904 356-JOBS (5627)

904 356-JOBS (5627)

More funds being infused into Cecil Commerce Center in Jacksonville industrial park (Courtesy of The Center Square) —  More taxpayer money is being poured into the Cecil Commerce Center, an industrial park in the Jacksonville area, Gov. Ron DeSantis (pictured above with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry) recently announced. The goal is to support Florida’s manufacturing and logistics industries, fuel economic growth, create new jobs, and bring new businesses to the area.

The City of Jacksonville was awarded $5.5 million through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to construct a rail spur for the mega site at the 600-acre industrial park. Last year, $6 million was awarded to the industrial park from the fund. Another $7 million was awarded through two separate funds.

The rail spur will connect the main rail line with the industrial park, enabling Jacksonville to attract businesses to the area, according to the project description. The project is also expected to create 500 new jobs.

“This new rail track will make an inaccessible area of the industrial park accessible for businesses in important sectors like manufacturing and attract new businesses to Jacksonville from across the country,” DeSantis said. “This award is an example of the smart investments we’re making in Florida’s communities to strengthen local economies and expand job opportunities.”

Enterprise Florida Deputy Secretary Laura DiBella said the rail spur “will have a massive benefit” to the industrial park and “Northeast Florida as a whole,” creating “tremendous job potential.”

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E., said the rail spur would strengthen Florida’s transportation network, ensure resiliency, support supply chain operations, and enhance economic growth.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry also noted that the city “is experiencing record growth and this will ensure we continue to attract new business and potential workforce.”

Last year, the industrial park received $13 million in funding, including $6 million from the fund, $4 million from the Florida DOT and $3 million from Space Florida. Funding helped construct nearly two miles of roadway, facilitate expansion of existing maintenance, repair and overhaul of facilities, and extend utilities to provide access to underdeveloped property on the east side of Cecil Airport and Spaceport.

The roadway project was designed to attract new aerospace and commercial space companies to the park, including the Cecil Spaceport, which launched in 2010.

Last year’s funding was touted as more than doubling the number of available jobs, bringing the total number of jobs at the airport and spaceport to 6,251. It was also touted to provide road access and fire suppression to Cecil Spaceport, attract new aerospace and commercial space tenants, support the growth of existing companies and bolster the local economy surrounding Cecil Airport.

The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, an economic development program, was created to promote public infrastructure and workforce training statewide. Proposals are reviewed by DEO and Enterprise Florida, Inc., and are chosen by the governor.

The fund has awarded $66.5 million to projects statewide in 2021-2022 and $74 million in 2020-2021, according to DEO and EFI data. The chosen projects focus on rapidly developing a highly skilled workforce and on infrastructure initiatives that attract businesses, create jobs, and promote economic growth.