Harry Harris Park resilience redesign, road elevation projects in Winston Waterways, Conch Key, and Big Coppitt, and living shoreline adaptations on Long Key and Duck Key. An additional $12.2 million award for Sands neighborhood road elevation may be pending.

"These grant awards represent the culmination of a decade of planning work by County staff," said Monroe County Chief Resilience Officer Rhonda Haag. "Additional awards may be more challenging due to limited funding and increased competition."

Monroe County staff have obtained more than $200 million in federal and state awards for Florida Keys resilience projects.