Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP)

The Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, or FRDAP, is a competitive state grant program administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Land and Recreation Grants Section. The program provides financial assistance to eligible local governmental entities for the acquisition and development of land for public outdoor recreation use and for the construction or renovation of public recreational trails. Eligible applicants include municipal governments, county governments, and other legally constituted local governmental entities that have the legal responsibility to provide public outdoor recreation. Proposed projects must fall within one of three categories: acquisition of land for public outdoor recreational purposes, development and/or renovation of land for public outdoor recreational purposes, or construction and/or renovation of a public recreational trail. The maximum grant amount an applicant may request is $200,000. State and grantee shares vary according to total project cost. Projects costing $50,000 or less may receive a 100 percent state share with no grantee share. Projects costing $50,001 through $150,000 have a 75 percent state share and a 25 percent grantee share. Projects costing $150,001 through $400,000 have a 50 percent state share and a 50 percent grantee share. Eligible match sources include cash, the value of undeveloped land owned by the applicant subject to applicable conditions, and in-kind services. Acquisition projects are not eligible for retroactive costs, costs for pre-acquired acquisitions are not reimbursable, and acquisition cannot occur until after the project has been approved for funding. If an acquisition project receives an award, the acquired site must be developed for public outdoor recreation use within three years. Applications for the current cycle must be submitted through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Grantee Portal during the September 15 through October 15, 2026 submission period. The Portal will not accept applications after 5 p.m. on October 15, 2026. An applicant may submit up to two applications during the submission period and may have no more than three active projects in total, including applications being submitted. Applications generally may involve only one project site, with an exception for acquisition or development of saltwater beach access. An applicant may not submit an application for a project site, including a phased project, when it has an active grant agreement on that site funded through FRDAP, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, or the Recreational Trails Program. Site control must be effective by the close of the submission period. Required and applicable supporting documentation is extensive and varies by project type. Materials identified in the application information include capital improvement schedule documentation or an executed resolution amending the schedule, documentation demonstrating consistency with the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, public participation documentation, evidence of the applicant's ability to support project programming and maintenance, applicable cooperative agreements, a conceptual site plan, a project boundary map, photographs, a location map and written directions, applicable site-control documentation, an eligible REDI match-waiver request when applicable, and a written description of the project's physical characteristics. Acquisition applications have additional requirements concerning recreation or open-space acreage and development planning, while trail projects may require documentation connected to the Florida Greenways and Trails System Plan and other greenway or trail designations. Applicants using leased property must demonstrate a lease or management agreement with at least 30 years remaining that permits dedication of the property and is not revocable at will. Each application is reviewed for eligibility and then evaluated and scored by the Land and Recreation Grants Section according to the program rule. Applications are evaluated based on information submitted by the application deadline, except where applicant information is superseded by official Department information. Incomplete applications will not be considered, and failure to provide required information or documentation may make an application ineligible or result in lost competitive points. Based on final scores, the Department prepares a recommended priority list and submits it to the Florida Legislature for funding consideration. Awarding FRDAP grants is contingent on an annual appropriation by the Florida Legislature rather than guaranteed by application ranking alone. The current application window opens September 15, 2026 and closes October 15, 2026, with a final submission cutoff of 5 p.m. Because the source does not state that applications recur on a defined annual or other recurring schedule, no future application cycle is inferred. If a project receives legislative funding, the grantee has up to three years from the beginning of the state fiscal year in which funds are appropriated to complete the project. Applicants seeking assistance with the Grantee Portal may contact FRDAP staff at FRDAP_Mail@FloridaDEP.gov or 850-245-2501. Questions while preparing an application may also be directed to the Land and Recreation Grants Section at landandrecreationgrantssection@dep.state.fl.us or to the staff member assigned to the applicant's county.

Submit all required and applicable exhibits because incomplete applications will not be considered and missing information can cause ineligibility or loss of competitive points; ensure site control is effective by the submission deadline; make the conceptual site plan correlate with the project boundary map and cost estimate; clearly distinguish existing facilities, facilities proposed for FRDAP funding, and future facilities; ensure public participation documentation is current or within the previous three fiscal years; do not acquire property before funding approval when seeking acquisition funding.