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Ratification of Submittal of Letter of Intent, and Authorization to Submit Complete Proposal, to State Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Coastal Management Program for FY 2024 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Competition for Jenkins Creek Manatee Habitat Restoration Project
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
On June 17, 2024, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the FY24 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Competition. This NOFO requires that a letter of intent be forwarded by the State Coastal Zone Management (CZM) entity, authorizing a local government agency to apply for the grant funding. On July 16, 2024, the Grants and Procurement Department received confirmation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) that Hernando County was eligible to submit a letter of intent for program consideration. FDEP required that all letters of intent be forwarded by August 2, 2024, to meet their deadline to NOAA.
The Hernando County Parks and Recreation Department, Waterways Division, presented the attached Letter of Intent and supporting documentation to the County Administrator for approval and forwarded the signed letter to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on August 2, 2024, requesting authorization to apply for funding in the amount of $200,000.00 for the Jenkins Creek Manatee Habitat Restoration Project. Due to the short period of time between notification of eligibility and the Letter of Intent deadline, Board approval was not received prior to submittal.
If NOAA invites Hernando County to submit a full application proposal, authorization is further requested to proceed with application development and submittal through the grants.gov portal.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
No match funding is required for this application; the Waterways division is anticipating providing $60,000.00 in match funding if awarded. This funding will be recognized through a budget resolution at the time of award.
LEGAL NOTE
The Board is authorized to act on this matter pursuant to Chapter 125, Florida Statutes.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board ratify the submittal of the Letter of Intent to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Coastal Management Program, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration FY24 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Competition. It is further recommended that the Board authorize the Chairperson’s signature on the grant application and submittal to NOAA if invited. The complete application package will be placed on Correspondence to Note upon submittal.