On Friday, FloridaCommerce announced the award of $2.6 million through Florida’s Defense Reinvestment Grant Program and the Florida Defense Support Commission Grant Program, to strengthen Florida’s military communities and to provide critical support to the service members, veterans and families who call Florida home.
- Escambia and Santa Rosa counties received $125,000 each from the Defense Reinvestment Grant Program.
“These investments are more than just funding—they are strategic commitments to preserving the vital role our military installations play in national defense and in enhancing the quality of life for the service members, veterans and families who call Florida home,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce, J. Alex Kelly.
Background: Florida is home to 21 major military installations and 1.4 million military veterans, with growing military populations across the state.
- The Defense Reinvestment Grant Program directly supports community-based activities that protect existing military installations, diversify the economy of a defense-dependent community, or develop plans to facilitate the reuse of closed or realigned military installations, such as developing and implementing strategies to help communities support the mission of military installations.
Escambia County
Pensacola-Escambia Promotion and Development Commission received $125,000 to “further expand the findings of the study, which developed advanced facilities to accommodate existing and future cyber assets next to Corry Station.”
Dig Deeper: Corry Station is home to the Navy’s Information Warfare Training Command. Last year, PEDC received a $250,000 grant from the same program for the same reason. At PEDC’s annual meeting in August, FloridaWest CEO Chris Platé invited Freddie Donovan to provide an update regarding the Corry Station defense grant project, including projected site selection, utilities, infrastructure footprint, site requirements, and geotechnical aspects. The design team was working to finalize cost estimates, according to the minutes. However, the project was not listed on the agenda for the PEDC’s September or October meetings.
Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa County received $125,000 to “advance to Phase II of the Master Plan centering on the Naval Outlying Landing Field in Santa Rosa and to continue to strengthen mission readiness and diversify the regional economy.”
Dig Deeper: Santa Rosa County has identified the 700-acre NOLF Santa Rosa site for commercial development opportunities. Last year, DeSantis awarded them a $250,000 grant from the same program to study land-swap options with the Navy to acquire and redevelop the site.
