T. Mark Schmidt Off-Highway Vehicle Grant Program

The T. Mark Schmidt Off-Highway Vehicle Grant Program is administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through the Florida Forest Service. The program provides financial assistance to increase and improve off-highway vehicle recreational opportunities on Public Lands in Florida. Its purposes include establishing and maintaining new or existing OHV riding areas and trails, supporting enforcement of applicable regulations, providing safety training and rider education, and, when funds are available, acquiring and rehabilitating lands for inclusion in the statewide OHV recreation system. Funding is generated through Florida's Off-Highway Vehicle titling process and deposited into the Florida Forest Service Incidental Trust Fund. For this funding cycle, up to $650,000 is available for distribution, subject to legislative appropriations. The solicitation provides five project categories. Category 1 supports pre-construction planning, design, and permitting for new or expanded OHV areas, trails, and facilities. Category 2 supports construction of new trails and facilities or expansion of existing riding areas. Category 3 supports repair, maintenance, rehabilitation, monitoring, and protection of existing OHV areas, trails, and facilities. Category 4 supports rider education, safety and training programs, educational outreach, materials, and volunteer or ambassador programs. Category 5 supports fee-simple acquisition of land to be included in the OHV system. Restrictions vary by category. For example, no more than 33 percent of Category 2 grant funds may be budgeted for labor, maintenance expenses incurred after completion of Category 2 projects are not reimbursable, and Category 4 grant funds may not pay agency staff salary costs. Operating expenses of up to five percent of total project cost may count toward local match, but operating expenses may not be paid with grant funds. Eligible Applicants include county or local governments, state or federal agencies or entities, Native American tribal governments, and legally organized and registered Non-profit organizations, entities, or institutions. Private Lands are ineligible. Projects must involve Public Lands, and eligible activities must be designated for OHV use for at least 25 years from the date of project completion, with proof of commitment provided. Non-profit organizations proposing work on Public Lands must provide authorization and support from the governmental or lead agency managing the land. Applicants must also document applicable land manager, permitting, zoning, environmental, conservation, and other approvals as required. Only one proposal may be submitted by an Applicant during a grant cycle. The minimum grant amount that may be requested is $2,500. A minimum 80:20 cost share is required, meaning the grant may represent 80 percent of project cost and the Applicant must provide at least 20 percent. Match may include other grant funds, materials, or services when otherwise allowable, and the Applicant must document its ability to provide the match. Applications were required to be physically received in a sealed envelope no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Time on May 8, 2026. Five copies were required, consisting of one copy with original signatures and four duplicate copies. The packet could not exceed 40 one-sided pages including attachments and was required to follow the RFA outline and mandatory formats. Applicants had to submit the signed General Instructions page, an authorization resolution or letter, the complete General Proposal Criteria narrative, the applicable Category Specific Criteria narrative, and a detailed Attachment A Project Budget Worksheet. Additional required documentation includes maps, aerial photographs, documentation of legal access and land management, county tax records, zoning or special-use documentation, support letters, and category-specific materials such as site plans, permits, photographs, course outlines, curricula, or land-manager authorization when applicable. Attachments B, C, D, and E were provided for reference and were not to be included in the submission response. A Grants Sub-committee of the OHV Advisory Committee reviews proposals for completeness before scoring. General evaluation criteria address organizational capacity to develop, operate, and maintain the project; demonstrated need, including OHV region, Rural Economic Development Initiative status, and proximity to existing public OHV trails; cost effectiveness, including the Applicant's matching contribution and qualifying cooperative agreements; and community involvement and support. Applicants are also evaluated using project-specific criteria for the category selected. Supporting documentation must be provided where required to earn associated points. Late applications and submissions by email or fax are not accepted. The Sub-committee presents findings and recommendations to the OHV Advisory Committee, which makes a recommendation to the Department. The program description also states that grant awards are recommended annually by the Advisory Committee, receive final approval from the Commissioner of Agriculture, and are subject to legislative appropriation. The RFA opened on April 6, 2026. Written questions were due by 5:00 PM on April 17, 2026, with responses scheduled for posting on April 24, 2026. Applications were due May 8, 2026, evaluation was scheduled for May 29, 2026, and award recommendations were expected June 5, 2026. Grant agreement execution and authorization to begin were expected July 1, 2026. Successful Applicants must execute the State Financial Assistance Recipient Agreement within 30 days after receipt or risk withdrawal of the grant offer, and work performed or expenditures incurred before execution and written FDACS authorization are ineligible for reimbursement. All project deliverables, the final reimbursement claim, and the agreement must be completed by June 30, 2027. Questions regarding the application process may be directed to Brooks White, OHV Coordinator, at Brooks.White@FDACS.gov or (850) 681-5884. Because the source states that awards are recommended annually, the program is treated as recurring; using the 2026 cycle as the recurrence anchor, the next cycle is anticipated around April 2027, with a projected annual due-date equivalent of May 8, 2027 unless FDACS publishes a different schedule.

Use the mandatory unaltered formats; submit only one application and one category per entity; keep the packet at or under 40 one-sided pages; provide proof of the 20 percent match and 25-year OHV-use commitment on Public Lands; include required authorizations, maps, budget detail, and category-specific evidence; do not rely on email or fax submission; ensure the sealed package is received by the deadline