Port St. Joe approves six-month renewal of grant-writing contract

The Port St. Joe City Commission voted to renew a six‑month contract with grant writer Sean Preston after a discussion of the consultant’s performance and near‑term deliverables.

Preston told commissioners three major grant opportunities were in process or pending — a USDA loan/grant combination, a disaster recovery grant for Hurricane Helen, and a rural infrastructure fund grant opening July 1 — and said successful award of one or more of those applications would be used to evaluate ongoing engagement. He described constraints such as median household income metrics that could affect grant eligibility and the need for local match funding for reimbursement-style grants.

Commissioners noted the city has a pipeline of projects (wastewater facility work, potential Triumph reimbursement grants and infrastructure improvements) that would benefit from active grant‑writing. Commissioner Carrian moved to approve the six‑month contract; Commissioner Langston seconded. The motion passed on a 4–0 voice vote.

What’s next: Staff will monitor the two major pending applications over the next six months and report back; the contract includes a 30‑day termination clause for either party.