The largest component to any city, county or development is infrastructure. Infrastructure is a set of necessary facilities or systems providing commodities and services for the community to enable, sustain or enhance societal living conditions. However, most importantly maintain the surrounding environment in a safe and secure manner with adaptation to the ever-changing world. Most often infrastructure is identified as roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, water systems, sewer systems, electrical grids, and telecommunications to include broadband and internet connectivity. As we are all aware, each of these systems require continual maintenance and updating due to prolonged wear and tear and the changing world of technology.
Most often the required maintenance and upkeep or even modernization of these systems is very costly. This costly expense leaves many with limited funds to provide the necessary maintenance and moderation needed to completely and fully achieve optimal societal living conditions. The Florida Legislature recognized the need and passed House Bill 1209 which supports rural development and economic opportunities by expanding opportunities for rural communities through the funding of the Rural Infrastructure Fund.
The Rural Infrastructure Fund is a grant program which facilitates the planning, preparation, and financing of infrastructure projects in rural communities. Funding uses include improvements to public infrastructure for industrial or commercial sites, upgrades to or development of public tourism infrastructure. Infrastructure can include public or public-private partnership facilities, like storm water systems, roads, and nature-based tourism.
The infrastructure feasibility grant provides up to 30 percent of the total project costs for infrastructure feasibility studies, design and engineering activities, or other infrastructure planning and preparation activities. Maximum awards are dependent on the number of jobs created and awards could be as much as $300,000 if the project is located in a rural area of opportunity. Jackson County is included as a rural area of opportunity which is composed of rural communities that the Governor has declared to be adversely affected by an extraordinary economic event, severe or chronic distress or a natural disaster. The rural area of opportunity designation must be agreed upon by the Department of Economic Opportunity as well as the county and municipal governments.
Jackson County is also a fiscally constrained county which is defined as a county entirely within a rural area of opportunity or where a 1 mill levy would raise no more than $5 million in annual tax revenue. Due to Jackson County’s fiscally constrained county classification and rural area of opportunity designation, the grant funding increases the percentage of the total infrastructure cost that Department of Economic Opportunity may award for infrastructure funding to 100 percent.
In May 2023, Governor DeSantis awarded five rural Florida communities funding. Jackson County received $3,375,600. The project award description was “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.”
Infrastructure is a crucial component to our economic development for growth. Florida’s investment in our county will enhance the targeted area and emphasis new and modern infrastructure to incentivize potential development. We thank our state legislators and our Governor for the investment in our great county. The desired result of growth and economic development should be improving every citizen’s quality of life. Achieving that goal is dependent upon the officials YOU elect to run YOUR government. I will leave you with that thought and that concludes this week’s The Straight Truth With Mary Ann Hutton.