Hillsborough County Of

Hillsborough County of Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners Grants Management Division, doing business as Administration, is a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Tampa, Florida, that acts as a federal grant recipient and administrator for federal programs spanning housing, emergency management, transportation, public safety, environmental remediation, and social services across Hillsborough County's approximately 1.48 million residents.

Hillsborough County operates as a grant recipient across 23 federal agencies, with a prime-recipient footprint covering 142 awards (57% of the award base) and a sub-recipient footprint of 106 awards (43%). The county does not compete on federal contracts or hold seats on government-wide vehicles; its federal footprint is exclusively grant-funded. The recent award base totals 248 awards with $1.6 million in combined potential value, though $2.37 billion has been obligated—a 151,787% realization ratio reflecting the county's role as administrator of large disaster recovery and recurring formula grants. Activity has grown significantly: ten awards in 2022 to fifty-eight in 2024, with a recent slowdown to nineteen awards in 2026 year-to-date.

FEMA dominates the award volume. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) accounts for 69 awards across the award base, with the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program (CFDA 97.083) anchoring the heaviest dollar exposure—Hillsborough County has received multiple three-year SAFER grants including $15.1 million (awarded March 2, 2025, completion March 1, 2028), $11.3 million (March 23, 2026, completion March 22, 2029), $11.8 million (February 27, 2022, completion February 26, 2025), and $17.1 million (March 14, 2023, completion March 13, 2026). The county also holds FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG, CFDA 97.044) awards, Port Security Grant Program funding (CFDA 97.056), and Fire Prevention and Safety project grants. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the second major customer, with 49 awards split across multiple formula grant programs: the Home Investment Partnerships Program (CFDA 14.239) for affordable housing rehabilitation and tenant-based rental assistance; the Emergency Solutions Grant (CFDA 14.231) for homelessness prevention and emergency shelter operations; the Community Development Block Grant (CFDA 14.218) for community development activities; and the Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) program for disaster-displaced populations. The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) round out the active set, with FHWA awarding $1.204 million for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Vision Zero Safety Plan (June 12, 2026, completion August 11, 2030) and $1.056 million for the Tampa Bay Transportation Improvement Program (September 11, 2025, completion March 30, 2028).

Hillsborough County's sub-recipient footprint is substantial and reflects its role as a pass-through for state-administered federal funds. The county receives federal funds from the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management (disaster recovery, hazard mitigation, COVID-19 response); the Florida Department of Commerce (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP], Community Services Block Grant [CSBG]); the Florida Department of Health (Child Care Food Program meal services); and the Florida Department of Transportation (transportation planning under UPWP allocations). These sub-awards total over one hundred items and include hazard mitigation grant program (HMGP) sub-awards funding backup power generators for designated emergency shelters (Pizzo K-8, Turkey Creek Middle School, McLane Middle School, Valrico Elementary, and others), debris removal and emergency protective measures funding related to disaster declarations (DR 4337F, DR 4734), and ongoing social services allocations. The county also manages a small number of prime federal contracts—mostly low-value transactional purchases—including document destruction services from the Drug Enforcement Administration ($329, $395, $411, and $2,400 in separate purchase orders) and a $2,540 sole-source purchase order from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for data collection on consumer product-related deaths.

The county's profile reflects its character as a local government entity administering federal formula grants and disaster recovery funding rather than competing for federal contracts. Growth in the award count (from ten in 2022 to fifty-eight in 2024) tracks with FEMA disaster declarations and increased HUD allocations; the 2025–2026 slowdown likely reflects the cyclical nature of formula grant announcements and disaster-specific funding windows. Nine awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months, creating potential re-grant cycles in housing, emergency management, and social services programs administered through the county's Grants Management Division.