Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) have awarded the City of Panama City $18,986,552 in Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to replace key and vital infrastructure in the historic Millville community.
The Governor visited Panama City Beach on May 6, 2021 to announce that more than $111 million has been awarded to 22 communities through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida General Infrastructure Repair Program for communities impacted by Hurricane Michael. The program, administered by DEO, is designed to provide funding for local governments to strategically rebuild and harden infrastructure in order to prevent or reduce losses from future disasters.
“Hurricane Michael caused catastrophic damage to Northwest Florida and we remain one-hundred percent committed to helping these communities rebuild and recover stronger than before,” said Governor DeSantis. “This Rebuild Florida funding will provide local governments with critical resources to harden their infrastructure and ensure that these communities are as prepared as possible for future disasters.”
The full release from Governor DeSantis may be found here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/05/06/governor-ron-desantis-announces-111-million-in-infrastructure-awards-for-communities-impacted-by-hurricane-michael/?fbclid=IwAR3H6kEiJo9nSVFTO4oNYp0vFV4mbxIiYb8zGWowfW0XZ1xqKaWv8sE9CKQ
The City will now work with DEO on a subrecipient grant agreement so the City can begin drawing on the funds and then initiate a Request for Proposals (RFP) for engineering services to develop the design and construction documents necessary for bidding the construction work to be accomplished. The project will significantly enhance the infrastructure in Millville providing higher water quality and pressure and sanitary sewer services to citizens in one of our oldest communities.
The funds are allocated to the state through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and come from the $1.9 billion appropriation made by Congress.