BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
A new legislative proposal could significantly impact rural counties like Bradford and Union in Florida.
Filed by State Sen. Corey Simon, Senate Bill 110, also known as the Rural Renaissance Bill, seeks to create a modern-day revival for rural areas across the state.
A priority of Florida Sen. President Ben Albritton, the bill is designed to address challenges faced by rural communities. The proposal includes measures to enhance broadband, transportation and other infrastructure, and health care services, while also fostering local economic development.
“Florida’s legacy rural communities offer a time-honored way of life worth preserving in modern Florida. Our rural communities are full of opportunity, but that doesn’t mean traditional development. We can create a rural renaissance by modernize some of our longstanding economic development programs with a focus on infrastructure, not incentives,” said Albritton. “Expansions to our broadband infrastructure will drastically expand opportunities for education, commerce, and health care in rural Florida and place big city employment options at the fingertips of our rural residents. Meanwhile, improvements to our farm-to-market roads will serve legacy farm and citrus operations essential to keeping fresh food within reach of Florida families. We have seen tremendous economic growth in urban areas of Florida, its Rural Florida’s turn.”
Infrastructure improvements
A central component of the bill is the modernization of rural infrastructure. It increases funding for the Rural Infrastructure Fund, which supports job creation and capital investment by helping communities plan and finance infrastructure projects. The bill also provides $50 million for farm-to-market road improvements for transporting agricultural products from rural farms to markets.
Additionally, the bill proposes a boost to the Small County Road Assistance Program, aiding rural communities in resurfacing and reconstructing local roads. Florida Department of Transportation is currently required to expend $25 million on the program, but this bill would more than double the state’s investment
Education and workforce development
In the education sector, the bill increases funding for regional education consortia, which serve smaller school districts. For example, districts in Bradford and Union counties could see a rise in funding per school district, from $50,000 to $150,000. This funding will support programs aimed at reducing administrative costs, offering new educational opportunities, and addressing workforce development challenges.
The bill would allow school districts to retain locally collected capital project funding when applying for special facilities construction funds from the state. Districts would be free to use that local revenue for other capital outlay needs while relying on state funds for new school construction.
The bill also introduces a new initiative for rural educators, offering student loan repayment assistance to teachers and administrators who work in rural, fiscally constrained counties. This program seeks to attract and retain quality educators in these communities, addressing the ongoing challenges of teacher shortages.
Health care access enhancements
The bill addresses significant health care disparities that rural communities often face. One of its key provisions is the creation of a grant program to help physicians and nurse practitioners establish primary care practices in rural areas. This initiative could improve access to essential health care services in rural counties, where residents frequently travel long distances for medical care.
Another provision focuses on enhancing rural hospital services, including the introduction of mobile medical units and telemedicine kiosks to provide urgent care in underserved areas. The bill also increases Medicaid payments to rural hospitals, which could help alleviate some of the financial challenges faced by these institutions.
A path forward for rural communities
Sen. Simon, who represents several rural counties, emphasized the importance of fostering growth without compromising the traditional ways of life in these communities.
“Our rural communities are full of opportunity, but that doesn’t mean traditional development. We can create a rural renaissance by focusing on infrastructure and innovation,” Simon said.
The bill would create an Office of Rural Prosperity, a new state agency designed to provide technical assistance to local governments, helping them navigate state and federal resources and secure funding for various projects. This office will play a key role in ensuring that rural areas like Bradford and Union can fully leverage the opportunities presented by the bill.
It would also shift to sales tax as the funding source for the annual state distribution to Fiscally Constrained Counties, increasing the allocation from around $10.5 million to a minimum of $50 million annually. Sales tax collection, per capita personal income and population would make up the new distribution formula. (Counties with declining sales tax or per capita personal income would receive more money.) It would require 50% to be spent on public safety, 30% on infrastructure and 20% for any other public purpose. A new grant program would also assist counties with declining populations.
To stimulate economic growth, the bill would establish new grant programs to support small businesses in rural areas. The Small Business Development Center program would be expanded to provide more resources for local businesses, including access to capital and technical assistance.
The bill also calls for more to support for rural housing, raising the minimum allocation for each county’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership program to $1 million. Also, many older federally subsidized housing projects are set to age out of their use restrictions and move to market rate rental housing. To preserve these units as affordable rentals, the bill would appropriate funds for rehabilitation or acquisition for owners who agree to maintain the properties as affordable housing.
Rural Renaissance Appropriations – $197.4 million
Renaissance Grants – $8 million
Office of Rural Prosperity – $2.5 million
Preserving Rental Housing in Rural Communities – $30 million
Rural Strategy Grants – $250,000
Rural Infrastructure Fund – $45 million
Rural Revolving Loan Program – $5 million
Innovations for Rural Counties – $500,000
Small Business Development Center Network – $1 million
Student Loan Repayment for Rural Educators – $7 million
Regional Education Consortia – Increase from $50K to $150K per district – $3.6 million
Regional Education Consortia Grants – $25 million
Rural Hospital Medicaid Enhancement – $6.3 million state, $8.2 million federal
Rural Hospital Improvement Grants – $25 million
Stroke, Cardiac, and Obstetric Response and Education – $5 million
Doctor/APRN Start Up Program – $25 million
General Revenue Redirects in the Bill
Fiscally Constrained Counties – approximately $37 million
Farm-to-Market Roads – $30 million State Transportation Trust Fund
Small County Road Assistance Program – approximately $35 million State Transportation Trust Fund
Additional Funding for General Appropriations Act
State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program – $18.8 million
