ACTIVISM
Debi Is Fighting For You
Better Quality of Life * Economic Growth * Affordable & Workforce Housing
Debi Riley is part of the FWB Lovejoy area redevelopment team and has been working over 20 years for a better Quality of Life for residents and creating economic growth and opportunities for businesses in the City of Fort Walton Beach area.
Census Tract 219.02
- The pass Census maps effect had the Lovejoy Road area in Tract 219 which also includes areas outside of Sylvania Heights and WE Combs that have significantly different demographics. That worked against Sylvania Heights’ and WE Combs efforts to obtain grants for improvements,
- Debi with other community stakeholders originally approached the local government about modifying the census maps as part of the 2010 Census but, unfortunately, it was too late in the process to do so. It was achieved as part of the 2020 Census with Debi leading a census outreach in the community.
- The new map which divides Tract 219 into 2 areas: 219.01 and 219.02, Tract 219.02 is the Lovejoy Road area portion, with 219.01 being the area north of Sylvania Heights and WE Combs.
- The benefits of the efforts of Debi with other community stakeholders achieving the Census Tract 219.02 (see 1. and 2. below)
1. Federal Funding
The results of the 2020 Census will inform decisions about allocating hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding to communities across the country—for hospitals, fire departments, school lunch programs, and other critical programs and services. Census results Impact Affordable Housing Program Allocations
2. HUBZone program
(SBA uses federal census data to determine HUBZone areas.)
The HUBZone program fuels small business growth in historically underutilized business zones with a goal of awarding at least three percent of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year. Joining the HUBZone program makes your business eligible to compete for the program’s set-aside contracts. HUBZone-certified businesses also get a 10 percent price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions. HUBZone-certified businesses can still compete for contract awards under other socio-economic programs they qualify for.
Brownfields Program
Debi Riley was instrumental with other redevelopment team members in getting a portion of the Lovejoy area designated as a Brownfields area, the first in Okaloosa County.
Brownfields are real properties where expansion, reuse, or redevelopment may be complicated by real or perceived environmental conditions. It is an incentive-driven program with financial enticement for redevelopment and liability relief when cleaning up any discovered contamination. A Brownfields designation opens the door to federal, state, and local incentives that might not otherwise be available, including job creation bonuses.
Benefits of the Brownfields
Program Incentives
Clean Water State
Revolving Fund
Federal Grants and
Funding
Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits (VCTC)
Sales and Use Tax Exemption – Building Materials
Florida Neighborhood Revitalization Program Application for Sales
and Use Tax
Florida Sales and Use Tax Application for Refund
Opportunity Zone
The HUBZone program fuels small business growth in historically underutilized business zones with a goal of awarding at least three percent of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year. Joining the HUBZone program makes your business eligible to compete for the program’s set-aside contracts. HUBZone-certified businesses also get a 10 percent price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions. HUBZone-certified businesses can still compete for contract awards under other socio-economic programs they qualify for.
Benefits of investing in opportunity zone
Opportunity Zones offer tax benefits to business or individual investors who can elect to temporarily defer tax on capital gains if they timely invest those gain amounts in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF). Investors can defer tax on the invested gain amounts until the date they sell or exchange the QOF investment.
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