Department of Environmental Protection, Office of the Secretary

 

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Office of the Secretary

Coastal Partnership Initiative Request for Applications, FY 2019-2020

Coastal Partnership Initiative Request for Applications, FY 2019-2020

The Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP) announces the availability of federal funds for innovative coastal projects under its COASTAL PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE (CPI) for fiscal year 2019-2020 Eligible applicants include Florida’s 35 coastal counties and the local governments within their boundaries that are required to include a coastal element in their comprehensive plan. Florida public colleges and universities, regional planning councils, national estuary programs and nonprofit groups may also apply for CPI funds as long as an eligible local government is a partner in the project. Applications must be submitted on the CPI APPLICATION FORM, available from the FCMP website at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/cmp/grants/index.htm.

The purpose of the Coastal Partnership initiative is to promote the protection and effective management of Florida’s coastal resources in four priority areas: RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, COASTAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP, ACCESS TO COASTAL RESOURCES and WORKING WATERFRONTS.

Rule Sections 62S-4.004 and .007, F.A.C, describe the procedures for submitting applications and the procedures and criteria by which applications will be evaluated, respectively.

The CPI Application Form and a copy of Chapter 62S-4, F.A.C., are available from the FCMP grants website at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/cmp/grants/index.htm. Please note the following important information regarding the CPI grant process for FY 2019-2020

1. Applications must be received by the Department no later than 4:00 p.m. (EST), November 16, 2018. Applicants may email applications to [e-mail] or mail to the address below.

Florida Coastal Management Program

ATTN: CPI Applications

Department of Environmental Protection

3900 Commonwealth Blvd., MS 235

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000.

2. Projects must be completed within 12-months between July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020. Selected projects will be included in the FCMP application to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for fiscal year 2019-20.

3. PLEASE NOTE: Applications can now expect the maximum award to be up to $25,000 for planning, design and coordination activities and up to $75,000 for construction projects, habitat restoration, invasive exotic plant removal, and land acquisition.

4. Recipients are required to provide 100 percent matching contributions (cash or in-kind) in the form of goods and services that directly benefit the specific grant project. No more than one-half (50%) of match can be provided by a third party and none from federal funds.

5. There are additional requirements for applications involving construction, invasive exotic plant removal, habitat restoration, and land acquisition, including:

a. In order to show the project is feasible and able to be completed within 12-months, applicants proposing construction, invasive exotic plant removal and habitat restoration must conduct a preliminary consultation with appropriate local, state and federal regulatory agencies to ensure that there are no environmental concerns that would delay or prevent project start-up. A summary of the consultation must be included in the CPI application in order to be considered responsive.

b. Non-profit organizations (NPOs) are not eligible to receive funds for construction, habitat restoration, invasive exotic plant removal, or land acquisition. Applications submitted by NPOs that propose these activities will be disqualified.

c. Pursuant to NOAA’s direction, Section 306A funds shall not be used for beach restoration, beach nourishment or projects that are predominantly hard structure erosion control.

d. Infrastructure projects must have a clear coastal management component.

e. Construction and land acquisition activities occurring in designated Coastal Barrier Resource Act units are subject to additional review and approval by NOAA and/or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

WEBINAR:

In conjunction with the upcoming application grant cycle, FCMP staff has scheduled a webinar to provide technical assistance to potential grant applicants in understanding the application and 306A NOAA requirement processes for construction projects, invasive exotic plant removal and habitat restoration. The scheduled date, time and call conference line is listed below for your information. This webinar is open to the public and no registration is required. You may join the webinar by calling the number below. Please contact FCMP Staff at [phone] with any questions regarding the webinar.

Webinar date, time and call in number:

Friday, September 28, 2018

Time 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Dial: 888.670.3525 – Participant: # 5400665515

The webinar address can be found on the FCMP grants website.

For questions or to request a copy of Chapter 62S-4, F.A.C., or the CPI Application form, please contact Ms. Toni Clanton at the address above, or call [phone], or send an email to [e-mail]