Sarasota County’s 2nd Annual Recovery Plan Performance Report Now Available

August 2, 2022 – Sarasota

Sarasota County has published the second Annual Recovery Plan Performance Report which details the county’s use and activities related to the U.S. Treasury award of $84.2 million dollars of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).

Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) discussed these funds in multiple meetings and took action on prioritization and allocation of the $84.2 million to eligible projects as identified by the U.S. Treasury Final Rule requirements.

With public comment from community members, business owners and advocacy groups, the BCC identified four major initiatives including the need to address affordable housing, improve water quality, as well as advance mental and behavioral health services and address homelessness.

ARPA SLFR funds were allocated to these initiatives as follows:

· $25 million allocated to support the development or permanent acquisition of nearly 700 affordable housing units, the second highest allocation for affordable housing efforts across all SLFRF recipients in Florida and the single largest contribution the county has made for these initiatives.

· $14 million allocated to water quality improvement projects, including the conversion of the Venice Gardens Water Reclamation Facility to an Advanced Wastewater Treatment facility, which will increase the daily wastewater treatment capacity by millions of gallons and significantly reduce levels of harmful nutrients in refuse water.

· $12.5 million allocated to fund salaries of Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel who continue to be on the front lines of the pandemic with other public health and safety organizations.

· $8 million allocated to mental and behavioral health initiatives and services, including addressing homelessness, identified as part of a Mental Health Needs Assessment Task Force report.

In May 2021, the U.S. Treasury awarded Sarasota County $84.2 million of SLFRF, as authorized by ARPA, to support the response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency. 

According to Sarasota County’s ARPA Coronavirus SLFRF program manager Steve Hyatt, “The annual report produced and published by staff memorializes the BCC’s decisions, as well as the county’s community engagement efforts toward funding these goals and projects.” 

Hyatt also said the county is proud to share this information with the community as funds are expended in accordance with the vision of the board and intent of the ARPA and SLFRF. 

Since June 2021, Sarasota County has documented all planned funding uses, project descriptions, funding allocations, performance outputs, and outcomes related to the board’s priorities. View this reported information online by visiting scgov.net (keyword ARPA). 

For more information call the Sarasota County Contact Center by dialing 311 or visit scgov.net.