Escambia County Applies for More Than $92 Million for Countywide Infrastructure Upgrades

Escambia County is currently an applicant for more than $92 Million in various infrastructure upgrade projects which will, if awarded, benefit every citizen in Escambia County!

As I mention frequently at our BCC meetings, our staff at Escambia County are incredibly dedicated and committed to working hard for our citizens.  Often, they absorb criticism, scorn, and unfair characterizations.  But these narratives are unwarranted, and in nearly every respect I have found them as a team to be very responsive, proactive, and effective.  Particularly this current staff.

One standout is  our Grants and Special Projects Manager Elizabeth Kissel.  

She has been working hard, in conjunction with our Budgeting Office and others from multiple departments, on getting our county reimbursed for multiple natural disasters going all the way back to the floods of 2014.  Lately she has been applying for numerous grants for multiple projects all over the county.  She has been instrumental in assisting our county in receiving Millions of dollars in reimbursements from both the state and federal governments for these previous events.

On Friday, a huge list of very worthwhile grant proposals totalling more than $92 Million dollars was sent to commissioners by Liz Kissel.  While it is not a guarantee that we will receive these funds to complete these projects--it is nevertheless worthwhile for us to try.  And we will get many of these grants.

Kudos to Liz and all of the staff members who assisted with completing these below grant applications.

Rebuild Florida Hurricane Sally Grants

• Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Grant Applications (Allowed 3 applications)
• Grant Close Date – Friday, April 14, 2023 – ALL THREE GRANT APPLICATIONS WERE SUBMITTED ONTIME.
• Applications
• Application 1 - $32,550,000 - New ECAT energy efficient Escambia County Transit Center and solar powered bus shelters at the facility with ADA upgrades. Will also serve as an emergency shelter.
• Application 2 - $6 million – Beach Haven Phase 3 Design
• Application 3 - $26,396,768 million – Regional Stormwater Projects which included:
• PHS Drainage Improvements Phase I, II, and III - $1,800,000
• Oakfield Acres/Palafox - $11,200,000
• Carver Park Phase II - $2,160,000
• Monroe Avenue - $2,000,000
• Brickyard Road - $2,000,000
• Olive Road street and drainage improvement - $7,236,768
• Rebuild Florida Voluntary Home Buyout Grant Application (Allowed 1 application)
• Grant Close Date – Friday, April 14, 2023 – GRANT APPLICATION SUBMITTED ONTIME.
• Application
• $3,170,114.80 – Designed to encourage risk reduction through the purchase of residential property in high flood-risk areas to help reduce the impact of future disasters. Included four Hazard Mitigation Grant local match requirements plus other expenses not included in the grants:
• Bristol Park
• Countywide
• Rich Land
• Escambia County, Pensacola, and Cantonment
• Rebuild Florida Hometown Revitalization Grant (Allowed 3 applications)
• Grant Close Date – May 1, 2023 – ALL THREE GRANT APPLICATIONS WERE SUBMITTED ONTIME.
• Applications
• Application 1 – $5,000,000 – ECAT Solar Powered Community Bus Shelters with ADA Upgrades
• Application 2 – $5,000,000 – Palafox Street Sidewalks from Highway 29 to Nine Mile Road (4.8 miles)
• Application 3 - $5,000,000 – Regional Sidewalk and Drainage Projects including:
• Jackson Street Sidewalks and Drainage from 57^th Avenue to New Warrington Road (1.47 miles)
• “W” Street Sidewalks from Airport Boulevard to Highway 29
• Hollywood Avenue Sidewalks and Drainage from Massachusetts Avenue to Fairfield Drive
• Rebuild Florida Subrecipient Housing Repair and Replacement Grant (Allowed 1 application)
• Grant Close Date – May 15, 2023 – GRANT APPLICATION SUBMITTED ONTIME.
• Application
• $9,000,000 is the MAX application and we will be seeking the full amount.
• A subrecipient program designed to repair, replace, or reconstruct homes damaged by Hurricane Sally.