BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
The city of Starke was one of 25 recipients of economic development awards announced last week.
FloridaCommerce divvied up more than $1.5 million through the Community Planning Technical Assistance and Competitive Florida Partnership programs between 25 Florida communities, including 20 small and rural communities, to foster job creation and growth.
Of that amount, Starke received $58,500 to envision a plan for downtown that would turn it into “a pedestrian-friendly entertainment district connecting downtown destinations, recreation opportunities, and ecological networks.”
It is a small amount compared to what has been awarded and what the city still hopes will be awarded, but it could help establish the vision for what’s to come. For example, the city has a $400,000 grant to construct a pavilion and a dining area to host food trucks, install new benches and increase pedestrian accessibility at the downtown square as part of the City Walk project.
Starke’s downtown redevelopment isn’t strictly confined to downtown. A legislative appropriation of $500,000 will help pay for drinking water system improvements, and the city is in the process of requesting as much as $20 million in federal funds to reduce the flooding risk from Alligator Creek and turn it into an attractive asset for locals and tourists.
Among the other recipients of this FloridaCommerce award was Bradford County, which will use its $75,000 on an economic development strategy to promote development opportunities here. (See related story.)
According to the press release from FloridaCommerce, the CPTA grant program seeks to strengthen communities through resilient, long-term economic development strategies, and the Competitive Florida Partnership program supports communities in developing plans to attract new businesses and create workforce opportunities.
Since 2019, the program has awarded more than $5.9 million to 90-plus Florida communities.
These awards build upon over $5.9 million awarded to over 90 Florida communities through the program since 2019.
For more information about FloridaCommerce’s role in workforce, economic and community development, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.FloridaJobs.org.
