State Rep. Michelle Salzman yesterday announced the designation of the Town of Century as a Rural Community. This yearlong project in partnership with Mayor Ben Boutwell, First Place Partners, FloridaWest and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity now makes the Town of Century eligible for waivers of matching requirements. The partnership of Secretary Dane Eagle, with this project and the awarding of millions of dollars for community centers in the town shows the commitment to revitalization of the area.
This unprecedented designation for the Town of Century provides eligibility for waivers of match requirements for programs within the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The Department in granting this recognizes that “because the Town has a prominent agricultural employment base with a population of 25,000 or less and has three or more factors of economic distress levels worse than the State, the Town does qualify as a rural community and is eligible for the Waiver or Reduction of Match Requirement.” This designation will remain in effect for two years and the Town of Century may reapply for the designation to be extended in 2024.
