Beautification Grant

The Florida Department of Transportation Beautification Grant supports landscaping and irrigation projects undertaken by eligible State of Florida local governmental entities along State transportation facilities. The program is authorized by Florida Statute 339.2405 and further defined in FDOT Rule 14-40.020. Grant funds are allocated by the Florida Legislature, with budgets approved by July 1 of each year. For the current cycle, HB 5001 authorizing the grant was signed on June 29, 2026. The program is available to local municipalities throughout Florida and is intended to improve State transportation facilities through eligible landscape improvements. Grant funds may be used to purchase and install plant materials, soil amendments, and irrigation systems. Projects funded through the Beautification Grant are typically located on FDOT rights-of-way, although in some circumstances projects may extend onto publicly owned property that is contiguous to and visible from the Department's right-of-way. Applicants are responsible for all maintenance and utility costs associated with the completed landscape project in perpetuity, with that responsibility established through an executed Memorandum of Understanding. The program operates as a reimbursement grant, so the applicant completes the approved project before grant funds are disbursed. Matching funds are not required, although FDOT encourages applicants to provide a match. Applications must comply with Rule Chapter 14-40 of the Florida Administrative Code and the grant requirements associated with Consolidated Form 650-050-10, Part 1. The consolidated forms identified by FDOT include forms 650-050-10A, 650-050-10B, and 650-050-10C. Applicants should review form 650-050-10C because it will become the signed agreement if a grant is awarded, but applicants are specifically instructed not to submit form 650-050-10C with the grant application. FDOT also provides example resolutions and illustrative plan proposals to assist applicants in preparing their materials. The 2026 schedule began with the grant announcement on July 6, 2026. Draft grant applications were due to the applicable District Grant Coordinator for review on August 18, 2026. Comments and a Letter of Authorization from Grant Coordinators are scheduled to be returned to applicants on September 15, 2026, when the BlackCat GAP website also opens for new applications. Applicants are highly encouraged to verify their BlackCat GAP access at that time because creating or modifying an account can take a week or longer. All final applications must be uploaded to the GAP website by October 1, 2026. Applicants are directed to obtain needed GAP submission information from their District Contact. Completed applications received by October 1, 2026 will undergo a completeness review, with the schedule identifying October 6, 2026 for that review. A public meeting to discuss complete applications is scheduled for October 22, 2026. Each panelist independently ranks each applicant, and those rankings are combined into an overall ranked list of potential awards. District Grant Coordinators are scheduled to review and rank applications from October 23 through November 2, 2026, with FDOT District rankings due to the State Grant Coordinator on November 6, 2026. Grants are awarded in ranked order and according to available funding. Official notice of an award is provided by FDOT by email to the applicant named in the application. The schedule gives December 31, 2026 as the tentative award date. To accept an award, an applicant must email a letter of acceptance to the Grant Coordinator within 15 days after receiving the award offer. The source also lists January 18, 2026 as the tentative date for applicants to accept awards; because that date precedes the December 2026 tentative award date, it is internally inconsistent and is retained as a source discrepancy rather than corrected. Grant funds are released only after required agreements are executed, the project is constructed according to plans approved by FDOT, FDOT provides written final acceptance, and receipts for eligible grant expenses have been reviewed and approved. The named Beautification Grant contact is Dean Stoddart at 850-414-4561; the supplied source does not provide an actual email address for the contact.

Check BlackCat GAP access when the website opens because creating or modifying accounts can take a week or longer; use the District Grant Coordinator draft review process; ensure the application complies with Rule Chapter 14-40; do not submit Form 650-050-10C with the application; submit a complete application by October 1 because applications are completeness-reviewed and then independently ranked