CDBG Voluntary Home Buy-out Grant Program
City of Marathon CDBG – Voluntary Home Buy Out Program
ROUND TWO: CITY OF MARATHON RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE REBUILD FLORIDA VOLUNTARY HOME BUYOUT PROGRAM ROUND TWO APPLICATION PERIOD.
Program Background
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity allocated $75 Million of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds to the Voluntary Home Buyout Program. These funds will allow the City of Marathon to purchase the property and the home of voluntary sellers who were impacted by Hurricane Irma. The government may purchase these at with post Irma fair market value. The home will be demolished, and the land will serve as green space in perpetuity. If deemed necessary, the land may also be used for stormwater drainage or recreational purposes. The homeowner may decline to sell his/her home at any point prior to the closing.
The deadline for application for the City of Marathon’s Voluntary Home Buyout Program closed in September 2019. If the program reopens, those who filled out an application after the closing date will be notified of future programs are made available.
Properties will be prioritized by the most vulnerable populations located in low- and moderate-income areas, and those at the highest risk for future flooding. In addition to the State required criteria that prioritized vulnerable populations, the City of Marathon submitted a proposed risk-based local point prioritization system.
VHBP Scoring
The City of Marathon will rate home buyout applications based upon state prioritization criteria. The scoring method will be as follows:
State of Florida Required Scoring Criteria:
1. Benefit to LMI households-maximum of 20 points combined:
a. LMI household: 5 points.
b. LMI household that occupies anyone 62 or older: 5 points.
c. LMI household that occupies anyone under age 18: 5 points.
d. LMI household that includes anyone that is disabled, handicapped, or has special needs: 5 points.
2. Low- and moderate-income households that did not have flood insurance at the time of the disaster: 10 points.
3. The owner must be willing to relinquish all development rights to the property, including but not limited to allocations granted under the City’s Building Allocation System (BPAS).
City of Marathon Scoring Criteria
Through Resolution No.2019-81 the City Council authorized Voluntary Home Buyout Local Program Prioritization Criteria for selection of properties interested in the Voluntary Home Buyout Program Utilizing Community Development Block Grant- Disaster Recovery Funding.
The proposed City of Marathon point allocation criteria is as follows:
1. 5 pts for homes that were substantially damaged as a result of Hurricane Irma
2. 5 pts for homes located in the V Zone as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
3. 5 pts for repetitive loss structures as designated by the National Flood Insurance Program
4. 10 pts for severe repetitive loss structures as designated by the National Flood Insurance Program
5. 5 pts for high probability of sea level rise inundation (Surge Zone 1).
RESOLUTION 2020-26 + Executed Agreement
Gov. Ron DeSantis Announces Voluntary Home Buyout Funding
This program, if used in conjunction with the City’s sustainability infrastructure rebuilding program, will allow the City to approach a “managed retreat” to build a stronger community.
In order to implement the VHBP, the City of Marathon will seek the technical expertise and staff augmentation of experienced vendor services in the areas of administrative support, survey, appraisals, legal and closings, environmental assessments, historical assessments, and demolition services.
Estimated Timeline for Completion
Click HERE for the Estimated Timeline for Completion.
City of Marathon Voluntary Home Buyout Program Guidelines
The City of Marathon Program Guidelines were finalized as of August 17, 2021. The provisions within the guidelines may be amended over time as needed, in accordance with the requirements of the sub-recipient agreement.
December 2020 Program Update – Tier 1 Environmental Review Record Approved
The City of Marathon has received the approval of the required Tier 1 Environmental Review of the program. The link below provide access to the related documents:
MARATHON APPROVAL EXEMPT REVIEW
August 2021 Program Update – the following information was mailed to pre-registered applicants:
The City of Marathon is working with the State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity on program implementation at this time. We are on schedule to begin the formal application process. At this time, all pre-registered applicants will need to complete the full application and submit all HUD-required documents. The application process will allow us to make determinations of eligibility and prioritization per program requirements.
If you are pre-registered and did not receive this information in the mail, call Maria Covelli at 305.289-4109 or email covellim@ci.marathon.fl.us to update your contact information and verify your continued interest in the program. The deadline to pre-register for the City of Marathon’s Voluntary Home Buyout Program is closed. If the program reopens, those who filled out an application after the closing date will be notified.
Subrecipient Agreement Executed
The Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Voluntary Home Buyout Program sub-recipient agreement between the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and the City of Marathon was fully executed on June 4, 2020.
Voluntary Home Buyout Complaint and Appeal Process
Citizens and applicants who are dissatisfied with functions or decisions undertaken as part of the Voluntary Home Buyout Program may file a complaint or appeal. The complaint and appeal process is detailed in the Voluntary Home Buyout Program Guidelines.
Anti-Fraud and Compliance Policy
Monroe County will aggressively investigate all allegations of misconduct, fraud, waste or abuse regarding eligibility and the disbursement of award amounts to applicants. With the assistance of our grant management contractor, processes have been developed to ensure applicant information is verified and systems are in place to detect and prevent fraud, waste or abuse. All suspected cases of fraud, waste or abuse shall be referred to the HUD Office of Inspector General Hotline at 800-347-3735, 800-877-8339 TTY/ASCII, or email hotline@hudoig.gov.
Citizen Participation Plan
More Information
Interested homeowners can find more information on the DEO website.
Fair Housing
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, known as the Fair Housing Act, requires HUD and recipients of federal funds from HUD to affirmatively further the policies and purposes of the Fair Housing Act, also known as “affirmatively further fair housing” or “AFFH.” The obligation to affirmatively further fair housing requires recipients of HUD funds to take meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination, that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics, which are:
Race, Color, National origin, Religion, Sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), Familial status, Disability.
The City of Marathon affirmatively furthers fair housing in the community.
Citizen Complaint Policy for Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Programs
Citizens are encouraged to submit their views and proposals on all aspects of a Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) at public hearings when funds are requested and approved by the Marathon City Council. Citizens may, at any time, submit written comments or complaints to the City of Marathon to the contact listed below. Local officials shall make every effort to provide written responses to citizen proposals or complaints within fifteen (15) working days of the receipt of such comments or complaints where practicable. Should, after a reasonable period, a party believes that his/her comment or complaint has not been properly addressed or considered, then the aggrieved may appeal his/her case to Marathon City Council at any regularly scheduled public meeting.
Should the City of Marathon be unable to sufficiently resolve an objection or complaint, it may be forwarded by the aggrieved party to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) at the contact listed below. The state will make every effort to provide a timely written response within 15 working days of the receipt of the complaint, where practicable. The aim of the state will be to always attempt to resolve complaints in a manner that is both sensitive to the complainant’s concerns and achieves a fair result.
Citizens may, at any time, contact the DEO and/or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development directly to register comments, objections, or complaints concerning the City of Marathon’s CDBG application(s) and/or program(s). Citizens are encouraged, however, to attempt to resolve any complaints at the local level as outlined above prior to contacting the DEO or HUD.
All comments or complaints may be submitted to the following:
City of Marathon CDBG Programs
9805 Overseas Highway
Marathon, FL 33050
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
Rebuild Florida Constituent Services
Rebuild Florida Program
107 E. Madison Street
Caldwell Building, MSC 160
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Community Planning and Development Division
Atlanta Regional Office
Five Points Plaza Building
40 Marietta Street
Atlanta, Fa 30303-2806
Records of all comments, objections, and/or complaints by citizens concerning the City of Marathon’s CDBG programs and subsequent action taken in response to those comments will be maintained on file at the City and shall be made available for public inspection upon request.
Complaint files will include the following:
The name of the person who filed the complaint;
The date the complaint was received;
A description of the complaint;
The name of each person contacted in relation to the complaint;
A summary of the results of the review or investigation of the complaint; and
An explanation of the resolution (e.g., the reason the file was closed).
Supporting Documents
Estimated Timeline (350 KB) Award Document (1 MB) Resolution 2022-38 (279 KB) Resolution 2022-87 (700 KB) Legal Ad (82 KB) 21-0211 MK (21 MB) 
