Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis visited Citrus County today and announced the allocation of over $6 million to aid in the Big Bend region’s recovery from Hurricane Idalia.
The City of Crystal River will receive $5 million from the First Lady through the Local Government Emergency Revolving Bridge Loan Program to support its operations while its revenue recovers from Hurricane Idalia.
$700,000 has been given to Florida’s shellfish aquaculture growers through the Florida Disaster Fund to aid in their post-storm recovery.
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Furthermore, Taylor County workforce education and economic development will be supported by a $100,000 award from the Florida Disaster Fund.
This will help residents who were impacted by Hurricane Idalia and the closure of the Georgia-Pacific Foley Cellulose Facility find jobs in their community.
The First Lady announced that the North Florida Economic Development Partnership will receive a $250,000 grant from the Regional Rural Development Grant program in order to further promote economic growth and development in the Big Bend region.
These monies will be used to promote the region in an effort to boost commerce and tourism, which will further encourage prospects for economic development.
“Following Hurricane Idalia, we are bolstering resources for local governments to continue providing services and ensuring small businesses are able to keep their doors open,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “Through today’s awards and other programs, we are helping these communities rebuild while attracting economic development opportunities and equipping Floridians with skills to provide for their families.”
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An award of $5 million was made to the City of Crystal River through the Local Government Emergency Revolving Bridge Loan Program to help the city continue to provide important services to the community while their revenues recover.
The program, administered by FloridaCommerce, supports government operations that may have been impacted by federally declared disasters by bridging the gap for local governments while their revenues recover after a natural disaster.
$250,000 in funding was awarded to the North Florida Economic Development Partnership to provide training, marketing, and business technical assistance to communities in the North Central Rural Area of Opportunity and provide vital support to communities impacted by Hurricane Idalia.
Regional Rural Development Grant Program grants uplift rural communities by strengthening existing regional economic development organizations, enabling Florida communities to develop and implement long-term strategies that help attract new businesses, grow existing businesses and bolster Florida’s rural communities.
The North Central Rural Area of Opportunity includes the following counties: Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor, and Union counties.
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