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A Resolution of the City Commission ratifying an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Coral Gables and Miami-Dade County for a subaward of Coronoavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act federal funds in an amount yet to be determined.
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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and appropriated $150 billion of direct federal funding for state and local governments to address unforeseen financial needs and risks created by the Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) public health emergency. Only state and local governments with more than 500,000 residents received direct federal funding through the Coronavirus Relief Fund. In the State of Florida, twelve (12) localities received direct federal funds, but NO city in Florida (except the combined city/county government of Jacksonville /Duval County) received a direct allocation.
On June 10, 2020, Governor DeSantis announced the State of Florida’s plan to disburse up to $1.275 billion in CARES Act funds to counties with populations under 500,000 through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and stated that all counties, including counties that already received direct payment from the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”), should provide funds to municipalities located within their jurisdiction on a reimbursement basis for expenditures eligible under the CARES Act and related guidance.
The Governor’s guidance indicated in no uncertain terms that the nearly half a billion dollars ($474,085,078.50) Miami-Dade County (“County”) received through the CARES Act, should be shared with cities within the County. Furthermore, the Treasury released a “Frequently Asked Questions” document pertaining to the Coronavirus Relief Fund (“CRF FAQ”), that clarified that a county receiving CRF payments may transfer CRF funds to municipalities within its borders. Funds transferred to municipalities must be used for eligible expenditures.
On August 4, 2020, at a Special Meeting of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners (the “BCC”), the BCC allocated a total not-to-exceed amount of $100,000,000 in CARES Act funds to the municipalities in the County as follows: $75,000,000 for reimbursement of FEMA local match eligible expenditures as well as CARES Act eligible governmental operations expenditures that are not FEMA reimbursable, and $25,000,000 for municipal programmatic proposals subject to approval in advance by the BCC. While the BCC resolved to treat all cities, large and small, equitably in their distribution of funds, the total subaward the City will be eligible for has not been defined.
The City has taken necessary and costly steps to mitigate and respond to the impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency and has incurred millions of dollars in unbudgeted, qualified expenditures. In order to take advantage of the BCC’s allocation as quickly as possible, the City executed the attached Interlocal Agreement with Miami-Dade County on August 10, 2020, and began submitting its expenditures to the County for reimbursement.
The City Commission now wishes to ratify the Interlocal Agreement for a subaward of CARES Act federal funds in an amount yet to be determined.