Brownfields Program

Cleaning up and reinvesting in Brownfield properties facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, increases local tax bases, removes development pressures on undeveloped open land as well as both improving and protecting the environment. The Orlando Economic Enhancement District Program (OEED) is a State of Florida economic development tool encouraging redevelopment of properties by businesses and property owners. OEED is a brownfield designation and includes sites that have the perception of contamination or blight.

In 2012, the City of Orlando was selected to receive $400,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Grants program to assist the City of Orlando’s Brownfields Program. In 2013, the City received a $200,000 Cleanup Grant to further assist the City with achieving its Brownfield redevelopment vision.

EPA's Brownfield Program

EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.

Brownfield Sites

  • Former Spellman Engineering
  • Steel House Brownfield Site
  • Creative Digital Village
  • 400 North Orange, LLC / Central Station Site
  • Soccer Stadium
  • Orlando Events Center
  • Future Dr. Phillips Orlando Performance Arts Center
  • Rio Grande Acquisition Property
  • Southside Shoppes
  • Circle C Cars
  • Orlando Drum Co.
  • Former Chevron Brownfield Site

Brownfields Information

What are brownfields?

Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Often the potential liability associated with contamination complicates business development, property transactions, or expansion on these properties.

Almost every city and county, in both rural and urban areas, has brownfields properties. Cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields properties is necessary to preserve neighborhoods, reduce urban sprawl, and stop the continued development of new industrial and commercial facilities. By investigating and cleaning up a brownfields property and taking care of the site’s potential health or environmental risks, communities can use local land again – producing jobs, increasing the tax base, or adding other benefits such as creating a park or residential area.

The Orlando Economic Enhancement District Program (OEED) is a State of Florida economic development tool encouraging redevelopment of properties by businesses and property owners. OEED is a brownfield designation and includes sites that have the perception of contamination or blight. View/download map of Downtown Economic Enhancement District (OEED).

Incentives

  • Tax credit of 35 percent on voluntary cleanup costs (10 percent additional credit during the final year of cleanup)
  • Low-interest loans for the purchase of liens, tax certificates or other claims
  • Risk-Based Corrective Action principles
  • Sales tax credit on building materials used for the construction of a residential or mixed use redevelopment project
  • Up to five years of state loan guarantees of loan loss reserves
  • Grants/loans available for cleanup

Criteria

  • The applicant must be located within the Orlando Economic Enhancement District boundary area
  • The applicant must not be responsible for the contamination or blight
  • The applicant must be expanding or redeveloping property 

Resources

Helpful information about redevelopment of Brownfield sites in your community.

Federal Level resources:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

State Level Resources

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Florida Brownfields Association (FBA)

Contact

For more information, call Mary Stewart Droege at 407.246.3276.

Documents

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