TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that multiple communities in the panhandle will receive funding for infrastructure projects.
Wakulla County will receive $220,044 from the state’s Rural Infrastructure Fund. The grant will be used to extend natural gas service to the county’s business park.
Jackson County along with towns in the county were awarded funding.
The town of Cottondale received $1,000,000 to conduct a comprehensive infrastructure improvement plan to improve the downtown area.
The town of Campbellton was awarded $281,500 to conduct a study to extend wastewater and natural gas from Marianna to the town limits.
The city of Jacob was awarded $144,500 to conduct a study on broadband internet availability, accessibility, affordability, and transmission speeds in the city and surrounding areas.
The city of Marianna was awarded $992,000 to finalize roadway improvements and utility extensions on the Mashburn Road project leading to the Endeavor Industrial Site.
Jackson County was awarded $106,500 to design and develop a plan for a campground at the Blue Springs Recreational Area and $994,712 to design, permit, inspect, and construct public roadways and utilities into a commercial park south of Interstate 10.
Those funds were awarded to Jackson County and the cities within the county via the Rural Infrastructure Fund.
Jackson County and cities in the county also received grant funding via the Community Development Block Grant-CV Program:
- Town of Alford ($250,262) to rehabilitate the Alford Community Center and erect an electronic public information sign to notify city residents of the ongoing process and future resources.
- City of Cottondale ($1,426,659) to rehabilitate and expand the City’s Community Center to accommodate increased demand for services.
- City of Marianna ($3, 996,209) to rehabilitate Marianna Health and Rehabilitation Center to improve air purification and HVAC systems and construct a Bio-Hazard Isolation Room for the disposal of hazardous material.
- Jackson County ($2,879,000) to conduct improvements to patient rooms at the Jackson County Hospital.
“The best defense is a good offense and the long-term resilience of the Florida Panhandle is dependent on continuing to provide resources to support the success of these communities,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Robust resources and infrastructure improvements created by each of the projects awarded today are invaluable to Northwest Florida communities that are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Michael and other challenges.”
The state will award more than $23.1 million to local governments in the panhandle's northwest portion of the state through the Rural Infrastructure Fund and Community Development Block grant programs.
