Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the city of Winter Haven has been awarded $9M for road improvement at the city’s Intermodal Logistics Center. The money was awarded to the city stemming from numerous sources, including the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and from the Florida Department of Transportation.
The awarded money is designed to go to road construction and improvement to provide access to nearly 1,200 acres of industrial land and generating thousands of jobs for the area.
DeSantis said the Winter Haven area needed money for new infrastructure, as it is a growing area.
“Winter Haven is a great and fast-growing community, and we understand to keep this area growing, it needs strong infrastructure. Today, I was proud to award more than $9 million to Winter Haven to make road improvements to the Intermodal Logistics Center, attracting businesses and creating new jobs for the community. Today’s announcement builds upon the $60 million in investments we have already made in Polk County in 2021, because we know this area will help drive our state now and into the future. While there are worrying trends on the national level, we are going to keep doing our job in Florida and we will continue to capitalize on Florida’s strong economic momentum.”
Dane Eagle, secretary of DEO, said the money for the improvement “will attract additional investment and growth” as DEO contributed approximately $6.4M to the total.
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, we remain committed to providing necessary resources to bolster our state’s infrastructure in order to create new opportunities for Floridians,” said Eagle. “This award to the City of Winter Haven will support this phase of economic development at the Intermodal Logistics Center and will attract additional investment and growth.”
On Twitter, DeSantis praised the financial allotment for the central Florida town.
“Winter Haven is receiving more than $9 million in funds to improve its infrastructure and create 1,250 new jobs,” DeSantis said. “This will be a high-impact project that will spur additional investment in Central Florida.”
Winter Haven is receiving more than $9 million in funds to improve its infrastructure and create 1,250 new jobs.
This will be a high-impact project that will spur additional investment in Central Florida. pic.twitter.com/9kxQCV5ShB
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 11, 2021
DeSantis and Eagle were joined by FDOT Secretary Kevin Thibault and Commerce Secretary Jamal Sowell who expressed their support for the funding.
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Ron DeSantis” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Money” by SCR3AMFR3AK. Background Photo “Winter Haven, Florida” by Ultrahip. CC BY-SA 3.0.
