The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announces a Public Hearing on the draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice will be held on April1, 2015, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. PURPOSE: To conduct a public hearing to encourage citizen ...

 

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Division of Community Development

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.

DATE AND TIME: April 1, 2015, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

PLACE: Amtrak Station Community Room, 918 Railroad Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32310

GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announces a Public Hearing on the draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice will be held on April1, 2015, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

PURPOSE: To conduct a public hearing to encourage citizen participation in the preparation of the final Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (Analysis) for July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2020.

SUMMARY: The State of Florida is required to submit a three to five-year Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in order to continue to receive federal funding from HUD. The Analysis must cover the grant programs funded by HUD. Grant programs included in the Analysis are administered by four state entities: the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) by the Department of Economic Opportunity; the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) by the Department of Children and Families; the Home Investment Partnership (HOME) by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation; and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) by the Department of Health. The Analysis must determine the impediments to fair housing choice in Florida and include actions that can be taken to overcome these impediments.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN: At the public hearing to be held on April 1, 2015, staff from Langton Associates, Inc., the consultants preparing the Analysis for the State of Florida, will provide an overview of the draft report, answer questions, and accept comments on the draft analysis. Interested parties are encouraged to attend. The draft analysis will also be posted on DEO’s website at: http://www.floridajobs.org/smallcitiescdbg, on March 24, 2015.

A copy of the agenda may be obtained at http://www.floridajobs.org/smallcitiescdbg, in person, or by contacting Ginger Waters, Florida Small Cities CDBG Program, Department of Economic Opportunity, Caldwell Building, 107 East Madison Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, telephone: [phone], email: [e-mail].

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/meeting is asked to advise the agency at least 5 days before the workshop/meeting by contacting: Ginger Waters. Any person requiring a special accommodation at the hearing because of a disability, physical impairment or English language deficiency should contact DEO at [phone] at least five calendar days prior to the hearing. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact DEO using the Florida Dual Party Relay System which can be reached at 1(800)955-8770 (Voice) and 1(800)955-8771 (TDD). If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).

If any person decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at this meeting or hearing, he/she will need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceeding is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence from which the appeal is to be issued.

For more information, you may contact: Ginger Waters. Written comments on the draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice are encouraged. Please submit written comments on the draft Analysis to DEO, no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 1, 2015, 30 days following the public hearing.

Additional information may be requested, and comments may be made at the public hearing, sent by email, or mailed to the address listed above.