Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $20 million in awards to small county governments and rural municipalities through the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF). Awards were made to 17 Florida communities for projects that will “complete critical infrastructure and strengthen rural economies,” according to a press release from the Governor’s office.
The Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF) program supports the planning and financing of infrastructure projects in rural communities to drive growth and attract businesses. This year, Florida Commerce received a record 93 applications requesting over $115 million. The entire $20 million allocated to the program has been awarded to 17 communities, including Cedar Key and Cross City, which were previously announced as recipients.
Since 2019, the program has awarded over $90 million.
“Florida continues to prioritize our rural communities,” said J. Alex Kelly, Florida Secretary of Commerce. “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.”
A few of the communities to receive funds through the RIF Program are below:
- Bonifay was awarded $1.2 million to construct drainage improvements to address flooding issues at four key locations.
- Cedar Key Water & Sewer District was awarded $2.5 million to continue rehabilitating 17 lift stations following Hurricane Idalia, which caused significant flooding and operational failures.
- Hardee County Industrial Development Authority was awarded $1.4 million to construct a centralized parking area in the City of Wauchula to support local businesses, tourism, and an ongoing housing project adjacent to the downtown site.
- Indian River State College was awarded $1.5 million to complete property assessment and planning, the first phase in revitalizing the Okeechobee School for Boys property.
- Jackson County BOCC was awarded 1.6 million to enhance the public sewer system along U.S. 231 by rehabilitating the Barber Road Lift Station.
- City of Marianna was awarded $1.6 million to facilitate upgrades to a municipally owned facility, including an OSHA-compliant drive-in ramp, an additional roll-up door, relocation of ceiling obstructions, and building life safety and code compliance.
- Wakulla county was awarded $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 that will be leased to Project Boomer and support the county’s active pipeline project.
The complete list of awardees can be found on the Governor’s website.
Source: Office of Governor Ron Desantis, FloridaPolitics.com
