HomeMy WebLinkAboutexhibitEATTACHMENT E
APPLICANT TIPS SHEET
(Mistakes Common to the application process and how to avoid them)
Scheduling - The new application is available by the 2nd week of January each year, and District
funding is available AFTER October 1st of each year. Applicants should plan their schedule to avoid
commonly missed deadlines: Application due - 15t of April; Property Control - 1st of June, Permits -
3rd week of September. (Staff suggestion: Secure property control and permits PRIOR to applying for
funding.)
Property Control Verification - Please have your attorney complete and sign the letter in the
application verifying applicant property control. Support documentation is not necessary. In the case
of leases or management agreements, please forward a copy to the District well in advance of the
deadline to verify language. (Staff suggestion: Resolve this requirement outside the application
"window':)
Project Costs Eligibility - Please note the eligible project costs In Rule Section 66B-2.008, F.A.C. If
you are not sure about an item's eligibility, ask! Note: In-house project management_and
administration is no longer eligible for an applicant's match. Make sure you have indicated your
required minimum cost -share on the project cost estimate. (Staff suggestion: If you have questions
about the eligibility of an item, work up a mock cost -sheet and fax it to our office well before the
deadline. Do not include applicant project management in your cost estimate).
Cost -Share - Although the applicant must provide a minimum of 50% of the total project costs
(25% for eligible public navigation dredging), there is no specific requirement to split each item. You
may desire to have the District pay for some items and the applicant pay for others, or various
percentages of each etc. This may allow for a stronger application and easier accounting. (Staff
suggestion: Concentrate the Districts cost -share into those items most related to the waterway.)
Pre -Agreement Expenses - Rule 66B-2.005(3), F.A.C. requires any activity in the submitted
project cost estimate occurring PRIOR to October 1st to be considered as pre -agreement expenses.
The Board's past philosophy has been to fund only those projects that require District funding.
assistance to be completed. I i t 'd r - t or limit them to a
small percentage of the project. Note, that pre -agreement expenses must be limited to 50% or Tess
of the total project costs, and they are eligible for only 1/2 of the original District funding. (Example. A
project with a total cost of $200,000 is Board -approved for one-half construction PRIOR to October
lst. In this case, District funding will be limited as follows: Only 50% of the $100,000 project cost
prior to October 1t is eligible as project expenses (i.e. $50, 000). Then only % of the eligible project
expenses ($50, 000) are eligible for District funding assistance (i. e. $25,000).
Submitted Materials - Each year ambitious applicants submit a myriad of information with their
application. The Board must review and evaluate each application and each year we receive about '70
applications for consideration. The final product for the Commissioner's review is two 8-1/2" x 11"
bound notebooks containing the essential information for the application. If the submittad,
material will not fit in these bound notebooks, it is discarded. (Staff suggestion: Limit the
submitted materials to the requested information, in the required format. Any additional material
should be very limited and should be germane to the evaluation of the application. Don't create
unnecessary work for yourself.')