St. Johns County, Florida

Recovery Plan 

State and Local Fiscal Recovery 

Funds

2021 Report
St. Johns County, Florida - 2021 ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report 1

St. Johns County, Florida

2021 Recovery Plan

Table of Contents

General Overview......................................................................................................................2

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................2

Uses of Funds .........................................................................................................................2

Promoting Equitable Outcomes ...............................................................................................3

Community Engagement .........................................................................................................4

Labor Practices .......................................................................................................................4

Use of Evidence ......................................................................................................................4

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category...........................................................................5

Project Inventory.......................................................................................................................5

COVID-19 Vaccination Site Operation ....................................................................................5

COVID-19 Testing ...................................................................................................................6

Performance Report..................................................................................................................6
St. Johns County, Florida - 2021 ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report 2

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Executive Summary 

On March 11, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was enacted to provide aid 

and relief to citizens and communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act 

included an allocation of funding for state and local fiscal recovery of which St. Johns 

County is estimated to receive $51.3 million. 

The County has developed a plan for the initial phase of the multi-year program which 

focuses the expenditure of $7.84 million in funding on responding to the current public 

health emergency, addressing the negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic and 

providing premium pay for public safety services associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The County will continue to engage the community to determine and address the evolving 

community recovery needs for future phases of the plan. As required by ARPA, all funds will 

be obligated to qualifying recovery programs prior to December 31, 2024 and all recovery 

funds will be fully expended by December 31, 2026.

The County has compiled and is submitting this report of activities completed through July 

31, 2021 to maintain compliance with ARPA.

Uses of Funds

In this initial phase of the multi-year program, the County has allocated $7.84 million of 

ARPA funding to projects focusing on responding to the current public health emergency, 

addressing the negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic and providing premium 

pay for public safety services associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 31, 2021, 

the County has not expended any ARPA funding, however the County intends to utilize 

funding for the initial phase of the program as follows, 

Responding to the current public health emergency – $2,173,500

o The County established and operated a vaccination site at the Solomon Calhoun 

Community Center which offered residents COVID-19 vaccines through 20 May 

2021 with 96,284 doses of vaccine provided to the community. The vaccination 

site was centrally located in the County and vaccines were offered, free of 

charge, to all County residents on a first come first serve bases. Vaccination

appointments could be made either online or by phone to ensure equitable 

access to the program for all residents. Additionally, the County operated a 

COVID-19 hotline seven days a week to assist residents with COVID-19 related 

questions and scheduling vaccination appointments. Eligible County expenses 

for the above activities will be retroactively reimbursed to the County from ARPA 

funds in accordance with the ARPA Funding Appropriation Plan that was adopted 

by the Board of County Commissioners at the 7 September 2021 Board of 

County Commissioners meeting.
St. Johns County, Florida - 2021 ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report 3

o The County will be purchasing equipment for first responders to assist in the

mitigation and prevention of COVID-19 transmission to and between first 

responders.

Addressing negative economic impacts– $4,200,000

o The County will be offering a grant opportunity to county-based businesses and 

non-profit organizations with less than 100 employees. The grant funds may be 

utilized to offset the expense of constructing enhanced outdoor spaces for 

improved mitigation of COVID-19 transmission (e.g. restaurant patios) or eligible 

organizations may use the funds to improve the built environment of the 

neighborhood (e.g. building façade improvements). Project construction must be

completed by 31 December 2022 and completed requests for reimbursement 

must be submitted to the County by 31 January 2023.

o The County will be completing improvement projects at parks, public plazas and 

other public outdoor recreation facilities to enhance and expand the usability of 

the outdoor space for the public. The selected projects are located throughout 

the County and include sports facility and lighting improvements, beachside 

pavilion repair and replacement, facility parking improvements, as well as 

boardwalk and fishing pier repairs and improvements

Providing premium pay for public safety services – $1,470,000

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, St. Johns County has experienced an increased 

community need for first responder assistance. The initial phase of the ARPA Funding 

Appropriation Plan will include funding for St. Johns County first responder 

compensation. 

Promoting equitable outcomes 

The initial phase of the multi-year program includes programs that will or have benefited the 

community as a whole such as administering COVID-19 vaccinations, assisting with COVID-19 

testing programs, mitigation/prevention improvements to County facilities which service the 

residents at large and premium pay for public safety services. 

Although the ARPA projects funded in the initial phase of the project provide services to the 

County residents at large, to ensure equitable access to residents, the County selected a 

centrally located accessible facility, the Solomon Calhoun Community Center, when

implementing the COVID-19 vaccination program and offered appointments through multiple 

mechanisms (i.e. both online and by phone) on a first-come first-serve basis. Additionally, the 

County operated a COVID-19 hotline seven days a week in concurrence with the vaccination 

program to assist residents with COVID-19 related questions and scheduling vaccination 

appointments.

The County will continue to consider and prioritize the achievement of equitable outcomes 

during the planning and implementation of ARPA funded programs. 
St. Johns County, Florida - 2021 ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report 4

Community Engagement 

St. Johns County is committed to ensuring constituents’ and community-based organizations’

feedback and suggestions are heard and considered and is using a variety of engagement 

methods to reach the community. 

Noticed Meetings

o ARPA funded programming has been and will continue to be discussed as noticed 

agenda items at regularly scheduled Board of County Commission meetings. These 

ARPA agenda items include an opportunity for the attending public to provide comment. 

Web-based Platforms

o St. Johns County’s website will serve as the primary platform through which the 

community can find information about ARPA programs offered by the County. 

o A web-based survey is currently being offered to residents and community groups 

providing an opportunity to suggest projects and services for future phases of the APRA 

program. The survey is available to all constituents and will not require an invitation to 

participate. 

Community Partners

o St. Johns County will continue working with various community partners to vet ARPA 

programs and share information about those programs with the community. 

Social Media

o St. Johns County will use its social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, 

Twitter, and Nextdoor to communicate information about ARPA funded programs and 

services being offered.

Traditional Media Coverage

o The County’s exterior improvement grant program and community survey has been 

covered by the local media outlets and publications. The County will continue to promote 

initiatives along with our media partners to increase community awareness.

Labor Practices 

St. Johns County is committed to promoting the effective and efficient delivery of high-quality 

infrastructure projects. The County’s existing Purchasing Procedures outline the procurement 

process and ensures all County projects follow the required Federal, State and local laws. All 

ARPA funded infrastructure projects implemented by St. Johns County will be procured in 

accordance with the St. Johns County Purchasing Procedures which can be found in Section III 

of the County Administrative Code. 

Use of Evidence 
St. Johns County, Florida - 2021 ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report 5

The initial phase of the ARPA funded program for St. Johns County does not include a project 

that would require the Use of Evidence. However, the County is committed to evaluating all 

potential projects and pursuing only those that have a meaningful impact for the community. As 

ARPA encourages the use of evidence and metrics to gauge the outcomes of program

interventions, staff will continue to consider the Use of Evidence requirements when evaluating 

the community impact of ARPA funded projects in future phases of the program.

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

Although the County did not expend ARPA funds prior to July 31, 2021, the ARPA Funding 

Appropriation Plan adopted by the Board of County Commissioners at the September 7, 2021,

meeting will retroactively reimburse the County for the following activities that occurred prior to 

July 31, 2021.

Category Cumulative 

expenditures 

to date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

Amount Approved 

in Initial Funding 

Appropriation Plan

1 Expenditure Category: Public Health

1.1 COVID-19 Vaccination $0 $0 $1,669,000

1.2 COVID-19 Testing $0 $0 $31,000

7 Administrative and Other

7.1 Administrative Expenses $0 $0 $85,000

Project Inventory 

Although the County did not expend ARPA funds prior to July 31, 2021 the ARPA Funding 

Appropriation Plan adopted by the Board of County Commissioners at the September 7, 2021 

meeting will retroactively reimburse the County for the following activities that occurred prior to 

July 31, 2021.

COVID-19 Vaccination Site Operation, Project Number 4451

Funding amount: $1,669,000

Project expenditure category: Category 1.1 COVID-19 Vaccination

Project overview

• The County established and operated a vaccination program at the Solomon Calhoun 

Community Center offering residents free vaccinations in order to contain and mitigate

the spread of COVID‐19. Through this program, vaccines were offered to residents 

through 20 May 2021, and the County administered a total of 96,284 doses of vaccine to 

the community. The vaccination site was centrally located in the County and vaccines 

were offered, free of charge, to all County residents on a first come first serve bases. 

Vaccination appointments were offered to the public both online and by phone to ensure 

equitable access to the program for all residents. The County also operated a COVID-19 
St. Johns County, Florida - 2021 ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report 6

hotline seven days a week to assist residents with COVID-19 related questions and 

scheduling vaccination appointments. 

COVID-19 Testing, Project Number 4452

Funding amount: $31,000

Project Expenditure Category: Category 1.2 COVID-19 Testing

Project overview

• St. Johns County provided financial support to Flagler Hospital for COVID-19 testing. 

Performance Report

• COVID-19 Vaccination Site Operation. The County administered a total of 96,284 

doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the community on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

• Household Assistance and Housing Support. The Emergency Rental Assistance 

Program (ERAP) allocated $25 billion to the U. S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) 

to provide funds directly to states, territories, local governments, and tribes for 

households that are unable to pay their rent and utilities due to the financial impacts of 

the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Johns County received $7,991,953 for the Emergency 

Rental Assistance Program which may be used to provide financial assistance for rent, 

utility and home energy, and housing stability services to low-to-moderate-income 

households with rent-related expenses and utilities. The program offers up to 12 months 

of assistance with a maximum of $5,000 in total assistance. The County administered 

program began accepting applications on July 9, 2021 and as of October 15, 2021, St. 

Johns County has awarded $263,522 in assistance.