Suwannee County lands $9.6M state grant

Gov. Ron DeSantis
Gov. Ron DeSantis
File photo by Seth Johnson

The state is awarding Suwannee County $9.6 million for an industrial park, according to a Wednesday announcement from the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The grant is part of $15 million in awards to five rural communities through the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF) program, which is designed to support community economic development projects that will strengthen public infrastructure and expand job opportunities for residents.

“These infrastructure investments will pave the way for new job opportunities and business growth for Floridians,” DeSantis said in a statement.

Become A Member

Mainstreet does not have a paywall, but pavement-pounding journalism is not free. Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible.

The Department of Economic Opportunity administers the RIF program, which received $30 million in total funding for 2022-23.

According to Wednesday’s announcement, the Suwannee County project will create 269 jobs to construct a wastewater treatment plant and install collection lines.

The award follows more than $1.9 million Suwannee County received last year through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund for infrastructure expansion. The state also awarded Suwannee County more than $760,000 through RIF in December 2022 for infrastructure to support economic development opportunities.

Other projects announced Wednesday include: 

  • Jackson County ($3,375,600) – to extend water and wastewater lines to a project site and construct two stormwater treatment ponds to support the site’s development and create up to 150 jobs and $27 million in capital investment.
  • City of Macclenny ($1,173,000) – to complete critical improvements and upgrades to the City of Macclenny’s deteriorating water treatment plant at Northeast Florida State Hospital to create 40 new jobs and $22 million in capital investments.
  • City of Fort Meade ($969,900) – to make stormwater improvements in the city’s historic downtown commercial corridor to reduce flooding and improve stormwater management to retain jobs and draw new businesses to the area.
  • City of Umatilla ($482,500) – to provide increased water and sewer service capacity to the Umatilla Industrial Park to create 10 new jobs and provide $12 million in capital investment.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments