Governor DeSantis Announces $9.4M in Infrastructure Funds for Winter Haven

10/11/2021

During a media event held Monday at the City of Winter Haven Commission chamber, Governor Ron DeSantis, along with Secretary of the Department of Economic Opportunity Dane Eagle, Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault and Enterprise Florida Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell, announced that Winter Haven would be receiving $9.4M in infrastructure funds, focused on the area directly adjacent to the CSX Intermodal Logistics Center.

The grant funds will primarily be used to construct a roadway to improve access for employees and to relieve congestion on alternate roadways. This award is a direct result of a collaboratively written grant application by the Department of Economic Opportunity & Community Investment and the Winter Haven Economic Development Council and advocating directly with the Governor's office. You can view the beginning of the press conference here.

The funds will be pulled from two different areas of the state budget, with $6.4M coming from the Florida Job Growth Fund and $3M coming from the Florida Department of Transportation. The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund is an economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training across the state. Proposals are reviewed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) and chosen by the Governor to meet the demand for workforce or infrastructure needs in the community they are awarded to.

The City of Winter Haven has been a constant advocate for transportation funding at the FDOT, applying for numerous grants, building relationships with State and local leadership and having 3 local representatives, Polk State's Dr. Angela Falconetti, the Chamber's Katie Worthington Decker, and Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Birdsong, on the states Multi-Use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance Task Force.

At the Chamber, we believe the City Commission and City staff's aggressive pursuit of funds along with the advocacy work of the Winter Haven Economic Development Council and Chamber, has led to numerous projects being funded at little, to sometimes NO cost, to the Winter Haven taxpayers.

The state is estimating this investment in Winter Haven will directly result in 1,250 new jobs along with up to an additional 3,500 jobs that could be created in industries such as manufacturing, logistics and technical services.

DeSantis said, "Our commitment is to do good policy and to continue to support communities like here in Winter Haven and Polk County that really do have a lot going on and will have a lot going on in the future.”

Later in the press conference, Mayor Pro Tem Birdsong joked that we still have one more thing we need the Governor to work on (See - Winter Haven is always advocating!). You can view Mayor Pro Tem Birdsong's comments above.

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Governor DeSantis Announces $9.4M in Infrastructure Funds for Winter Haven

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