Interoffice Memorandum
DATE: May 13, 2026
TO: Mayor Jerry L. Demings and County Commissioners
THROUGH: N/A
FROM: Tanya Wilson, AICP, Director, Planning, Environmental, and Development Services Department
CONTACT: Mitchell Glasser, Manager
PHONE: 407-836-5190
DIVISION: Housing and Community Development Division
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approval and execution of Planning Studies Subrecipient Agreement between Orange County, Florida and 1) City of Orlando in the amount of $500,000 and 2) City of Ocoee in the amount of $500,000 regarding U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (“CDBG-DR”) Program B-23-UN-12-0003. All Districts. (Housing and Community Development Division)
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PROJECT: City of Orlando Nature Based Solutions for Flood Mitigation Planning Grant and the City of Ocoee Lake Lotta and Northwest Ditch Basin Studies
PURPOSE: On March 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a direct allocation of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, in the amount of $219,712,000 to Orange County to address long-term impacts from Hurricane Ian. On January 9, 2024, the Board approved an Action Plan that included an analysis of unmet and mitigation needs, a summary of citizen input and engagement, general program requirements, and the County’s proposed budget for the CDBG-DR program.
To advance the programs outlined in the approved CDBG-DR Action Plan, the County issued a Request for Applications (RFA) on December 10, 2024, for infrastructure, public facilities, mitigation, and planning studies. The RFA closed on February 5, 2025. All applications were evaluated and scored by a multi-stakeholder committee. Recommended projects were presented to the Community Development Advisory Board on April 16, 2025 and approved by the Board on June 3, 2025. To implement the selected CDBG-DR Planning Studies projects, subrecipient agreements must be executed with the respective agencies. As highlighted in the Project Descriptions below, the City of Orlando will identify cost-effective, nature-based stormwater solutions to reduce flooding and improve water quality throughout the entire city. They are proposing a plan to promote sustainable flood mitigation strategies. The proposed funding amount is $500,000. The City of Ocoee will evaluate Lake Lotta and the Northwest Ditch basin to prioritize flood-risk mitigation. They are proposing to conduct studies of Lake Lotta to improve flood mitigation efforts and further reduce their community rating system rating, which allows savings to the residents and reduces their expense of flood insurance. The proposed funding amount is $500,000. The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed the agreements as to form.
Project Descriptions:
City of Orlando
Amount Allocated $500,000
Project Area: Entire City of Orlando
Project Description: Project includes costs associated with creating standards and a plan to integrate green infrastructure such as wetlands, retention ponds, urban forests, and permeable surfaces to help mitigate flooding, reduce stormwater runoff and bolster long term resilience against future extreme weather events.
City of Ocoee
Amount Allocated $500,000
Project Area: The study is to take place in the Lake Lotta and Northwest Ditch basins within multiple Sections spanning Township 22 south, Ranges 28 and 27 of the City of Ocoee, FL 34761
Project Description: Project includes Studies of Lake Lotta and the Northwest Ditch basin to help the City of Ocoee develop a Watershed master Plan to support drainage improvement to reduce or eliminate long term flood risks, avoid drainage issues in developing areas and improve the City’s rating with the Community Rating System to increase the discount received by residents on their National Flood Insurance Program.
BUDGET: N/A