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Florida Highway Beautification Council

Florida Highway Beautification Council (Updated June 11, 2012)

(Note: In order to view the PDF files listed on this page you need to have installed Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

If you would like to be notified of changes and updates to the Council News web page, and also receive periodic e-news concerning the Highway Beautification Council, e-mail the Council and ask to be placed on the subscription list. For general questions or to provide feedback, please contact the State Transportation Landscape Architect.

The Florida Highway Beautification Council (FHBC) was created by the 1987 Legislature when it enacted Sections 339.24 and 339.2405, Florida Statutes. This legislation placed the seven-member Council (Council members are appointed by the Governor) within the Florida Department of Transportation.

Membership of the FHBC must include: Two private citizens, a landscape architect, and representatives of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, the Florida Nurserymen Growers and Landscape Association, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Department of Transportation. The primary duty of the Council is to review; score, and rank submitted Highway Beautification Grant Applications. Based on the results of this annual review process and the availability of funds, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation may grants. No single grant can exceed 10% of total available funds. Applicants may apply for more than one grant.

An Application, as well as additional information about the grant program, can be found at the links to the right of this page, or at any Florida Department of Transportation Office listed in the phone book. The Florida Highway Beautification Council can be reached at 605 Suwannee Street, MS-37, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450, contacting the State Transportation Landscape Architect, or 850.414.5267.

Please reference Rule Chapter 14-40 Highway Beautification and Landscape Management.

Part I of this rule chapter has complete instructions for designing and implementing a highway landscape project. The detail for roadway signage acknowledging donated landscape projects can be downloaded from the list of resources on the right side of this page.
Part II describes the Florida Highway Beautification Council Grant Program.
Part III deals with Vegetation Management at Outdoor Advertising Signs. Note the three figures referred to in the rule chapter and available for download on the page.

Additional design criteria is provided by the Office of Roadway Design and includes:

The Office of Roadway Design offers training opportunities.

Applying for a Grant

All applicants should schedule a meeting with their respective FDOT District Landscape Manager and District FHBC Grant Coordinator on or about July 1, before proceeding with a grant application. Eligibility requirements, ranking criteria, and instructions for applying for a highway beautification grant are found in Part I and Part II of Rule Chapter 14-40, Florida Administrative Code, Highway Beautification and Landscape Management.

Before preparing a grant application, please contact the District Grant Coordinator. Together you can establish a schedule. It is important to schedule enough time for a thorough review of the draft application by the Grant Coordinator. Then the application can be revised by the applicant to comply with all department requirements before the grant application deadline. Only complete applications will be forwarded to the Council for their individual review and ranking. Late applications will not be eligible for grants.

Recommendations to Complete the Application Form

Page 1 of the Application form: Complete applicant information including the street address (no post office box). List all participating organizations. Please be sure that the principal contact (Contact Name) signs the application at the bottom of page 1.

Page 2 of the Application form: A thorough Project Description with photographs will help the Council understand the project. Please provide the U.S. and S.R. (State Road) Numbers separated by a slash (/). If only one exists, please circle, as appropriate, either U.S. or S.R. #. The Total Eligible Grant Costs can only provide for the costs of purchase and installation of a sprinkler (irrigation) system, the cost of plant materials and fertilizer, and may provide for the costs for labor associated with the installation of the plantings.

Scroll down below for additional information related to the application form.

Highway Beautification Council Members and Affiliations

Marion Hilliard, Chair	Marsha Levy, Vice Chair	Susanne Karr	Charlie Marcus	Vacant	Alan Shapiro	Vacant
Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.	Private Citizen	Private Citizen	Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services	Landscape Architect	Florida Nurserymen Growers & Landscape Association	Florida Department of Transportation

Preparing Cost Summaries on Page Two

List estimated costs which can be paid with the grant and write the total on the line for Total Eligible Grant Costs.
Labor costs should explain the type of labor (government staff, contract, volunteer, etc.), with an appropriate cost breakdown (hourly rate). Count all volunteer labor (after the agreements are signed), no matter what they contribute to the project. The Council will accept up to $16.00/hour for volunteer labor.
List estimated costs which cannot be paid with the grant and write on the line for Total Applicant Matching Costs. Design fees can be included as part of the match, but only up to 10% of the total project cost.
Add the totals to get the Total Estimated Project Cost.
Estimate of Applicant Annual Maintenance Costs - Enter the appropriate figures for water, sprinkler/irrigation system (inspection and repair), landscape areas, and safety. Enter these total estimated maintenance costs on the Total Estimated Annual Maintenance Costs line. These costs are unrelated to Grant and Match costs, and are only to inform the Council and local government officials about the level of maintenance that is anticipated if a grant is awarded.

Resolutions and Agreements

The Resolution(s) mentioned on page 4 of the application form provide authorization for a local beautification group, individual, or staff to apply for a grant on behalf of the local government. Please note, two separate resolutions are not necessary. Both may be combined. The key words to include in the resolution(s) are the name of organization or department or person is authorized to apply and the local government will enter into all necessary agreements. A sample Agreement and Resolution can be found to the right of this page.