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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final June 8, 2021 U.C. 21-0582 Eviction Prevention & Diversion Mediation Recommended Action: The County Attorney's Office recommends that the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners vote to support the Eviction Prevention & Diversion Mediation and authorize the use of up to $2 million from the Mortgage and Rental assistance program under the County's CARES Act allocation. Attachments: Staff Report Mediation Proposal 5-20-21 County Attorney Dylan Reingold utilized staffs memorandum dated May 27, 2021, to introduce a voluntary program called Eviction Prevention & Diversion Mediation (the Program), designed to keep tenants in their current housing by adequately compensating the landlord. He clarified that neither party would be forced to enter into the Program. The Honorable Judge Menz expressed to the Board her intent to benefit a large number of tenants who were going to be in need when the eviction moratorium ended. She stated that the Program would run with the assistance of pro-bono attorneys from the Indian River County Bar Association (IRCBA), the Indian River County Clerk of the Court, and the Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS), through its Housing Emergency Advocacy Response Team (HEART) program. Judge Menz proposed the use of up to $2 million of CARES Act funds from the Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program to benefit the landlord and the tenant by paying back rent and up to three (3) months of future rent, with a proposed amount not to exceed $7,500, or up to $9,000 for cases approved by County Administrator Jason Brown. Discussion among members of the Board, Administrator Brown, and Judge Menz included: 1) landlords who had previously received $4,500 from the Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program; 2) the negative impact for a tenant with an eviction on their record; 3) landlords who participate in the mediation process and later evict the tenant or sell the property; and 4) the possibility that a landlord had not been paid since March 2020 when the eviction moratorium began. Commissioner Adams suggested increasing the proposed per household maximum amount to $10,000 regardless of the possibility that prior payments were made to the landlord, or allowing for a case-by-case determination of the amount of rental assistance to be dispersed to the landlord. Vice Chairman O'Bryan recommended that the maximum amount of assistance per household be increased to $10,500. He added that after the Program got started, if there was a need for changes, Judge Menz could return to the Board. Indian River County Florida Page 18