Sarasota County office formed to oversee housing programs

Sarasota County has established the Housing Enhancement and Redevelopment Office to oversee the administration of key housing and community development programs. The move follows the expiration of the Interlocal Agreement for the Joint Administration of Housing Programs between Sarasota County and the city of Sarasota in October 2023.

In addition, the Sarasota County Office of Financial Management now administers several U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entitlement programs and federal and local loan-based programs, which were previously managed jointly with the city.

The county is in the planning and information gathering stage for its annual action plan for Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant funding. All eligible organizations can submit applications for funding to address housing, public service and community development needs for the upcoming fiscal year.

Through April 8, HERO is accepting project applications from organizations and municipalities for funding from the Community Development Block Grant and the Emergency Solutions Grant. Applications must be submitted via the county government website. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

All interested organizations serving Sarasota County residents must complete the required application to have the project be part of the competitive bidding process for the upcoming fiscal year. Programs managed by the Sarasota County HERO team include:

• Community Development Block Grant, which offers interest-free home rehabilitation loans to income-eligible families for essential repairs and improvements.
• Emergency Solutions Grant, which provides funds to assist those experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.
• Utility Deferred Payment Assistance Program, which offers a 3% interest deferred-payment loan to cover capacity and connection fees and septic tank abandonment costs for properties required to connect to Sarasota County’s sewer services. The loan repayment begins when the property is sold, transferred, is no longer owner-occupied, or after 20 years—whichever occurs first.
• Energy Retrofit Loan Program, which provides loans for energy efficiency upgrades based on recommendations from the Get Smart Retrofit Loan Program.

For more information on HERO programs or to apply, visit the Sarasota County Office of Financial website at SCGov.net or call 311 or 941-861-5000.