Some $20 million has been earmarked for 17 small Florida county governments and municipalities as part of the state’s Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF).
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the awards for infrastructure projects designed to enhance rural economic growth on Friday.
The RIF encourages the planning and financing of rural infrastructure work that supports growth and brings more business to those communities.
“Florida is committed to supporting our rural communities and providing the resources they need for economic growth,” DeSantis said in a press release. “These investments will support infrastructure improvement, attract businesses and create long-term economic success.”
The FloridaCommerce department received 93 applications for more than $115 million, more than any other year. The state whittled the figure down to the 17 communities selected by DeSantis and some of those communities were adversely affected by hurricanes this year.
“Under Gov. DeSantis’ leadership, Florida continues to prioritize our rural communities,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “These strategic, targeted investments are focused on job creators – these funds will immediately create new jobs and ready sites for new business in the heart of Florida for generations to come.”
The Florida counties and communities receiving a cut of the $20 million include:
— City of Bonifay ($1.233 million) – to construct drainage improvements.
— Cedar Key Water & Sewer District ($2.5 million) – to continue rehabilitating 17 lift stations following Hurricane Idalia.
— City of Chipley ($295,000) – to complete the designing, engineering, and survey work needed to extend public sanitary sewer service along Brickyard Road.
— Town of Cross City ($620,000) – to evaluate and improve the town’s three potable wells and potentially adding a fourth.
— Dixie County ($300,000) – to develop a master plan to improve Cross City Airport’s primary access road.
— Hardee County Industrial Development Authority ($1.478 million) – to construct a centralized parking area in the City of Wauchula.
— Indian River State College ($1.5 million) – to complete property assessment and planning, the first phase in revitalizing the Okeechobee School for Boys property.
— Jackson County Board of County Commissioners ($1.665 million) – to enhance the public sewer system along U.S. 231.
— Town of Lee ($1.1 million) – to complete construction and construction engineering inspection for upgrades to the waterline that will service the Madison County Industrial Park.
— City of Live Oak ($559,365) – to rehabilitate an existing lift station with new equipment and infrastructure.
— City of Marianna ($1.6 million) – to facilitate upgrades to a municipally owned facility, including an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-compliant drive-in ramp, an additional roll-up door, relocation of ceiling obstructions, and building life safety and code compliance.
— City of Perry ($1.396 million) – to demolish and rebuild a new lift station to help prevent sanitary sewer overflows and mitigate risks from using obsolete equipment.
— Sebring Airport Authority ($600,000) – received funding in two separate allocations to support critical infrastructure projects. One allocation will fund the design and permitting improvements to Carroll Shelby Drive. The other allocation will support drainage enhancements and resurfacing for Webster Turn Road.
— City of Sneads ($84,500) – to make urgent repairs to the town’s water system.
— Wakulla County ($4.5 million) – to acquire land, design, permit, and
conduct land improvements to support the county’s efforts to obtain property and construct a facility leased to Project Boomer and support the county’s active pipeline project.
— Washington County ($67,500) – to conduct a feasibility study to analyze the current infrastructure and environmental factors to determine its readiness for future commercial development.
— City of Wauchula ($441,125) – to provide comprehensive expansion and resurfacing improvements to Hogan Street, connecting Highway 17 South and Highway 17 North.
The RIF program has distributed more than $90 million throughout Florida since 2019.
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