Proposed Resolution No. 26-166- Authorizing the City to apply for the 2026 Beautification Grant Program in the amount of $100,000 from the Florida Department of Transportation for the Federal Highway Beautification Project, from E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to NE 2nd Avenue, and if awarded, authorizing the City to accept the Grant, and enter into a Beautification Grant, Landscape Construction, and Maintenance Memorandum of Agreement between the City and the Florida Department of Transportation, and execute all future documents associated with the grant, subject to the review of the City Attorney's office.
Staff recommends approval of the proposed Resolution No. R26-166.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Highway Beautification Grant Program is authorized under Florida Statute 339.2405 and further defined in FDOT Rule 14-40.020. The grant is available to local governmental entities throughout Florida interested in providing landscaping and irrigation improvements.
Grant funds may be used to purchase and install plant materials, soil amendments, and irrigation systems. Projects are typically located within FDOT rights-of-way, but may, in some instances, extend to contiguous, publicly owned property visible from the Department's right-of-way. As a condition of the grant, the City is required to accept all future maintenance and utility costs associated with the landscape project in perpetuity. This is a reimbursement grant, meaning the City must complete the project before grant funds are disbursed.
The City is proposing a landscape beautification project along Federal Highway medians, from E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to NE 2nd Avenue, with a total estimated cost of $160,000. The City is submitting an application for grant funding of $100,000.
The City has submitted a letter of interest, and the application deadline is Thursday, October 1, 2026.
The City is committed to enhancing the visual character and quality of its public corridors, finding it imperative to invest in the beautification of Federal Highway.
Grant account
Reimbursable grant. Total project cost is $160,000. The Beautification grant is expected to fund $100,0000. Match is not required. Local funding of $60,000 will be allocated to this project.