1. (1) Following the Application Deadline, Division staff shall review all Applications for completeness and eligibility. If Division staff determines that an Application is incomplete, they shall request additional information of the Applicant by email or facsimile transmittal. Requested additional information must be received by the Division within seven days of the request, otherwise the Application shall be declared ineligible and handled in accordance with subsection 1A-36.005(7), F.A.C.
2. (2) The Division shall send to each member of the Advisory Committee a copy of each Eligible Application in sufficient time for members to review all Eligible Applications prior to the Advisory Committee convening in a public meeting for the purpose of considering the Applications.
3. (3) Division staff shall make the Advisory Committee aware of any additional information or clarification requested by it and received from an Applicant prior to final consideration of said Application.
4. (4) The Advisory Committee shall hold a public meeting to review and evaluate Eligible Applications within 45 days of the Application Deadline. At least seven days before the meeting, the Division shall notify each Applicant of the date, time and place of the meeting, and provide each Applicant with a copy of the meeting agenda.

5. (5) Applications shall be evaluated and comparatively ranked in the best professional judgment of the Advisory Committee members in consideration of the following criteria:

   1. (a) Criteria related to the characteristics of the community:

      1. The history of the community and the proposed Local Program Area;

      2. Community demographics, economic base and standard economic indicators;

      3. Potential for benefit from the training and technical assistance provided by the Florida Main Street Program;

      4. Plans for redevelopment within the proposed Local Program Area and the larger community;

      5. Municipal, state and federal development programs and activities within the Local Program Area and the larger community;

      6. Encouragement of economic reinvestment within the Local Program Area provided by local government and financial institutions; and,

      7. Other community organization activities, cultural and recreational events, and facilities that may contribute to revitalization of the Local Program Area.

   2. (b) Criteria related to the readiness of the Applicant:

      1. Organizational and financial readiness of the Applicant to manage the proposed Local Program;

      2. Broad-based support and understanding of the proposed Local Program and its objectives within both the private and the public sectors;

      3. Consistency of the goals of the proposed Local Program with the “Main Street Approach”; and,

      4. Job description, selection process, compensation, and means of evaluating performance of the Manager.

   3. (c) Criteria related to the characteristics of the Local Program Area:

      1. Cohesive and well-defined traditional commercial district with a concentration of historic buildings and sites;

      2. Quantity and quality of housing in and around the Local Program Area;

      3. Economic base and business mix of the Local Program Area and surrounding areas;

      4. Previous downtown revitalization activities by government and private investment.

   4. (d) The supporting documentation, including slides, aerial photographs, maps, certifications, resolutions and letters of support required in the Application.
   5. (e) All other factors being equal, the Advisory Committee shall give preference to Applications from areas of the state not currently served by the Florida Main Street Program in order to give all regions of the state an opportunity to benefit from the program. The training and technical assistance provided to Local Programs through the Florida Main Street Program often influence neighboring communities, cultivating interest in historic preservation and downtown revitalization. For this reason, uniform geographic distribution of the limited resources available through the Florida Main Street Program provides optimum benefit to the citizens of the state.

6. (6) After all Applications have been reviewed and all Applicants have been allowed to make brief presentations and to answer Advisory Committee questions, each Advisory Committee member shall numerically rank each Application relative to the others in order of priority. The individual rankings will be tabulated and averaged by Division staff. If two or more Applications receive the same average, the Advisory Committee shall vote to rank them relative to each other. After completion of the ranking process, the Advisory Committee shall recommend designation of Applicants as Local Programs, beginning with the highest ranked Applicant and progressing consistent with the ranked list of Applicants. The Advisory Committee may recommend any number of Applicants for designation up to the maximum number announced by the Division for the annual application cycle. However, all Applicants recommended for designation must, in the opinion of the Advisory Committee and consistent with the criteria in this section:

   1. (a) Possess the physical attributes and resources required to conduct an effective local Main Street program, including:

      1. A cohesive collection of historic commercial properties in the proposed Program Area;

      2. An organization consistent with the model described in the Main Street Approach; and,

      3. A budget and committed funding for at least one year following designation as a Local Program.

   2. (b) Demonstrate community understanding of the Main Street Approach and broad public and private local support for the proposed Local Program through letters and resolutions of support, and pertinent media articles; and
   3. (c) Be ready to begin its participation in the Florida Main Street Program immediately upon selection.
7. (7) The recommendations of the Advisory Committee shall be submitted in writing by the Division to the Secretary of State (Secretary) for review and approval.
8. (8) Within 30 days of the Advisory Committee meeting, the Secretary, taking into account the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, shall confer Local Program designation on successful Applicants. Division staff shall notify all Applicants of the designated Local Programs.

Rulemaking Authority 267.031(1) FS. Law Implemented 267.031(5)(g) FS. History–New 3-12-03.