TAYLOR COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — $750,000 is coming to Taylor County to give the community a better quality of life. Thomas Demps with the Taylor County Commission said it will "help them to be able to live a little bit better."
At least 11 homes in the unincorporated parts of the county will see much needed funding, to fix or tear-down, sub-par homes and give temporary assistance for relocation in the process.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced $29 million in statewide assistance at a press conference in Perry. It's part of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program(CDBG) which will give several Big Bend communities the means to rehabilitate homes to improve poor living conditions.
Demps added that Taylor County is "in bad need right now."
Homes in Taylor County that are in bad shape that belong to the elderly, disabled, and low-income earners will be pushed to the front of the line. Demps said "some of the people that we have here on the low-end of the totem pole that don't have air conditioning, windows are not good, and some need tops of roofs, this money will help those folks out to make their standard of living much better."
In addition to today's roll-out, the county will get a separate grant for around $20,000 to help attract future investments. This is part of another development grant from Enterprise Florida... the agency bestowing the money. Enterprise Florida President, Jamal Sowell, said "the governor believes in building up the workforce and the infrastructure and businesses need to know about the treasures here in Taylor County."
Liberty and Madison Counties will both be seeing $700,000 dollars each coming down the pike to rehab homes, part of this block grant program. Click here to read more about how the rest of the Big Bend will benefit.
Details to apply for the grant are still up in the air but anyone in a poor-quality living situation can apply. Right now, county leaders are in the process deciding on how that will look.
