About us

Motto

“Connecting the pieces for a stronger community”

Mission

The mission of the Department of Community Development is to utilize the grant funds it receives from Federal, State and Local government sources to aid in the development of viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income.

The Department’s efforts in carrying out a wide range of community development activities are directed towards neighborhood revitalization, economic development, improved community facilities and services, and assisting those least likely to benefit from the economic growth and prosperity projected for the City.

Brief History

The Department of Community Development is responsible for administering programs that utilize Federal, State and Local government funding to carry out various activities that community residents identified as “needed” during the visioning process in 2005.

The Department was formed in October, 2006 and received its first allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Fiscal Year 2006-2007.  In 2007, the Department received its first allocation of State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) Program funds from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.  In the same year, the Department was also awarded additional funding through the Miami-Dade Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED).  Annually, the Department submits to HUD, an Action Plan that reflects how the funds will be utilized to meet these needs.  Additionally, a Local Housing Assistance Plan is submitted to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation outlining how the community’s housing needs will be met. 

Click here to view a chart showing all funds received by the Department of Community Development since 2006, by funding type and year received.  To view the total funds received to date, by program type click here.

Utilizing these funds, the Department offers a diverse range of programs including, but not limited to, services for youth and the elderly populations of our community, housing rehabilitation, homeownership assistance, commercial redevelopment, and infrastructure improvements. 

Since 2006, rehabilitation has been completed on 111 homes to remove health and safety hazards and bring the homes in compliance with current building codes.  Click here to view rehab projects completed by program type.

Over $3.3 million in CDBG funds has been used for rehabilitation of owner-occupied single-family homes in the City.  Click here to see a breakdown funds used for rehab projects.

The City has awarded over $363,000 to not-for-profit community based organizations to provide public service activities to resident in the City.  Click here to view the funding amounts disbursed under our Public Service programs.

In the Public Services programs, we have awarded over $106,200 for services to the elderly and more than $146,500 for youth programs. Also included in the Public Service category, is our homeownership assistance program wherein, $85,000 was used to assist homeowners in the purchase of a new home.  Click here to view Public Service program expenditures.

In addition to the accomplishment indicated on the charts above, the commercial redevelopment program has provided over $320,137 in loan funds to small businesses for commercial redevelopment and façade improvements.  The City also has an infrastructure improvement program that is in process.  These improvements will result in new stormwater drains, roadways, and street lighting for three neighborhoods in the community.

The Department of Community Development is dedicated to the City’s residents and we take pride in our achievements to date.  We recognize that there are still a great number of residents in need of assistance.  We will continue to collaborate with other municipalities and agencies in order to leverage all possible resources to assist the needs of our community.  With this in mind, we have established very aggressive goals for the future as we continue “connecting the pieces for a stronger community.”