Full Steam Ahead
Today, Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded more than $3.9 million to the City of Pensacola through the Governor’s Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to facilitate infrastructure improvements at the Port of Pensacola.
Why this matters: This award will spur economic growth by establishing a High-Performance Maritime Center of Excellence. This award will also help secure the City of Pensacola as American Magic’s home base, which will bring at least 150 high-wage jobs in maritime industries, including research and development, engineering and design, and manufacturing, to the Pensacola area.
On Friday on WCOA, Mayor D.C. Reeves said the design and renovation of Warehouse 10 would begin as soon as he received this commitment from the governor’s office. In a text to Inweekly this afternoon after hearing the news, the mayor wrote, “Full Steam Ahead.”
“Today’s award to the City of Pensacola will strengthen the Port of Pensacola’s infrastructure and promote economic opportunities in the sailing industry for the Florida Panhandle,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis today. “We believe in making strategic investments that will create job opportunities and ensure Florida’s prosperity for generations to come.”
This award will fund the design, build-out, and retrofit of an existing warehouse at the Port of Pensacola after the structure was damaged by Hurricane Sally and has remained partially incomplete for more than two years.
Once complete, the warehouse will house advanced manufacturing and boat building, ocean sciences and maritime technology research and development, as well as marine industry testing. Funds will also be used for the design and construction of a dock with a boat ramp.
Dig Deeper: Read more.
