Compliance With Federal Fair Housing Law

HUD Fair Housing Logo which is a house outline with an equal sign in it
HUD logo with Fair Housing ribbon logo and HUD phone number

Compliance with Federal Fair Housing Law

Monroe County affirms and acknowledges it will comply with the Federal Fair Housing Law (The Fair Housing Amendment 1988) 24 C.F.R. § 570.487(b), and the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended (URA), 42 USC 4601 – 4655, 49 CFR part 24, 24 CFR part 42, and 24 CFR 570.606 in the administration of all Community Development Block Grant programs including Rebuild Florida and all Florida Housing Finance Corporation programs.

Civil Rights Certification Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

Monroe County annually reviews its programs to determine whether they are reaching all eligible population groups. If they find that the programs are disproportionally serving only some groups and not others, the Monroe County Housing Authority takes action to increase housing or social service opportunities for under-served households. The County is also in compliance with Executive Order 11063, which requires nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. The rules implementing this Executive Order require that Monroe County maintain demographic data in connection with its programs and take "affirmative action to overcome the effects of prior discrimination" (24 CFR Part 107). Records of the steps required to affirmatively further fair housing, as well as the impacts that were made regarding the same are collected and maintained in a flat-file database on an annual basis and will be kept in the main office of the Local Disaster Recovery Division. Record keeping for this initiative includes but is not be limited to race, ethnicity, familial status, and disability status of program participants and prospective participants.

Excerpts from Monroe County Code of Ordinances Chapter 14, Article 3

Sec. 14-74. - Declaration of policy.

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the county in the exercise of its police power for the public safety, public health, and general welfare, to ensure equal opportunity to obtain adequate housing by all persons regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, familial status, or age, and to that end, to eliminate discrimination in housing.

(Code 1979, § 13-111; Ord. No. 22-1986, § 1; Ord. No. 36-2001, § 2)

Sec. 14-75. - Board of county commissioners to administer article.

The board of county commissioners shall be responsible for the administration of this article and for seeing that its provisions are observed and enforced. The board of county commissioners is empowered to make all necessary rules to accomplish this responsibility, which rules shall not become effective until approved by the board of county commissioners and, by rule, to delegate administrative and investigative authority to the fair housing board. The board of county commissioners is directed and authorized to seek substantial equivalency rating and recognition from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and other necessary federal agencies for title VIII of the 1968 Civil Rights Act enforcement within the General Services District.

(Code 1979, § 13-113; Ord. No. 22-1986, § 3)

Sec. 14-76. - Cooperation with federal, state, and local agencies administering fair housing laws.

The board of county commissioners may cooperate with federal, state, and other local agencies charged, with the consent of such agencies, to use the services of such agencies and their employees in carrying out the provisions of this article. In furtherance of such cooperative efforts, the board of county commissioners may enter into written agreements with such federal, state, and local agencies to make available such appropriated funds as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this article, and all such agreements shall be executed by the chair of the board of county commissioners and the county clerk and countersigned by the executive director of the fair housing board.

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