Board reallocates remaining Hurricane Ian funds: $600,000 added to Family Promise; remainder directed to Inspire/Spire Northport housing project

Sarasota County officials on July 9 moved to repurpose remaining Hurricane Ian Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) funds after staff reported a pool of available dollars and recommended options.

Office of Financial Management division manager Steve Hyatt told the board that, after the voluntary buyout awards the commission approved earlier in the meeting, approximately $5.1 million remained in the buyout allocation and that, combined with $3.0 million of planning funds the county could reallocate, and additional unspent program funds, roughly $15,665,950 of Ian‑related funds were available for repurposing. Hyatt outlined three options the board could pursue: (1) apply the money to previously scored but unfunded Hurricane Ian projects, (2) revisit projects already selected to identify unmet needs, or (3) reopen a new competitive solicitation for additional eligible projects.

Commissioners discussed priorities including affordable housing, infrastructure (stormwater/pump stations and generator upgrades), and cultural/economic recovery projects. Several commissioners said affordable housing in South County should be prioritized; others pressed to fund infrastructure and theater arts projects for downtown Venice.

After public testimony from applicants and proponents, including Jennifer Faganbaum of Family Promise of South County and Michael Allen of Bridal Development Group (which is seeking support for a multifamily affordable housing proposal in Northport), the board agreed on a hybrid approach. The commission first approved three voluntary buyout applications (the earlier action) and then directed staff to allocate an additional $600,000 to Family Promise’s Parkside Village project to cover required flood mitigation and buildability work identified in updated engineering. Commissioners agreed the remainder of the repurposed Ian funds — after the $600,000 allocation — should be applied to a high‑scoring South County multifamily affordable housing application (Inspire Northport/Inspire Northport project in the packet), and staff should continue to work with applicants about matching and other funding sources.

Motion and vote: Commissioner Cutsinger moved to proceed as discussed; Commissioner Smith seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

What it means: the board directed staff to (a) close out three buyout awards approved earlier (about $1.29 million total), (b) add $600,000 to Family Promise of South County to address newly identified mitigation and construction costs, and (c) apply the remaining repurposed Ian dollars to the Inspire Northport affordable housing request, subject to the usual conditional award and documentation requirements. Staff said partial awards would be conditional on demonstration of other funding and permitting; if projects cannot meet conditions, staff will return to the board with alternatives.

Staff noted that applicants who did not receive funding in this cycle remain eligible to apply under a separate allocation of disaster recovery funds (the county announced a later allocation of roughly $210 million in response planning) and may reapply under future solicitations.

Ending: The board’s allocation aims to direct limited disaster recovery dollars toward South County affordable housing needs while providing a smaller targeted grant to a nonprofit housing developer to address emergency mitigation requirements and maintain forward momentum on projects that can proceed quickly.