62D-5.055. General Requirements

The following constitutes the general procedures for the program:

(1) DISTRIBUTION OF PROGRAM FUNDS. FRDAP funds are distributed as reimbursement grants by the Department on a project-by-project basis to applicants eligible under this rule. The Department’s performance and obligation to award program grants are contingent upon an annual appropriation by the Florida Legislature for the subsequent fiscal year.

(2) APPLICATION SUBMISSION PERIOD. The Department shall accept program applications only during the application submission period. Applications must be postmarked on or before the last day of the application submission period. The Department shall publicize the dates of the application submission period and other pertinent application information specified in this rule in the Florida Administrative Weekly.

(3) MAXIMUM GRANT REQUEST. The Department shall announce the maximum funds that an applicant may request in a FRDAP application in the publication of the application submission period.

(4) MATCH REQUIREMENTS. Match requirements for FRDAP grants are set forth below:

(a) Match Ratios. The following match ratios apply:

Total Project Cost	State Share	Grantee Share
$50,000 or less	100%	0
$50,001 – 150,000	75%	25%
Over $150,000	50%	50%

 

(b) Eligible Match Types. A grantee may utilize the following types of match sources for the grantee share:

1. Cash.

2. In-kind service costs.

3. Land Value. The value of a project site, which has no recreational facilities already on it, owned by the applicant. The applicant must submit an appraisal prepared pursuant to subparagraph 62D-5.058(6)(f)1., F.A.C., or documentation from the County Property Appraiser showing the current assessed value of the land.

(c) Ineligible Match Sources. Land value of property acquired through FRDAP or other state and federal grant land acquisition programs, such as: Land and Water Conservation Fund, legislative special interest projects, Florida Communities Trust, Conservation and Recreation Lands Program (CARL), Save Our Rivers, Preservation 2000, Florida Forever, Recreation Trails Program (RTP), and Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF).

(5) GRANT AWARD. The Secretary shall approve applications to the extent of estimated available program funds based on a review of staff’s recommended application priority lists of eligible applications established pursuant to subsections 62D-5.055(6) and (7) and Rule 62D-5.057, F.A.C. The Secretary shall approve the final application priority list, and the Department shall submit the list to the Executive Office of the Governor and to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for funding consideration for the subsequent fiscal year.

(6) PROGRAM AMOUNT ALLOCATION. For each funding cycle, the Department shall divide the estimated available program amount into two funds: Small and Large Funds. The percentage of the program amount that is allocated to each fund is determined by the percentage of funds requested by applicants in that fund.

(a) Small Projects Fund. The dollar amount of eligible applications proposing projects that do not exceed $50,000 in project cost divided by the total dollar amount of requested funds in all eligible program applications.

(b) Large Projects Funds. The dollar amount of eligible applications proposing projects that exceed $50,000 in project cost divided by the total dollar amount of requested funds in all eligible program applications.

(7) RECOMMENDED APPLICATION PRIORITY LIST. The program amount assigned to each fund, established pursuant to subsection 62D-5.055(6), F.A.C., shall be divided into three categories: acquisition, development, and trail construction. The fund amount assigned to each category is based on the percentage of funds in each category in relationship to the total amount of requested funds in all eligible project applications for each fund. Likewise, eligible project applications shall be divided into land acquisition, facility development, and trail construction categories in each fund and evaluated according to Rule 62D-5.057, F.A.C. A total point score shall be assigned to each application upon evaluation of each under Rules 62D-5.056 and 62D-5.057, F.A.C. Department staff shall prepare one priority list for each fund. Applications shall be ranked on the priority list according to assigned point scores. The application with the highest score will receive the highest priority. The remaining applications will be arranged in descending order according to their assigned point scores. Applications scoring below the minimum, established pursuant to paragraph 62D-5.056(3)(c), F.A.C., shall not be placed on the priority list. The priority list shall include recommendations for distribution of available program funds. In the event there are insufficient applications to account for all program funds assigned to a category or fund, the remaining funds shall then be allocated to the other category or fund.

(8) TIE-BREAKER SYSTEM. If two or more applications receive the same score as a result of the above evaluation, the following tie-breaker system will be used to decide the priority ranking among them. Tied applications will be evaluated according to each step of the tie-breaker system in order and will be assigned their priority accordingly. If the tie is not broken by using step one, step two will be used.

(a) Step I – Per Capita Funding History. An order of priority among those applications with equal scores shall be established based on the per capita amount of funds previously received by the applicant through FRDAP during the previous five fiscal years. The application from the applicant which received the lowest per capita amount of program funds receives the highest priority. Other applications will be arranged in descending order related inversely to the per capita amount of program funds each has received. The resident population within the applicant’s jurisdictional boundaries shall be utilized to compute the per capita amount of funds each applicant has received.

(b) Step II – Per Capita Operating Budget. The applicant with the lowest per capita expenditure of general operating funds receives the highest priority. The resident population within the applicant’s jurisdictional boundaries, as determined in Step I, will be divided into the applicant’s current fiscal year total general operating budget to obtain the per capita operating fund amount.

(9) RETROACTIVE PROJECTS. Retroactive projects are eligible if they otherwise meet rule criteria, funds are available, and project costs have occurred within one (1) year prior to the approval of funding by the Governor.

(10) UNSETTLED CLAIMS. The Department shall deny or suspend program eligibility to any applicant or grantee against which the Department has an unsettled financial claim.

Specific Authority 375.075 FS. Law Implemented 375.075 FS. History–New 12-10-90, Formerly 16D-5.055, Amended 8-13-98, 7-5-01.