Item P12 County of Monroe BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Mayor Heather Carruthers,District 3
•
The Florida Keys
= Mayor Pro Tern Michelle Coldimn,District 2
Craig Cates,District I
David Rice,District
Sylvia 1.Murphy,District 5
County Commission Meeting
May 20, 2020
Agenda Item Summary #6946
WILL BE ON ADD-ON P-12
BULK ITEM: Yes DEPARTMENT: County Administrator
TIME APPROXIMATE: STAFF CONTACT: Lisa Tennyson(305)292-4444
n/a
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Resolution asking the Governor to allocate the unspent local
government portion of the State's Coronavirus Relief Fund and supporting the request/proposal from
the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities, and also requesting that State
agencies with oversight of CARES Act authorized funds release those funds as soon as possible and
ensure that funding is distributed across all communities with needs arising from the COVID-19
pandemic without regard for population size or entitlement status.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
Congress and the President recognized the economic disruption of social distancing directives to all
facets of our community with the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security
("CARES") Act, HR748, signed into law on March 28, 2020 which includes robust new funding to
mitigate economic hardship for small businesses, families and workers, and State and local
governments.
These funding streams include Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant,
and the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) and they are intended to help meet community-based
emergency housing and food needs and in the case of the CRF, any unmet local government needs.
Eligible local governments have already received direct allocations of this funding, with which they
are assisting their communities.
Unfortunately, because Monroe County's small population and non-entitlement status, we do not
qualify for direct allocations of any available funding streams, and must wait for the State to develop
spending plans for distributing its bucket of non-entitlement funds. We do not if, how much or when
we might receive the non-entitlement CDBG and ESG funds.
With regard to the CRF funds, we are working with our fellow counties and cities in a unified
request to the Governor to allocate the unspent portion of the local government bucket to the
counties and cities that did not receive a direct allocation.
Monroe County's Board of County Commissioners urge recognition by the Governor's Office and
State agencies that Monroe County does not qualify for funding through CRF, CDBG, ESG,or SHIP
due to its small population size and non-entitlement status, therefore is not able to provide similar
assistance to its own struggling community members as those counties that do qualify for these
funding sources.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: N/A
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
n/a
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval.
DOCUMENTATION:
Monroe County Resolution Urging Gov to Allocate Unspent CRF and Agencies to Release Non-
entitlement Funds(002)
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Effective Date:
Expiration Date:
Total Dollar Value of Contract:
Total Cost to County:Current Year Portion:
Budgeted:
Source of Funds:
CPI:
Indirect Costs:
Estimated Ongoing Costs Not Included in above dollar amounts:
Revenue Producing: If yes, amount:
Grant:
County Match:
Insurance Required:
Additional Details:
REVIEWED BY:
Bob Shillinger Pending
Kathy Peters Pending
Board of County Commissioners Pending 05/20/2020 9:00 AM
MONROE COUNTY,FLORIDA
MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
RESOLUTION NO. -2020
A RESOLUTION BY THE MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS ASKING GOVERNOR DESANTIS TO ALLOCATE
THE UNSPENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT PORTION OF THE STATE'S
CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND TO THOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
THAT DID NOT RECEIVE A DIRECT ALLOCATION AND
SUPPORTING THE REQUEST AND PROPOSAL PUT FORTH BY THE
FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES AND LEAGUE OF CITIES;
AND REQUESTING STATE AGENCIES TO ACT WITH EXPEDIENCY
WITH REGARD TO ALL AVAILABLE FUNDING STREAMS AND TO
ENSURE THAT FUNDING IS DISTRIBUTED ACROSS ALL
COMMUNITIES WITH NEEDS ARISING FROM THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC WITHOUT REGARD FOR POPULATION SIZE OR
ENTITLEMENT STATUS,AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated Statewide and community-wide
measures to safeguard the public health to slow and stop the spread of the COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, Monroe County and the State of Florida issued safer-at-home directives
leading to the closure of all non-essential businesses,causing the loss of jobs in those businesses,
acutely impacting the tourism industry,which includes hotels, restaurants and leisure activities;
and
WHEREAS, Congress and the President recognized the economic disruption of social
distancing directives to all facets of our community with the passage of the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief and Economic Security ("CARES") Act, HR748, signed into law on March 28, 2020
which includes robust new funding to mitigate economic hardship for small businesses, families
and workers, and State and local governments; and
WHEREAS, the CARES Act provides funding to address communities' economic
hardship emergency housing and related needs via additional appropriations to HUD's
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Emergency Solutions Grant Program
(ESG); and
WHEREAS, CARES Act CDBG and ESG funds are distributed directly only to those
counties and cities designated as "entitlement communities," therefore, as a non-entitlement
community Monroe County does not qualify for direct allocations of these funds; and
WHEREAS, funding for "non-entitlement communities" is sent to the State; currently
there is $80M in CDGB funds at Department of Economic Opportunity and $20M in ESG at
Department of Children and Families. The State agencies have to develop spend plans for these
funds, so the distribution amount and timeframe for release of these funds are unknown; and
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WHEREAS, the State of Florida released an additional $5M to the State Housing
Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program from the program's disaster reserve to help meet
emergency housing needs throughout Florida's impacted communities; and
WHEREAS, Monroe County does not qual fy for a portion of this extra SHIP funding
because the funds are distributed based on population, and Monroe County's small population
does not meet the threshold; and
WHEREAS,the CARES Act provides additional funding to States and local governments
with populations over 500,000("qualifying"local governments)through the Coronavirus Relief
Fund(CRF)to cover needs/expenses related to COVID-19; and
WHEREAS,Monroe County's population does not meet the threshold and therefore does
not quaify for this funding; and
WHEREAS,the CARES Act CRF funding amount for Florida is$8.3B,with 55%of that,
or$4.6B reserved for the State and 45%, or$3.7B of that reserved for the 12 local governments
in Florida whose populations exceed 500,000; and
WHEREAS, the 12 qualifying counties receive direct CRF allocations that range from
$96M to $447M enabling them to help meet the needs of those in their respective communities
that have been impacted by COVID-19 and social distancing directives, while 55 counties have
no similar assistance to provide to their communities; and
WHEREAS, allocations to all 12 qualifying counties total$2.4B,leaving a balance in the
local government reserved pot of$1.275B that can be allocated by the State to the remaining
counties and cities to help us with unmet needs; and
WHEREAS, the Counties and Cities of the State of Florida working through the Florida
Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities joined together to make a formal
request to the Governor and proposed in a unanimous fashion,an allocation plan for this$1.275B
that is straightforward, fair, and uses the same federal distribution formula in the CARES Act;
and
WHEREAS, Monroe County's Board of County Commissioners urge recognition by the
Governor's Office and State agencies that Monroe County does not qual fy for funding through
CRF, CDBG, ESG or SHIP due to its small population size and non-entitlement status, and
therefore is not able to provide similar assistance to its own struggling community members as
those counties that do qualify for this funding sources; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY,FLORIDA:
Section 1. Monroe County urges the Governor to allocate as quickly as possible the remaining
balance of Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) funding to those local governments that did not
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qualify for a direct allocation; further, Monroe County supports the request and proposed
allocation plan put forth by the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities.
Section 2. Monroe County urges the Department of Economic Opportunity expedite its
spending plan for the$16 million in non-entitlement and the$63 million in both entitlement and
non-entitlement funds, and prioritize those local governments that have not qualified for other
funding allocations.
Section 3. Monroe County urges the Department of Children and Families expedite its
spending plan for the $20 million in non-entitlement funds, and prioritize those local
governments that have not qualified for other funding allocations.
Section 4. Monroe County urges the Governor's office and State agencies to act with
expediency with regard to all available funding streams and to ensure that funding is distributed
across all communities in need.
Section 5. Direct the Clerk to transmit copies of this resolution to Governor Ron DeSantis,
State Senator Anitere Flores, State Representative Holly Raschein, Director Ken Lawson,
Secretary Chad Poppell, and to the members of the Monroe County federal delegation: Senator
Marco Rubio, Senator Rick Scott, and Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
This resolution shall become effective upon adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida,
at a regular meeting held on the 20th day of May, 2020.
Mayor Heather Carruthers
Mayor Pro Tem Michelle Coldiron
Commissioner Craig Cates
Commissioner Sylvia Murphy
Commissioner David Rice
(SEAL) BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Attest: Kevin Madok OF MONROE COUNTY,FLORIDA
By By
Deputy Clerk Mayor Heather Carruthers
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