ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — The federal government spent about $4.6 trillion on COVID-19 response and recovery, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
These funds were distributed through laws such as the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
County officials throughout Northwest Florida are hoping to spend what’s left of those COVID relief funds, but they’ve got to act fast. If they don’t use it by the end of the year, they lose it.
Counties throughout Northwest Florida received nearly $158 million in COVID relief funding.
“ARPA was more tailored towards accomplishing projects that were hampered by the economical slow-down that was caused by COVID,” says Santa Rosa County Assistant County Administrator Jared Lowe.
ARPA outlines specific uses for the funds. It allows local governments to offer premium pay for essential workers. It also allows for the investment in water and sewer infrastructure.
Lowe says this was a priority for his county.
“Santa Rosa County, specifically, wanted to go after drainage improvement projects and water quality projects,” Lowe says. “Things that make a tangible impact on the individual lives of our residents.”
WEAR News looked into how the money was spent across Northwest Florida. Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties as well as the City of Pensacola all prioritized their dollars on infrastructure upgrades.
One project for Escambia County puts half a million dollars towards improved drainage.
Officials in Okaloosa County say they have more than 50 projects in the works, including $6 million for clay sewer pipe lining. They have another $6.5 million going towards broadband funding.
Lowe says ARPA allowed funding for these types of projects that other relief efforts didn’t offer.
“Our construction costs went up, and being able to implement just routine projects got more difficult,” says Lowe. “So our board opted to use the ARPA money to capitalize on projects that the CARES Act wouldn’t cover.”
All of the counties are working on their respective projects. And some are closer to reaching their spending goal than others.
The city of Pensacola was awarded more than $19 million. There’s just under $6 million remaining. Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County say all the funds have been allocated towards projects.
The funds have a use it or lose it policy. ARPA requires the money to be allocated by Dec. 31. Now, the work itself doesn’t need to be complete by then. They have until 2026 to do that. Any money left over will be returned to the government.
