Alachua County Commission votes to ask federal government for Inflation Reduction Act funds
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – During commissioner comment at the end of today’s Alachua County Commission Special Meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to send letters asking that federal Inflation Reduction Act funds be sent directly to counties in Florida since the State has rejected the funds.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes two programs–Home Efficiency Rebates and Home Energy Rebates–that would have made $347 million available to Florida residents, but the Governor vetoed a $5 million grant for “Inflation Reduction Act Funding – Energy Programs” in the 2024 budget, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson subsequently withdrew the State’s application for the funds.
The programs provide rebates for home improvements that lead to increased energy efficiency and for energy-efficient appliances, with higher rebates for households that earn less than 80% of the Area Median Income. Up to 20% of the grant funds can be used to administer the programs, and the program requirements include engagement with labor unions and community-based organizations that work with underserved communities; the incorporation of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility objectives; and implementation of the Justice40 Initiative, an environmental justice initiative of the Biden White House.
Alford said the board had previously discussed sending letters, but there was no motion, so she made a motion to send a Chair Letter “to the appropriate state and federal authorities, recommending that the Inflation Reduction Act dollars be distributed on a county basis.” Commissioner Ken Cornell seconded the motion.
Cornell said he and Alford recently heard the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) give a speech, and the commissioners were able to speak to him about this issue. Cornell said, “He appeared to not be aware of it and said he would look into it… You know, other states are going to get federal dollars that Florida’s not going to get… I said we’d send them a letter.”
Chair Anna Prizzia agreed that she had expected a letter to sign, but when she asked staff, they didn’t know what she was talking about: “I thought we said we were going to write a letter to the feds, telling them we want that money, and we want it to come directly to the counties. If the State’s not willing to administer it, we are willing to administer it.”
The motion passed unanimously.
In further discussion, Alford said many advocacy organizations in Florida are trying to reinstate the $5 million vetoed by the governor, but “they’re not advocating for asking the federal government to distribute it like [American Rescue Plan Act] funds… I think that we have a better chance of [that] than our governor changing his mind.”
Prizzia laughed, “I would agree. I don’t think we’re gonna change the governor’s mind, but I think we could ask the feds to just appropriate it directly to us.”
Cornell said, “We might not change it, but the DOT Secretary might change it,” and Prizzia and Alford agreed.
‘Ello Orwell: We have reached Full Newspeak Top Level: The Inflation Reduction Act only served to promote inflation by spewing unpaidfor cash into the US economy, much of which was considered obviously misused by anybody with brain cells to rub together except by those with a Stalinistic sense of “humor.”
All I hear is:
“Bail me out big daddy”
Good for the county commission. While Floridians deal with rapid intensification events like the last hurricane and the hottest year on record, our stupid governor pretends climate change isn’t happening and turns down funds well targeted to help them who need it most. Hey, he’ll take the FEMA funds – he voted against giving them to the northeast when in congress – but is too tiny to show up to meet the president responsible for getting them to us ASAP. That was a few days after blasting Biden for supposedly mistreating Hawaii. The guy is a lame scumbag and just another reason the young hate Republicans.
You got this Jizzman. You know dis to be the troof. Yes, the liberals and GRU, the City and County like it when it is extra hot so they can make more money from the overcharging us and robbing GRU’s piggy bank, THAT BURNS TREES to make power. Talk about not smart, lets help the environment by burning oxygen producing, shade producing, CO2 absorbing trees only a liberal can make sense out of that. Yes we have all noticed it getting hotter once we started cutting down trees to burn for over priced electricity.
Demonrats
The Governor was right to reject the money that never should have been added to our national debt in the first place – that spewing of excessive amounts of money – THAT WE DON’T HAVE – has devalued our dollar and led to this terrible inflation.
Also, the strings attached were destructive…”and the program requirements include engagement with labor unions and community-based organizations that work with underserved communities; the incorporation of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility objectives; and implementation of the Justice40 Initiative, an environmental justice initiative of the Biden White House.”
It’s a federal bribe to implement more seeds of destruction to our country. Too many are willing to implement progressive decay if they can get some freebees for it. The goals are wrapped in nice-sounding language (I’m for helping underserved communities, but not with the kind of “help” progressives intend), but the devil is in the details.
Why don’t you try being “concerned” about the world we leave your kids and grandkids. The last guy in the WH left another $8 trillion added to that national debt while setting us back on curbing the CO2 debt that isn’t just on paper.
I’m very concerned about the world we leave my children and grandchildren. That’s why I’m a conservative, and oppose the flow of money going to and coming from DC regardless of which party was responsible. I’m for balanced budgets, lower taxes, private property rights, expecting able bodied adults to support themselves…the decline in this country and the entrenched progressive policies in this county make me weep, but I have not lost hope for a better day. DeSantis is showing us the way out of the mess.
“The national debt has risen by almost $7.8 trillion during Trump’s time in office. That’s nearly twice as much as what Americans owe on student loans, car loans, credit cards and every other type of debt other than mortgages, combined, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It amounts to about $23,500 in new federal debt for every person in the country.
The growth in the annual deficit under Trump ranks as the third-biggest increase, relative to the size of the economy, of any U.S. presidential administration, according to a calculation by Eugene Steuerle, co-founder of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. And unlike George W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln, who oversaw the larger relative increases in deficits, Trump did not launch two foreign conflicts or have to pay for a civil war…”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/14/trump-legacy-national-debt-increasee/
Nancy Pelosi and DemocRats approved the majority of all Covid spending under Trump! Trump didn’t have the ability to spend it without stupid democrats! Selfish, entitled Democrats wanted universal basic income for god sake during that time!
Thanks for agreeing that the only time you republicans pretend you care about the debt is when a democrat is president. Republicans led the Senate and could have stopped the Covid spending but instead led it and good thy did. You understand I hope that letting the economy crash would have been much more damaging in the long term. By the way, Trump advocated for a much bigger hand out during Biden’s 1st year.
Operation Warp Speed, in hindsight, was an incredibly expensive, incredibly damaging expansion of government powers, as well as government spending (leading to inflation, fueled by our tax money).
I appreciate much of what President Trump did, like energy independence and appointing Constitutionalists as Justices on the Supreme Court, but Operation Warp Speed, from the massive spending to putting evil Dr. Fauci in charge of the pandemic response, was one of the worst decisions any president ever made.
Some in my family had vaccine injuries from the vile mandates. Took those “vaccines” to keep their jobs. Meanwhile, Fauci and his accomplices became fabulously wealthy. How many pharma execs became billionaires due to the tax money funneled to them – with liability protection from the fallout of their dangerous “vaccines”, no less?
Government officials at every level took advantage of the pandemic response with emergency declarations to expand their own power, as well. Tyranny on steroids.
I’m willing to agree that President Trump spent way too much while in office, and gave cover for government to increase authoritarian/nanny state powers. It was not a conservative decision by any means.
Government grew, liberty diminished.
Mom, your grandkids will care much more about Florida becoming unlivable than they will their tax rate. We owe most of that money to ourselves and SS and Medicare fix themselves through demographics in a generation.
Concerned Mom please please please stop worrying. The good news is with as fast as we can we are continuing to burn all the trees we can to produce power, this is what need to happen to help the environment. So as long as we continue to cut down and burn the trees your children and grandchildren will be just fine. I am sure my liberal brother Jazzman will agree.
Funny.. you leftist parasites vote every chance you get to steal from future generations! You selfish degenerates steal from your own children, this country will be bankrupt long before climate change does anything! I was told in the 90’s Florida would be underwater by the 2000s! You people couldn’t careless about the state this country will be in when in 20 years with your stupid, out of control spending!
Pedo Joe: The debt As of July 14, 2023, more than halfway through Biden’s term, the debt had risen by another roughly $4.7 trillion, to $32,542,410,783,067. The trouble with Dementia Joe is that he has created so much currency in circulation that the dollar has been devalued by at least a third. This is a regressive tax affecting the entire world. It will lead to the US dollar being displaced as the prteo dollar which is just what Joe’s handlers in the CCP desire.
Thank you! This is the first time I’ve seen anyone, really, talk about the strings that were attached to this money!
The harmful effects of inflation can be best reduced by cutting out the waste of taxpayer dollars practiced by inept county government.
That could be unconstitutional, so they’ll have to hire more goddam lawyers to find out, after the state sues the county. Just tell your 3% voters to take a hike to a Blue state, and some commissioners will follow.
Let the state sue the county. I’m sure the Gov will love the optics of it becoming big news – who knew about this before? – that he turned down federal dollars to help poorer Floridians buy modern efficient appliances because he thinks, against all evidence and the entire scientific world of climate experts, that it is not getting hotter and that Florida will not suffer more than most places because of it.
Bring that fight!
Yeah, Jizzdrinker you tell them. Oops I got to go to work and cut some more trees down, to burn, to produce power. Thank goodness for our liberals in charge or I wouldn’t have a job cutting down trees to burn for electricity. Yes, yes, yes, I know since we started burning trees to make power it has gotten hotter, but who cares we don’t need those oxygen producing, shade producing, CO2 absorbing trees. There is nothing prettier to me than a field full of tree stumps and a bunch of homeless wildlife. That looks like $$$$ to me. Jizzdrinker I am with you and liberal ways.
Leave me out of your sex fantasies, pervert.
Jizzsoup what sexual fantasies are you talking about? If destroying oxygen producing, shade producing, CO2 absorbing trees is what does it for you than your sexual fantasies should be filled nicely thanks to your liberal environment loving local government.
Let’s see. Up to 20% can be wasted in overhead. Can you say overpaid supervisor? Of course required engagement with labor unions (huh?) DEI and community based “underserved” activist groups are also required. It is a shame the local Democrats refuse to be part of Florida. I wonder when enough of their BS will result in them being either removed or restricted.
It’s a shame our Governor refuses to be part of the US and instead promotes stupid wars with other states, the feds, and supports issues highly unpopular with even Republicans, like 6 week abortion bans, looser gun rules, turning tail from the Russians, and ignoring weather extremes we all live with and some of us suffer from in aa game of hurricane roulette.
You’re probably waiting in line for your efficiency “kickbacks.” Wonder how many tax incentives you’ve collected over the years? In your case maybe they’re “promotional” credits seeing as how you’re so quick to promote local leadership.
In the meantime, the city did away with energy rebates several years ago because of their fiscally incompetent ideas, not because of their concern for the environment.
But you just keep believing them. That’s what you do.
I’ve collected zero tax incentives in my life and have none planned in the future. Can’t say the same for Trump of course.
War with other states? It was California who actually banned state travel to red states (unless the traveler is the governor on vacation).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_state-funded_travel_ban
Since Florida’s CO2 footprint has declined in recent years I’m eager to learn how the hurricanes know the party of the current governor.
I would be willing to bet his policies are more popular with Republicans than the policies local city leaders have done with regard to GRU rates, taxes, crime and how anyone in Gainesville feels about those.
Anyone other than an idiot that is.
Winner gun rules for gun owners ! He beat that degenerate you voted for by the largest margin in 40 years! You people always bragging about Gainesville… Gainesville is in a dark red state!
Climate change is the biggest farce of my generation.
Smarten up Marvin.
“Since 2001, 34 national science academies, three regional academies, and both the international InterAcademy Council and International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences have made formal declarations confirming human induced global warming and urging nations to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The 34 national science academy statements include 33 who have signed joint science academy statements and one individual declaration by the Polish Academy of Sciences in 2007.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus_on_climate_change#:~:text=The%20current%20scientific%20consensus%20is,and%20severity%20of%20global%20effects.
After the Covid response, I don’t believe science. And I never will.
I use something called common sense. Try doing the same.
So, common sense is what you rely on for medical questions or for airline safety? Geez, all that money wasted getting our longevity up from 40 to 78 years. Don’t be an idiot – use the best info from a well proven discipline that’s gotten us to the moon and saved and extended billions of lives.
Jizzguzzler I am with you. We obviously need to be burning more trees to make power. Thank goodness our liberal leaders have figured out that burning trees to make power actually helps the environment. I am with you and agree 100% with your thinking, “let’s leave no tree standing in the name of environmentally friendly power.”
Basically, by turning this down, our taxes will flow to other states. It happened with federal dollars for a rail system and for Medicaid expansion. Our taxes aren’t lowered; they just go to States that have the sense to accept them and help their residents.
They should enlist Ward to suck, (I mean solicit), the funds. He’s proven to be pretty adept at sucking money not only from GRU, but individual people as well. Problem is, as good as he is at getting it; he’s equally bad, if not worse, at managing it.
Don’t overlook the ‘costs’ of administering the funds – up to $1,000,000 can be used. Anyone willing to bet they’ll use every penny of that amount? That will leave $4,000,000 for ‘energy’ improvements for those earning less than 80% of the median wage, (32.7k). Wonder how many developers will get their hands on that using the justification that their tenants are low income? Cornell will probably volunteer his time and assistance with their applications.
Problem isn’t obtaining the funds, it’s the distribution of the funds to those who need it most by those who charge overhead for servicing. Many of us have seen how well Ward and Co have done that.
Are they going to use the funds to lower our excessive taxes and high utility rates? Hell NO! Just more waste & fraud.
Until Alford repays her salary back she apparently took while in office illegally, I don’t think she should have a vote , a voice , or her current job. The silence from the Commissioners on the subject speaks volumes .