The Rural Renaissance plan creates opportunities to expand education, increase health care services and modernize commerce.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Senate passed sweeping reforms Wednesday afternoon aimed at providing a major economic boost to rural communities across the state. Senate President Ben Albritton is pushing to deliver on a comprehensive economic development package for rural counties for a second year.
TheThe comprehensive package is designed to create a modern-day renaissance in rural communities across Florida. The bill also invests in farm-to-market roads to support Florida’s agricultural supply chain. Albritton said the legislation would link Florida farmers in rural areas with urban food bank distribution channels and expand food bank and pantry infrastructure statewide to enhance rural economies. The bill was killed in the House last year after budget negotiations between the chambers broke down in a record-long legislative session. Albritton is hoping the House will pass it this year. Sen. Corey Simon, who represents 12 rural counties across Florida’s Panhandle and Big Bend, said quality of life in rural areas can be impacted by access to job opportunities, education and health care. “Rural Renaissance combines enhancements to the traditional infrastructure for schools and hospitals with innovations that drastically expand opportunities for education, commerce, and health care in rural Florida,” Simon said. “We know commerce and capital are attracted to strong transportation infrastructure and robust public services, which will provide the chance for rural communities to prosper and grow while maintaining a time-honored way of life that has been highly sought after generation after generation.”Terry Burroughs, Okeechobee County commissioner, said the bill would create opportunities for businesses that allow residents to work locally. “When we create these opportunities like this bill has the ability to do, we start bringing in businesses that will allow the folks to stay at home, work in their own area, reduce travel time,” Burroughs said. “And I think it’s a better benefit for the family.”The bill modernizes support for fiscally-constrained counties by increasing the threshold from $5 million to $10 million in property tax revenue per mil. It also increases total distribution to these counties to at least $50 million per fiscal year. The legislation creates the Office of Rural Prosperity at the Department of Commerce to provide technical assistance to rural communities. It establishes Renaissance Grants, providing $1 million block grants for each of seven counties with declining populations. For transportation, the bill creates the Florida Arterial Road Modernization Program, redirecting $30 million from documentary stamp revenues to fund farm-to-market roads. It also doubles funding for the Small County Road Assistance Program. In education, the bill increases regional consortium funding per eligible member from $50,000 to $150,000 and creates a student loan repayment program for rural educators, providing up to $15,000 over five years. For health care, the bill creates grant programs to help establish primary care practices in rural areas and adds $25 million for rural hospital improvements, including mobile units and telemedicine kiosks.“I think it’s important for our state, it’s important to the economy, it’s important to the culture, it’s important to a lot of different things,” DeSantis said. Albritton said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins plans to make the legislation a national model for creating a rural renaissance across the United States. Several provisions of Rural Renaissance are included in Florida’s application for federal health care funding for rural communities made available through President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.Ford worker who was flipped off by Trump has been suspended, reports sayEnterprise businessman enters Alabama governor’s race
Florida Rural Renaissance Rural Farm Agricutulure Ag Farming Ben Albritton Usda Fdacs Health Care Transportation Commerce Economy Infrastructure Politics Government Legislative Session
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