General manager
STARKE— Florida Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly toured Starke’s Douglas Building and the Keystone Heights Airport on December 19 to highlight his department’s efforts to stimulate economic development in rural counties.
Kelly was joined by President of Business Development Laura DiBella, Deputy Secretary of Economic Development and President of Select Florida T.J. Villamil, and Chief Operating Officer Matt Swanson of Florida Commerce. The group also toured Columbia, Putnam, Baker, and Suwannee Counties.
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida Commerce continually invests in projects that improve infrastructure and create opportunities for employers and families in rural communities,” said Kelly in a news release. “By visiting Putnam, Bradford, Columbia, Baker, and Suwannee counties, I was able to see firsthand how the Governor’s and Florida Commerce’s investments in infrastructure support economic growth in our rural communities, and I am looking forward to seeing how the regions continue to grow for Florida’s future generations.”
Kelly’s stop in Starke came one day before the Florida Cabinet voted to convey the 100,000-square-foot Douglas Building and its nearly 25 acres to Bradford County.
Local business leaders Patricia Evans, Pam Whittle, and Marty Shaw joined the state officials in Bradford County, as did county officials Carolyn Spooner, Scott Kornegay, and Jason Dodds, MHD-Rockland CEO Bryan Dollimore and Vice President of Flight Operations Todd Falconer, and Keystone Heights Airport Board Chair David Kirkland.
While the party was at the airport, Falconer gave Kelly a tour of one of his company’s Lockheed P-3 Orions, and the secretary observed flight operations, including two low-altitude passes over the runway and a landing.
