Fernandina Beach votes to pursue Resilient Florida grant, agrees to $1.5M match request

The Fernandina Beach City Commission on July 7 authorized staff to apply for a Resilient Florida grant administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and asked for an application that includes a $1.5 million local match, staff said.

City staff described the grant class as competitive and noted prior state awards ranging up to $10 million; the Resilient Florida program typically requires a local match and the version under discussion here carries a 100% match requirement. Ms. Jacobs (grant staff) said past awards favored multi-year projects and that the city’s application would be stronger given the near-complete status of the seawall project.

"With the last $2,000,000 appropriation, preliminary estimates are that that will complete about 71% of the city-owned parcels of the seawall," Jacobs said, noting a request that would help reach 100% completion. City Manager Ms. Campbell told commissioners that the city could supply $1 million from capital improvements and could find the remainder to reach $1.5 million.

Commission discussion focused on how much to request; one commissioner said paying $1 million locally would be preferable to paying $2 million later. The motion to approve Resolution 2026-83 with a $1.5 million match request passed 5–0. Staff emphasized that if the city is awarded any grant, the commission would still need to accept the award and approve any required match funding before the city signs a grant agreement.

What’s next: Staff will prepare the formal application by the end of August deadline and return to the commission for acceptance if the city receives an award.