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Tavares-led delegation presses $25 million federal grant for utility corridor and rails-to-trails project
Summary
City staff and regional partners reported on Dec. 3 meetings in Washington, D.C., to advocate for a $25 million USDOT grant for a multi-jurisdiction utility corridor and rails-to-trails project; staff said the application is being updated for a recently issued NOFO and an announcement is expected later this year.
City staff told the Tavares City Council on Dec. 17 that a regional delegation — including representatives from Lake County, the City of Tavares and Mount Dora alongside partners such as the Trust for Public Land and a government-relations firm — traveled to Washington, D.C., on Dec. 3 to advocate for a $25,000,000 federal grant application for a utility corridor and rails-to-trails initiative.
"December 3 propelled our $25,000,000 grant application to the spotlight as a shovel-ready, high-impact infrastructure initiative with robust support at every level," said Dillon, a city project representative. Staff said the delegation met with congressional offices and senior staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and that officials at USDOT offered guidance on how to advance the application.
City staff emphasized that the meetings were advocacy and did not guarantee funding. Staff reported that the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was recently issued and that the team has a limited window to update the application to meet the revised requirements; staff cited roughly 60–90 days to finalize the revised submission, and an award announcement expected later in the year (staff referenced September/November timing in the discussion). The presentation credited the city's government-relations consultant for helping secure meetings and said the application had been positioned as "shovel-ready."
Council members thanked staff and the delegation for the outreach and noted the regional coordination. Several council members praised staff and the external team for elevating the project's profile in federal offices. Staff said they will continue to update council as application deadlines and agency guidance evolve.
