RESTORE Act

On July 6, 2012, the President signed into law the Federal Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). This act aims to hold the parties responsible for the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster accountable for restoring the Gulf of Mexico's environmental and economic recovery.

The RESTORE Act established the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to be held by the U.S. Treasury Department. Eighty percent of the administrative and civil penalties paid after July 6, 2012, under the Clean Water Act in connection with the Gulf oil spill will be deposited into the Trust Fund and invested in programs, projects and activities that restore and protect the environment and economy of the Gulf Coast region. Learn more about the RESTORE Act.

The RESTORE Act created a specified funding allocation to each state affected by the Gulf oil spill. Citrus County has been authorized as one of the 23 Florida Gulf Coast counties to be eligible to apply for and receive funds from the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund. A portion of the penalties will come directly to Citrus County. Other portions may be available for projects that affect the County through the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and through the Gulf Coast Consortium.

Multi-Year Implementation Plan
Preparation of the required Multi-Year Implementation Plan for the eligible projects able to be funded by the oil spill settlement funds will occur during Phase 1 of the Citrus County RESTORE Act. Phase 1 includes opportunities for the public to submit project ideas and to provide input into the projects submitted and the overall plan. The final plan, after approval by the County Commission, will then be submitted to the RESTORE Council for review and approval. Phase 2 involves preparation of the actual grant application to receive funds from the US Treasury Department that are available to Citrus County once the Multi-Year Implementation Plan is approved. It also involves an assessment of the grant compliance requirements. Subsequent phases involve updating the plan, if required, once a settlement with BP is done and additional funds become available for Citrus County.

 
Contact
For questions regarding the Citrus County RESTORE Act, please email restoreact@citrusbocc.com.
 
Presentations
Citrus County was for years a relatively rural county that has recently experienced tremendous growth, causing volume and congestion on its roadways typical of more developed counties. Several of the adjacent counties (Pasco, Hernando, and Sumter) have been identified as the “100 Fastest Growing Counties” in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The County is traversed by four principal arterials, three minor arterials and over 70 collector roads. Roadways are functionally classified as limited access, principal arterial, minor arterial, major collector, minor collector and local. These classifications are determined by land use and traffic volume. Roadways are further classified to the Level of Service A thru F which is determined by the operating level of the roadway with various traffic volumes.

The Road Maintenance Division, Traffic Control Section has responsibility for collecting, recording and maintaining traffic count data. Traffic counts are taken semi-annually at established count stations to determine changes in volume and distribution of vehicular traffic within the County. The standard duration of each count is 48 hours where counts are taken during the weekday to provide the average daily traffic (ADT).

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