Daytona Beach Will Distribute $15 Million of Federal COVID Relief Funds

The city of Daytona Beach, Florida has many plans to use the $15 million of federal COVID relief funds. The city received $7.5 million in federal COVID relief funds in May 2021 and expects to receive another $7.5 million in May or June this year. Affordable housing, roof replacements, business façade grants, vaccine incentives, COVID education, crime prevention, public art, park upgrades, sidewalks, and trails are all on Daytona Beach’s list of potential uses for its Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds allocation.

”We want to make sure it’s legal so we don’t have to give back the money,” Deputy City Manager Dru Driscoll told city commissioners at their meeting last week.

The city has set aside $1.5 million in COVID funds for roofing grants, and there are currently 164 low- and moderate-income homeowners waiting for assistance with their roofs. Officials claim that the city has adequate funds to replace 94 roofs. According to city records, 42 applications have been vetted and processed, 34 roof inspections have been done, and 34 households have received estimates for roof work. According to city officials, the average cost cited to replace the leaky and deteriorating roofs is $11,695.00. 

But, these are not the only fundings that help homeowners. Dayton Beach has a Repair Program that provides assistance to low-income, owner-occupied households to correct health, safety, and/or potential code enforcement violation issues. To be eligible, the applicant must own and occupy the single-family residence for which assistance is requested and his/hers gross annual household income must not exceed the current HUD income limits. The maximum forgivable mortgage loan shall not exceed $15,000. The Reconstruction Program provides assistance to low-income, owner-occupied households for substantial housing rehabilitation or reconstruction of a unit that is not feasible for standard repairs. The maximum subsidy loan payment shall not exceed the current Section 221 mortgage limits. For more information on these two programs, contact La’Shondra Robinson by email at robinsonlashondra@codb.us or at (386) 671-8058. 

Another $1.5 million in government cash is allocated for affordable housing initiatives. City officials met with two developers who said their affordable housing projects would benefit from an additional $10 million in funding. Impact fee waivers, tax abatement, permit fee waivers, and grants, according to city officials, could close their funding deficits by several million dollars. The city is also considering a plan to grant $300.00 per unit over a three-year term.

The city also has $1.15 million dedicated to small business facade and landscape grants. Businesses can receive up to $5,000 for facades and a maximum of $1,000 for landscape improvements. Another $1.85 million has been plugged in for programs specific to the city commissioners’ zones.

For more information on getting a grant and also learning about refinance programs, take a look at this.