The Florida Senate

290.044  Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program Fund; administration; distribution.--

(1)  The Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program Fund is created. All revenue designated for deposit in such fund shall be deposited by the appropriate agency. The department shall administer this fund as a grant and loan guarantee program for carrying out the purposes of ss. 290.0401-290.049.

(2)  The department shall distribute such funds as loan guarantees and grants to eligible local governments on the basis of a competitive selection process.

(3)  The department shall define the broad community development objective to be achieved by the activities in each of the following grant program categories, and require applicants for grants to compete against each other in these grant program categories:

(a)  Housing.

(b)  Economic development.

(c)  Neighborhood revitalization.

(d)  Commercial revitalization.

(4)  The percentage of funds distributed in each of the grant program categories from federal funds for federal fiscal year 1985 shall be established by the Legislature in the appropriation process for the 1984 regular session and shall be established annually thereafter in the same manner. The department shall submit its recommendation on the distribution percentages to the Governor and Legislature as part of its regular budget proposals. The department shall provide for the set-aside of an amount of up to 10 percent of the funds allocated to the neighborhood revitalization category in its distribution percentages for use in any eligible local government jurisdiction for which an emergency or natural disaster has been declared by executive order. Such funds may only be provided to a local government to fund eligible emergency-related activities for which no other source of federal, state, or local disaster funds is available. The department shall provide for such set-aside by rule. In the last quarter of the state fiscal year, any funds not allocated under the emergency-related set-aside shall be used to fully fund any applications which were partially funded due to inadequate funds in the most recently completed neighborhood revitalization category funding cycle, and then any remaining funds shall be distributed to the next unfunded applications.

(5)  The department shall establish a system of monitoring grants, including site visits, to ensure the proper expenditure of funds and compliance with the conditions of the recipient's contract. The department shall establish criteria for implementation of internal control, to include, but not be limited to, the following measures:

(a)  Ensuring that subrecipient audits performed by a certified public accountant are received and responded to in a timely manner.

(b)  Establishing a uniform system of monitoring that documents appropriate followup as needed.

(c)  Providing specific justification for contract amendments that takes into account any change in contracted activities and the resultant cost adjustments which shall be reflected in the amount of the grant.

History.--s. 5, ch. 83-205; s. 1, ch. 85-223; s. 2, ch. 90-275; s. 44, ch. 97-278.