Sen. Rick Scott posted on his official website that the Senate Armed Service Committee passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to provide $3 million for Santa County’s priority for NAS Whiting Field.
- Scott’s announcement mentions among the projects: “$3 million for the design of a Child Development Center at Naval Air Station Whiting Field to increase access to childcare for military families in the Panhandle.”
Dig Deeper: We reported last month that NAS Whiting Field needed $20 million to demolish its current Child Development Center and build a new facility. The current center operates in a 78-year-old building that previously served as a package store before being converted for child care in the mid-1990s.
- The center’s maximum capacity is only 64 children. As of early May, the waitlist totaled 56 children, ranging in age from zero to 5.
The Northwest Florida Defense Coalition was formed to help find funding for the child development center and another $20 million for a new hangar for the Blue Angels at NAS Pensacola.
To learn more about the Northwest Florida Defense Coalition, visit nwfdefense.com.