Clay County commissioners advance CIP changes, authorize expedited purchase process to use CARES Act funding

Clay County commissioners on June 30 voted to move forward with a revised capital improvement plan and to authorize an expedited property‑purchase process so the county can spend and seek reimbursement of CARES Act funds for two facilities, officials said.

County Manager Troy Nagle and finance staff told the board the county needs to reach reimbursable spending targets to access roughly $38 million in eligible CARES Act funds. Staff said they identified about $15 million in CIP adjustments that could be shifted to buy and retrofit an existing warehouse and an existing health‑department facility, rather than building new structures. County Attorney Courtney advised the board that an "alternative procedure" under Florida law would allow staff to negotiate purchase agreements more quickly, with a shortened public notice period, but would reduce some confidentiality protections.

Why it matters: staff said the state and federal timing is tight — reimbursements and eligible spending must be completed by Dec. 30 — and the county must show initial expenditures to trigger further reimbursements. Finance staff presented a one‑page exhibit showing projects that could be delayed to free up money, while warning that deferring some road, parks and public‑safety projects would be a trade‑off if reimbursements did not materialize.

Board action: Commissioner Rollins moved to bring the CIP changes back for a public hearing on July 14; the motion was seconded and carried. The board then voted to authorize the county to use the alternative purchase procedure to pursue two specific properties identified by staff: a warehouse at 820 Corporate Square in Green Cove Springs and a health‑department building at 1845 Town Center Boulevard. The board announced the alternate‑procedure motion passed by a 4–1 margin (the board recorded the vote as "4 to 1"). Staff said they will obtain at least one appraisal on each property and return to the board with any purchase and sale agreements and a public hearing as required.

What staff will do next: county managers and purchasing staff will seek appraisals, prepare purchase agreements and advertise the CIP adjustment in advance of the July 14 public hearing. Finance staff said they will continue to pursue weekly reimbursement submissions to the state and asked the board to prioritize projects that can be completed quickly to maintain cash flow.

Context and constraints: managers said the state pushed back on some items that did not meet a clear COVID‑19 nexus (for example, an electric substation was removed from the list), and the state has limited what it will reimburse. Staff emphasized the deadline to spend CARES funds and described a three‑week turnaround target for properly documented reimbursement requests from the state.

Closing: staff committed to return on July 14 with appraisals, the advertised CIP amendment and the proposed purchase agreements for the board to consider in public session. The board’s vote allows staff to continue negotiations and to prepare the documents required for final board approval at a later public meeting.