27P-19.009. Selection Criteria for Competitive Grants

(1) The review committee shall review all applications that are received by the noticed application deadline and that comply with the application procedures and requirements set forth in this rule. Applications that are either not received by the noticed application deadline or that do not comply with the application procedures and requirements set forth in this rule shall be rejected. Received means delivery by hand, certified mail, electronically transmitted (disk or on-line) or courier to the location designated in the Notice of Fund Availability no later than 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the final day of the application period. Facsimile transmissions shall not be accepted.

(2) Applications shall be scored by the review committee independently and the scores shall be totaled and averaged. Thereafter, the committee shall evaluate the scores and arrive at preliminary scores and resulting rankings. Preliminary scores and resulting rankings shall be prepared within each category based upon the total number of points earned with the overall highest number of points determining priority for funding. The review committee shall, within 75 days of the application deadline date, post preliminary scores and resulting rankings on the Division of Emergency Management website www.floridadisaster.org. Upon determination, final scores and resulting rankings will be posted on the Division of Emergency Management website, www.floridadisaster.org. Funds shall be offered to the Applicant with the overall highest score, then to the Applicant with the next overall highest score, and so on, until all funds have been offered and accepted, or all eligible applications have been funded, or insufficient funds remain to fund an eligible project. The Division may offer to fund all or part of the project or all or part of the amount requested in an application. Applicants shall be given 21 days to accept or reject a proposed award. Written notice of acceptance shall be delivered to the Division offices designated in the notice of award along with a complete proposal, revised budget, timeline and a list of project items. In the event that an Applicant fails to accept or reject a proposed award offered for the Emergency Management Competitive Grant Program or the Municipal Competitive Grant Program within the specified time, then the funds offered shall revert to the Trust Fund.

(3) The review committee may use other Division staff, staff from other state and regional agencies and local governments that have not applied for funds, or professional consultants, to assist in reviewing an application.

(4) In the event of a tie, the review committee shall give first priority to the application which provides the largest amount of cash match of other funds for the project, and, if a tie still results, then preference shall be given in accordance with Section 18, Chapter 92-132, Laws of Florida, to the project exclusively located or to be performed in a county or municipality which has been adversely affected by an environmental cleanup initiative conducted by the state, or is located in a Front Porch Community.

(5) Applications will be accepted for awards in four separate categories. A municipality shall not apply for funding for the same project from both the funding available under the Emergency Management Competitive Grant Program and the funding available under the Municipal Competitive Grant Program. Each application must designate one, and only one, of the categories noted in this rule. Failure to designate a category, or designating a category that is unrelated to the proposed project, shall result in rejection of the application. If sufficient numbers of applications that achieve the minimum score are received, at least one application will be funded from each category. The categories are:

(a) Projects that will promote public education on disaster preparedness and recovery issues.

(b) Projects that will enhance coordination of relief efforts of statewide private sector organizations, including public-private business partnership efforts.

(c) Projects that will improve the training and operations capabilities of agencies assigned lead or support responsibilities in the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

(d) Other projects that will further state and local emergency management objectives designated as priorities in the applicable Notice of Fund Availability.

(6) Applications shall be awarded points and ranked using the following criteria:

(a) Extent to which the proposed project is consistent with and furthers the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and the applicable local comprehensive emergency management plan or plans. [Maximum score 100 points]

(b) Proposed project method and approach. [Maximum score 100 points]

(c) Amount of eligible match supplied by the applicant for the proposed project. [Maximum score 50 points]

(d) Experience and ability applied to the project. [Maximum score 25 points]

(e) Immediacy of tangible emergency management benefits (short term projects, i.e. – less than 12 months in duration), or, long term emergency management benefits coupled with the availability of resources to continue implementation of the project past the term of the award (long term projects, i.e. – duration of 12 months or longer). Identify the emergency management organizations or the targeted population area whose emergency management needs will be directly benefitted by the project or both if applicable. [Maximum score 75 points]

(f) Extent to which the proposed project addresses a demonstrated emergency management need. [Maximum score 50 points]

(g) Extent to which the proposed project addresses an emergency management priority, as identified in the Notice of Fund Availability. [Maximum score 100 points] These points are only available for applications submitted under paragraph 27P-19.009(5)(d), F.A.C.

(7) Points shall be awarded based upon the evidence contained in the application. No points shall be awarded based upon information not contained in the application. Applicants shall supply in their project application all information which they desire to be evaluated for an award of points.

(8) Regardless of their competitive ranking, applications that do not score at least 300 points shall be ineligible for funding.

Rulemaking Authority 252.35(2)(x), 252.373 FS. Law Implemented 252.35, 252.373, 252.38 FS. History–New 1-12-94, Amended 6-21-95, 11-13-96, 10-11-98, 10-11-00, 10-22-02, 11-27-03, 1-3-06, Formerly 9G-19.009.