Annual Recovery Plan Performance Report #1

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In January of 2020, the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was discovered in the United States. Shortly thereafter in February of 2020, the first COVID-19 patient in Florida was diagnosed which occurred right here within Sarasota County. As of July 31, 2021, over 930 deaths have occurred, and over 36,000 cases have been diagnosed within our community. For the most part, local residents are taking the disease seriously and over 68% of the county’s population ages 12 and up have been vaccinated in an effort to protect ourselves, our families, and our neighbors. There is, however, much that can be done to continue to respond to the disease, increase vaccination rates, and continue to promote economic recovery of the local community, to include those that were already most at need before the pandemic and are now disproportionately impacted.

Since the recent signing of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on March 11, 2021 and the release of U.S. Treasury, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) guidance on May 10, 2021, Sarasota County has been steadfast reviewing each of the continued releases of U.S. Treasury guidance, to include providing responses to the Interim Final Rule (IFR) on July 14, 2021 in hopes that CSLFRF eligibility uses may be broadened to better recover from the localized effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, due to the limited reporting period timeframe between the award agreement date to the period of July 31, 2021 required for this report, the continued release of new and updated guidance, the absence of a “Final Rule”, and the allowable and broad categories of eligible uses intended for long term recovery efforts, Sarasota County is continuing to narrow and finalize potential funding uses. Identifying and seeking approval of these proposed projects, along with community engagement efforts, are the County’s ongoing and major, noteworthy challenges to date.

While Sarasota County continues to monitor for final guidance from the U.S. Treasury and narrows its potential projects for approval, research has been conducted into the proposed uses of these funds for the purposes of our required reporting over this timeframe. Those potential uses include mental health services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; improvements to HVAC systems at public facilities, broadband infrastructure connections for unserved and/or underserved communities; water and wastewater sewer infrastructure investments to promote better water quality standards; operational response, recovery, and vaccination support costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and funding continuity support for public health and safety staff, to include Fire / EMS. Many of the proposed projects are supported by recent community interest (e.g. water quality) and pre-pandemic survey data (e.g. mental health). The County’s major goal for the next reporting period will be to have specifically identified and approved projects that align within these potential uses identified above, to include any that may not have been considered, along with soliciting input from the community on the proposed types of projects.

Finally, an additional goal of Sarasota County’s is to ensure adherence to the criteria outlined in the U.S. Treasury IFR and the anticipated release of the “Final Rule”. This would include ensuring the county is delivering equitable outcomes for applicable services and projects, engaging the community for feedback as it relates to the proposed uses of the CSLFRF, emphasizing strong labor practices for any construction projects planned or started, and developing internal project monitoring efforts and reporting to align with U.S. Treasury quarterly progress and financial reporting requirements. The County will draw upon its longterm experience in managing grants, to include more recent experience under the U.S. Treasury Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF), to assist with meeting these funding use requirements of the CSLFRF.

Uses of Fund

In accordance with the U.S. Treasury IFR, there are (4) broad categories of funding use, which are intended to support local response and recovery efforts over an extended time period:

1. Public Health and Economic Impacts: Measures taken to continue to respond to COVID-19 and address the negative economic impacts of the virus.

2. Premium Pay: Measures taken to continue to respond to COVID-19 and address the negative economic impacts of the virus.

3. Revenue Loss: Provision of general government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experience due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

4. Investments in Infrastructure: Meeting the critical needs for investments and improvements to existing infrastructure in water, sewer, and broadband.

Due to the limited timeframe of this reporting period, Sarasota County has established a proposed list of funding uses which are subject to further discussion, approval, and community engagement before being finalized for implementation and progress reporting in subsequent U.S. Treasury quarterly and annual performance reporting. The proposed list of projects, categorized under the U.S. Treasury criteria and Expenditure Category Summary (EC), are listed below:

1. Public Health and Economic Impacts:

a. Mental Health Services ($ To Be Determined): Funds will be utilized to support mental health services as a result of COVID-19. Further, services will include disproportionately impacted populations where COVID-19 further exacerbated mental health illnesses. Proposed projects may include renovation and operation of a South County Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) bed facility, renovation, and operation of the Community Offender Rehabilitative Treatment (CORT) program operations at First Step, potential projects and programs as a result of the Mental Health Assessment Task Force report expected in November, 2021, and expansion of the Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT) at First Step.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Public Health (EC 1).

b. Low Income and Nonprofit Efficiency and Educational Programs ($ To Be Determined):

Potential projects focused on low income residential energy efficiency improvements to low income homeowners and affordable housing providers; efficiency improvements for nonprofits; electric vehicle support for low income; and workforce development for low income youth.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities (EC 3)

c. HVAC and Indoor Air Quality Improvements at Public Facilities ($ To Be Determined):

Funds will be utilized to modify and/or replace heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units at public facilities to improve air quality and mitigate the air transmission of the Coronavirus to members of the public. Proposed facilities may include public libraries, jails, and administrative offices.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Public Health (EC 1).

d. Coronavirus Response, Recovery, and Vaccination Support ($ To Be Determined):

Funds will be utilized to reimburse Sarasota County’s prior and ongoing COVID-19 response, recovery, and vaccination support costs, as well as direct health fund expenses. Costs funded include public health staff salaries dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic, response vehicle expenses, vaccination delivery and support costs, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other COVID-19 related expenses.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Public Health (EC 1).

2. Investments in Infrastructure:

a. Water and Sewer Projects ($ To Be Determined):

Ensuring availability of clean water and promoting the community’s focus on improving water quality is anticipated to be a primary undertaking of these funds. Projects to be funded under this category include those projects that will meet U.S. Treasury obligation and spending timeframes and specifically projects under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Proposed projects may include septic system replacement programs for Philippi Creek and upgrades to Venice Gardens Water Reclamation Facility.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Water, Sewer, & Broadband Infrastructure (EC 5).

b. Broadband Investments ($ To Be Determined):

Where eligible under existing U.S. Treasury IFR requirements and future “Final Rule” requirements, available broadband projects servicing unserved or underserved households will be identified for potential funding.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Water, Sewer, & Broadband Infrastructure (EC 5).

3 Revenue Loss:

a. Funding Continuity Support for Public Safety Fire / EMS ($ To Be Determined):As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its substantial impact on public services provided from health and safety fire and EMS personnel, funds will be set aside to support current and future Sarasota County fire and EMS expenses.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Revenue Replacement (EC 6).

b. Coronavirus Response, Recovery, and Vaccination Support ($ To Be Determined): Any ineligible Coronavirus response, recovery, and vaccination support costs listed under Public Health and Economic Impacts category will be considered for funding under the Revenue Loss category, to support general governmental services.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Revenue Replacement (EC 6).

c. Other “General Governmental Service” Projects ($ To Be Determined): Based on the calculations of revenue loss according to U.S. Treasury guidance, other “general governmental service” projects will be considered under this category.

U.S. Treasury EC Summary Level Promoted: Revenue Replacement (EC 6).

4. Premium Pay:

N/A: As of this reporting period, no projects are currently proposed under the Premium Pay category.

Finally, in addition to the above proposed funding uses for the CSLFRF, Sarasota County will continue use other federal recovery funds to support the pandemic recovery. Those funds would include the U.S. Treasury, Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds as a result of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). Other federal recovery funds include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) as a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes

a. Goals

Sarasota County remains committed to promoting equitable outcomes and designing programs and projects with equity in mind. To assist in these ongoing efforts as the County finalizes a list of projects and programs, the County has identified means to support low-income individuals and economically disadvantaged communities according to, but may not be limited to, three proposed criteria which aligns to U.S. Treasury guidance:

Criteria 1: HUD Qualified Census Tracts (QCT):

Figure 1: Map of 2021 HUD QCTs within Sarasota County geographic limits.

The QCTs identified above (e.g. Tracts 1.02, 3.00, 4.06, 5.03, 10.00, and 11.02) are identified as areas having 50 percent of households with incomes below 60 percent of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI) or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more. Proposed projects and services may include its physical location within the QCTs and/or beneficiaries (e.g. individuals or households) living within these QCTs.

Criteria 2: Individuals or Households Earning <60% of the Medium Income

According to U.S. Census Data (2019) for Sarasota County, the Area Medium Gross Income (AMGI) for households is $66,342 and for individuals is $45,382. Eligible criteria for potential programs and services funded by the CSLFRF may include those earning less than 60% of the AMGI for households and individuals or $39,805 and $27,229 respectively.

Criteria 3: Programs or Services Where >25% of Beneficiaries are Below Federal Poverty Line

According to U.S. Census Data (2020), the federal poverty thresholds are listed below:

Figure 2: U.S. Census Poverty Thresholds for 2020 by Size of Family and Number of Related Children Under 18 Years

Depending on the applicable program and / or services, criteria may be established to ensure that at least 25% or more of beneficiaries (e.g. individuals or households) are those that fall below these federal poverty thresholds.

b. Awareness

Sarasota County has a robust communications system to ensure it will bring awareness to its community members as it relates to the availability of proposed programs and services funded by the CSLFRF. The County recognizes and understands it is critical to reach those most in need and in these scenarios, will employ a variety of communications tools to bring awareness which may include, but is not limited to: direct and targeted mailings, social media updates, public facing websites and webpages, public meetings, flyers, pamphlets, messaging boards, etc.

c. Access and Distribution

Utilizing the aforementioned communication tools, the County will maximize its reach and equitability of access to information to include targeting messaging and support for individuals that may face barriers to access CSLFRF funded programs and services. These would also be performed in adherence to the County’s commitment to the principles and requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)1 . Further, the County will deliver access to CSLFRF funded programs and services in accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, to include ensuring access to programs, services, and activities by those who do not speak English proficiently .

d. Outcomes

For future reporting periods where projects and services have been further defined, Sarasota County will more firmly establish desired and measurable equitable outcomes. It is the County’s interest in ensuring outcomes for applicable programs and services are equitable. To that end, applicable programs and services are anticipated to be evaluated for outcomes that align itself with U.S. Treasury criteria, to include those that are focused on closing gaps, reaching universal levels of service, and/or disaggregating progress by race, ethnicity, and other equity dimensions.

Community Engagement

Due to the limited timeframe of this reporting period, Sarasota County was not able to incorporate written, oral, and other forms of input for CSLFRF projects and programs. Whereas the county remains committed to seeking this feedback in future periods to help finalize the projects and programs, for the purposes of this report Sarasota County has established a proposed list of projects that fall in line with pre-pandemic community interests and survey data. Many of the proposed projects are anticipated to have only garnered more support due to the wide array of impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic in our community and the national increased focus on support for public health efforts, such as mental health and water quality. A majority of the proposed projects also align with the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) adopted 2021 Strategic Plan.3 .

For example, as it relates to the proposed funding uses for mental health services, according to a prepandemic 2019 community health assessment for Sarasota County published by the Florida Department of Health, mental health was identified as one of three main strategic issues to prioritize4 . As part of this assessment, respondents to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC), Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey indicated prescription drug abuse, illegal drug abuse, and excessive drinking and alcohol abuse were identified as the largest problems within Sarasota County. The same assessment also concluded that the percentage of residents impacted by poor mental or physical health has increased since 2010 and the rate is higher than the state. It is important to note that surveys utilized for this public health assessment included respondents whose demographics were in alignment with racial and ethnic populations within the Sarasota County area and included mail and in person interviews to promote access and support the validity of the data.

Finally, as it relates to the proposed funding uses for water quality projects, under the same 2019 Community Health Assessment, environmental health and water quality was also designated as one of the three main strategic issues to prioritize. Further, in June of 2019, Sarasota County held a Water Quality Summit and issued a report in August of 2019 documenting the outcomes of the summit, which highlights the importance and interests in water quality for the community5 . It should also be noted that the summit and attendance by any interested parties were heavily promoted by the County to reach as many interested community members as possible. Since the 2019 Water Summit and to due the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and recent algae blooms 2021, it is anticipated that community interests on water quality will only continue to remain a priority and the County anticipates the community’s support for this potential funding use.

Labor Practices

Due to the limited reporting timeframe of this report and ongoing identification and finalization of proposed projects and services, Sarasota County cannot commit on anticipated workforce practices for its proposed infrastructure projects. Where applicable, the County will consider the proposed example practices by the U.S. Treasury to include, but is not limited to project labor agreements, community benefits agreements, prevailing wage requirements (e.g. Davis-Bacon), and local hiring. For the latter on local hiring, Sarasota County is familiar with these practices and has in place via its Procurement Code a “Local Preference” award structure for competitive bids and quotes, as well as a “Local Hiring Initiative” to increase employment opportunities for local residents. However, due to CSLFRF and 2 CFR Part 200 “Open and Competitive” procurement funding requirements, additional clarifying guidance is needed from the U.S. Treasury to ensure the County can promote these efforts for CSLFRF infrastructure projects.

Use of Evidence

Sarasota County anticipates that many of its currently proposed and future public health related programs will be utilizing evidence-based interventions, or those intervention practices with strong or moderate levels of evidence. As described further in Section 8. Project Inventory, the proposed mental health service programs will be supporting individuals through evidence-based intervention practices. As an example, the proposed project for the “40-Bed Renovation and Community Offender Rehabilitative Treatment (CORT) Program” will be utilizing evidence-based interventions with the primary goals of reducing the length of time in jail and to reduce recidivism for adult, male offenders. Where applicable, evidence-based practices for proposed projects will be utilizing official evidence clearinghouses, such as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Model Programs Guide (MPG), Substance, the National Institute of Justice CrimeSolutions, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center, and others. When projects are finalized with anticipated project funds dedicated for expenditure, this information will be contained in future reporting.

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

Project Inventory

Click to enlarge

Performance Report

Due to the limited reporting timeframe of this report and ongoing identification and finalization of proposed projects and services, Sarasota County cannot identify key performance indicators for projects. Upon identification and approval of projects, performance indicators with both output and outcome measures will be generated to support performance measurement and program improvement efforts to be included under this section in future reporting.

Required Performance Indicators and Programmatic Data

See below U.S. Treasury required performance indicators and programmatic date by applicable Expenditure Category:

a. Household Assistance (EC 2.2 & 2.5) and Housing Support (EC 3.10 – 3.12)

Number of people or households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal representation): 0
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 0

b. Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):