67-21.003. Application and Selection Process for Developments

(1) Unless otherwise set forth in a competitive solicitation pursuant to rule Chapter 67-60, F.A.C., Applicants shall apply for Non-Competitive HC or a combination of MMRB and Non-Competitive HC as set forth below. For purposes of this subsection only, the term NC Award shall refer to Non-Competitive HC or a combination of MMRB and Non-Competitive HC, and funding from the Predevelopment Loan Program (PLP) will not be considered to be other Corporation funding.

(a) If the NC Award will be made available, with or without other Corporation funding, through the competitive solicitation funding process outlined in rule Chapter 67-60, F.A.C., the Applicant shall apply for the NC Award using the forms and procedures specified in the applicable competitive solicitation for such other funding. Unless otherwise specifically provided in the solicitation, all of the substantive provisions of this chapter will continue to apply to the NC Award. Any references in this chapter to “Application” shall mean the application or response submitted for such other funding.

(b) If the NC Award will not be made available through the competitive solicitation funding process outlined in rule Chapter 67-60, F.A.C., the Applicant shall utilize the Non-Competitive Application Package. The Non-Competitive Application Package or NCA (Rev. 06-2024) is adopted and incorporated herein by reference and consists of the forms and instructions available, without charge, on the Corporation’s website under the Multifamily Programs link labeled Non-Competitive Programs or from http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16897, which shall be completed and submitted to the Corporation in accordance with this rule chapter.

(c) All Applications must be complete, legible and timely when submitted, except as described below. Corporation staff may not assist any Applicant by copying, collating, or adding documents to an Application nor shall any Applicant be permitted to use the Corporation’s facilities or equipment for purposes of compiling or completing an Application.

(2) For purposes of the Non-Competitive Application Package, failure to submit an Application completed in accordance with the Application instructions and these rules will result in the failure to meet threshold in accordance with the instructions in the Application and this rule chapter.

(3) For purposes of the Non-Competitive Application Package, each submitted Application shall be evaluated and preliminarily scored using the factors specified in the Non-Competitive Application Package and these rules. The Contact Person shall be notified by email of items identified by the Corporation to be addressed by the Applicant, which may include financial obligations for which an Applicant or Developer or Principal, Affiliate or Financial Beneficiary of an Applicant or a Developer is in arrears to the Corporation or any agent or assignee of the Corporation. For the Corporation to deem an Application complete, all arrearages must be satisfied.

(4) For purposes of the Non-Competitive Application Package, each Applicant shall be allowed to cure its Application by submitting additional documentation, revised pages and such other information as the Applicant deems appropriate (“cures”) to address the issues raised pursuant to subsection (3), above, that could result in failure to meet threshold. A new form, page or exhibit provided to the Corporation prior to the time the Application is deemed complete shall be considered a replacement of that form, page or exhibit if such form, page or exhibit was previously submitted in the Applicant’s Application. Documents executed by third parties must be submitted in their entirety, including all attachments and exhibits referenced therein, even if only a portion of the original document was revised. Where revised or additional information submitted by the Applicant creates an inconsistency with another item in that Application, the Applicant shall also be required to make such other changes as necessary to keep the Application consistent as revised. In the event an invitation to Credit Underwriting is not extended within 12 months of the date on which the Application was initially received, or (b) by the effective date of any subsequent Non-Competitive Application Package pursuant to paragraph (1)(b) above, due to an uncured failure to meet threshold, then the Application will be deemed to have expired. Following expiration of an Application, the Applicant may submit a new Non-Competitive Application Package for the same Development, which shall include payment of the Application fee for the new Application.

(5) For purposes of the Non-Competitive Application Package, for Applications requesting MMRB and Non-Competitive HC, based on the availability of State Bond Allocation designated by the Board of Directors for multifamily housing, the Corporation will offer Applicants the opportunity to enter Credit Underwriting.

(6) An Applicant shall be ineligible for funding or allocation in any program administered by the Corporation if the Applicant or Affiliate of the Applicant has made fraudulent or material misrepentation as set forth in Section 420.518, F.S.

(7) For purposes of the Non-Competitive Application Package, the Corporation shall reject an Application if, following the submission of the additional documentation, revised pages and other information as the Applicant deems appropriate as described in subsection (4), above:

(a) The Development is inconsistent with the purpose of the MMRB Program, the Housing Credit Program, or both, or does not conform to the Application requirements specified in this rule chapter;

(b) The Applicant fails to achieve the threshold requirements as detailed in these rules, the applicable Application and Application instructions;

(c) The Applicant fails to file all applicable Application pages and exhibits that are provided by the Corporation and adopted under this rule chapter;

(d) The Applicant fails to satisfy any arrearages described in subsection (3), above.

(8) Notwithstanding any other provision of these rules, there are certain items that must be included in the Application and cannot be revised, corrected or supplemented after the Application is deemed complete. Those items are as follows:

(a) Name of Applicant or Developer entity(s); notwithstanding the foregoing, the name of the Applicant or Developer entity(s) may be changed only by written request of an Applicant to Corporation staff and approval of the Corporation after the Applicant has been invited to enter Credit Underwriting. With regard to said approval, the Corporation shall consider the facts and circumstances of each Applicant’s request, inclusive of validity and consistency of Application documentation;

(b) Principals of each Developer, including all co-Developers; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Principals of the Developer(s) may be changed only by written request of an Applicant to Corporation staff and approval of the Corporation after the Applicant has been invited to enter Credit Underwriting. With regard to said approval, the Corporation shall consider the facts and circumstances of each Applicant’s request, inclusive of validity and consistency of Application documentation. Any allowable replacement to the natural person Principals of a Public Housing Authority or officers and/or directors of a non-profit entity will apply to all preliminarily awarded Applications and Applications pending final Board action that include the Public Housing Authority or non-profit entity. Any allowable replacement of a Principal that was identified as the experienced Developer in a competitive solicitation must meet the experience requirements met by the original Principal;

(c) Program(s) applied for;

(d) Applicant that applied as a Non-Profit or for-profit organization;

(e) Site for the Development; notwithstanding the foregoing, after the Applicant has been invited to enter Credit Underwriting and subject to written request of an Applicant to Corporation staff and approval of the Corporation, the site for the Development may be increased or decreased, provided the Development Location Point is on the site. In addition, if the increase or decrease of the site is such that the proposed Development now meets the definition of a Scattered Site, then the Applicant shall be required to provide such Scattered Sites information and meet all Scattered Sites requirements as required by Corporation staff. With regard to said approval, the Corporation shall consider the facts and circumstances of each Applicant’s request, inclusive of validity and consistency of Application documentation;

(f) Development Category;

(g) Demographic Commitment;

(h) Total number of units; notwithstanding the foregoing, the total number of units may be increased after the Applicant has been invited to enter Credit Underwriting, subject to written request of an Applicant to Corporation staff and approval of the Corporation. With regard to said approval, the Corporation shall consider the facts and circumstances, inclusive of each Applicant’s request, in evaluating whether the changes made are prejudicial to the Development or to the market to be served by the Development;

(i) The Total Set-Aside Percentage as stated in the total set-aside breakdown chart for the program(s) applied for in the Set-Aside Commitment section of the Application; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Total Set-Aside Percentage may be increased after the Applicant has been invited to enter Credit Underwriting, subject to written request of an Applicant to Corporation staff and approval of the Corporation. With regard to said approval, the Corporation shall consider the facts and circumstances, inclusive of each Applicant’s request, in evaluating whether the changes made are prejudicial to the Development or to the market to be served by the Development;

(j) Submission of the Application by the applicable Application submission deadline, as outlined in the Non-Competitive Application instructions;

(k) Payment of the required Application fee and, if applicable, the TEFRA fee at submission of the Application;

(l) The Applicant must execute the Applicant certification and acknowledgement form included in the NCA.

All other items may be submitted as cures pursuant to subsection (4), above.

(9) A Development will be withdrawn from funding and any outstanding commitments for funds will be rescinded if at any time the Board of Directors determines that the Applicant’s Development or Development team is no longer the Development or Development team described in the Application or to the Credit Underwriter, and the changes made are prejudicial to the Development or to the market to be served by the Development.

(10) If an Applicant or Developer or any Principal, Affiliate or Financial Beneficiary of an Applicant or a Developer has any existing Developments participating in any Corporation programs that remain in non-compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, Title 67, F.A.C., or applicable loan documents, and any applicable cure period granted for correcting such non-compliance has ended as of the time of submission of the Application or at the time of issuance of a Credit Underwriting Report, the requested allocation will, upon a determination by the Board of Directors that such non-compliance substantially increases the likelihood that such Applicant or Developer will not be able to produce quality affordable housing, be denied and the Applicant or Developer and the Affiliates of the Applicant or Developer will be prohibited from new participation in any of the Corporation’s programs until such time as all of their existing Developments participating in any Corporation programs are in compliance.

(11) The withdrawal by the Applicant from any one program will be deemed by the Corporation to be a withdrawal of the Application from all programs.

(12) The name of the Development provided in the Application may not be changed or altered after submission of the Application during the history of the Development with the Corporation unless the change is requested in writing and approved in writing by the Corporation. The Corporation shall consider the facts and circumstances of each Applicant’s request and any Credit Underwriting Report, if available, prior to determining whether to grant such request.

(13) For Applications requesting MMRB:

(a) The Corporation shall initiate TEFRA Hearings on the proposed Developments after Applications are submitted. Neither the TEFRA Hearing, the invitation into Credit Underwriting, nor the Acknowledgment Resolution obligate the Corporation to finance the proposed Development in any way.

(b) Upon receipt of the Credit Underwriting Report, the Corporation shall submit the Credit Underwriting Report to its IRMA for a preliminary recommendation of the method of bond sale for each Development pursuant to Rule 67-21.0045, F.A.C.

(c) The Corporation shall notify the Applicant, in writing, of the Board of Directors determination related to approval of the Credit Underwriting Report and require the Applicant to submit the good faith deposit within 14 Calendar Days from the receipt of such notice.

(d) Upon Board of Directors approval of a Credit Underwriting Report and a preliminary recommendation for the method of bond sale from the Corporation’s IRMA, staff shall proceed with activities necessary to facilitate issuance of the bonds. This shall include assigning an Investment Banker, Bond Counsel, Special Counsel, Disclosure Counsel, Trustee and any other professional necessary to complete the transaction. Requests for Taxable Bonds shall be considered by the Board of Directors in an amount recommended by the Credit Underwriter.

(e) Following receipt of the good faith deposit, the Corporation’s assigned Special Counsel shall begin preparation of the loan commitment.

(f) Upon execution of a loan commitment, the Corporation shall authorize Bond Counsel, Special Counsel and Disclosure Counsel to prepare the Program Documents.

Rulemaking Authority 420.507, 420.508 FS. Law Implemented 420.502, 420.507(4), (13), (14), (18), (19), (20), (21), (24), (35), 420.508, 420.509, 420.5099 FS. History–New 12-3-86, Amended 12-4-90, 11-23-94, 9-25-96, 1-7-98, Formerly 9I-21.003, Amended 1-26-99, 11-14-99, 2-11-01, 3-17-02, 4-6-03, 3-21-04, 2-7-05, 1-29-06, 4-1-07, 3-30-08, 8-6-09, 11-7-11, 7-16-13, 2-2-15, 10-6-15, 9-15-16, 5-24-17, 7-8-18, 7-11-19, 6-23-20, 5-18-21, 7-6-22, 6-28-23, 8-27-24.