Florida Awards Millions in Grants to Boost Employment Opportunities

The state of Florida is awarding more than $4 million in state grant funds to projects that will boost employment opportunities in the state. The focus on job creation and economic development was center as Gov. Ron DeSantis was on hand to announce these funds at the city of Port St. Lucie and Chipola College.

More than $3 million of these funds are going to the City of Port St. Lucie for infrastructure improvements at the Tradition Commerce Park. These funds and the project will create 1,800 jobs directly, and are forecasted to create another 4,000 jobs indirectly. Those jobs would exist in supplementary areas such as:

• Information technology
• Logistics and distribution
• Manufacturing

Chipola College, in Mariana, will also be receiving a $354,000 grant to expand the college’s cybersecurity program. With all the cybersecurity issues facing the U.S., these kinds of programs are essential.

“We want people to be free to choose what they do for a living, where they live and how they raise their families, and by growing our job opportunities in Florida, we are making sure Floridians have a wide range of options to choose from,” DeSantis said. “Today’s announcement is another example of our commitment to keeping our economy strong.”

“Through the further development of Tradition Commerce Park, the Port St. Lucie community will strengthen its position as an economic driver for the region and the state,” said Florida Commerce Sec. Jamal Sowell, the president and CEO of Enterprise Florida. “We appreciate Governor DeSantis’ leadership and commitment to providing Florida’s communities with opportunities for economic growth.”

Focus On Job Creation Benefits Floridians

The Department of Economic Opportunity still has more than $74 million remaining in funds to go to projects focused on rapidly developing a highly skilled workforce and on infrastructure initiatives that attract businesses.

“We at the Department of Economic Opportunity stand ready to assist the Governor’s office in vetting these projects as they come through,” said Dane Eagle, executive director of the Department of Economic Opportunity.

GrantWatch Notes

As we begin to come out of the pandemic, ensuring more people are prepared for the workforce cannot be overlooked. Florida has a category for workforce-related grants, as well as one for technology grants. Sign up for a paid GrantWatch subscription to gain access to all of our grant-seeking resources.