Karyn Cunningham

Mayor of Palmetto Bay, FL

Karyn Cunningham was elected as Palmetto Bay’s Mayor on November 6, 2018 after serving four years as a Councilmember. A native of Miami-Dade County, Mayor Cunningham is an accomplished teacher, community activist, and advocate for education. She began her career as a teacher with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In 2004, Karyn took her career outside the classroom by serving with United Teachers of Dade. At UTD she served in many capacities during her seventeen years. She specialized in review of public policy, community engagement, communications, and membership support. 

She is actively involved on the boards of many local not-for-profit organizations. She is the past Vice-President and current Board Member of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment and is the Co-Chair of the South Dade Coalition for Chamber South. In addition, she serves on The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center Board, Community Health of South Florida Capital Fund Advisory Board, the Palmetto Bay Business Association, Friends of Chapman Field Board, The Edge Helps Foundation, 100 Ladies of Deering, and is the 2nd Vice President of the Miami Area Salvation Army Advisory Board.  Mayor Cunningham, who was featured in the 24th Edition of the Book of Leaders (2021) , published by Miami Today, highlighting Miami’s top 52 South Floridian achievers who “are shaping the development of Greater Miami”, also serves on the Florida League of Cities Transportation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, the Green Corridor Pace District, and MDCPS Citizen Oversight Committee. 

A graduate of the Greater Miami Chamber’s Leadership Miami Class of 2012, Mayor Cunningham believes that the best way to serve a community is to serve humanity. During COVID recovery she was actively involved with local organizations, such as Christ Fellowship, Feeding South Florida and Be Strong, to provide essential relief though bookbag and food drives to the community.

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Help Me Choose

Which characteristics is your community looking for in funding opportunities?

Disaster declaration
A Presidential Disaster Declaration unlocks a suite of federal programs that assist local governments with disaster recovery. This is a good filter for communities included in recent Disaster Declarations related to flooding.
Nature-based solutions
The program has a strong focus on providing assistance to promote a healthy ecosystem as a critical defense against flooding impacts. Eligible activities may include floodplain restoration, environmental stewardship, projects that use natural features to mitigate erosion, and living shorelines.
Encourages public-private partnerships
The program encourages or requires collaboration between government entities and stakeholders, including the private sector, to fund, develop, or implement projects.
Offers rolling deadlines
The program accepts applications on an ongoing basis with no fixed deadline.

Is your project in the planning, design, or construction phase?

Planning
The gathering of data and information regarding the extent and impacts of flooding. Eligible activities may include data acquisition, risk assessment, and environmental analysis.
Design & scoping
Covers pre-construction activities, such as defining project scope, developing technical designs, and securing funding to prepare for implementation.
Construction & implementation
Involves carrying out flood resilience projects, including building infrastructure and deploying solutions to reduce flood risks.

Are you looking for grants, loans, or technical assistance for your project?

Funding (grants)
A monetary award that does not need to be repaid. Many federal grants are reimbursable, meaning recipients must cover project costs upfront and then request reimbursement from the government.
Financing (loans)
A government-issued loan that must be repaid. These loans typically provide funding upfront, helping communities cover project costs before repayment begins.
Technical assistance
Assistance from the government in the form of services — such as project planning, engineering and design support, data analysis, training, capacity building, or collaboration through a cooperative agreement — instead of direct funding.

Some programs provide extra support for specific project types or communities. Do any of these apply to your project?

Small or rural communities
Programs that set aside funding, offer loan forgiveness, or adjust cost share requirements for communities with smaller populations.
Small or low-cost projects
Programs that offer reduced requirements for smaller projects, such as waived cost-sharing or exemptions from benefit-cost analysis.
Regional or watershed focus
Programs that support projects that take a watershed management approach or address flooding at a regional scale, requiring coordination beyond a single town or community.
Tribal communities
Programs that dedicate resources or adjust cost share requirements specifically for tribal governments or organizations.

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