BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Of the millions of dollars allocated locally, only the Arc of Bradford County’s request for funding was excluded the state’s new budget.
Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 2025-26 state budget totaling $117.4 billion after $567 million in line-item vetoes. One of those vetoes was $300,000 legislators had set aside for capital outlay and operations at the Arc.
Other local requests were funded at least in part, including the first year of funding for Lake Butler’s new elementary school and Starke’s water and wastewater expansion project.
Rep. Chuck Brannan released lists of all the funds budgeted for the area, many of which were personal member appropriation projects he supported in the House and Sen. Jennifer Bradley supported in the Senate. The projects reflect strong legislative support for critical community investments in areas such as infrastructure, education and public safety, he said.
In Bradford County, the funding included:
—Bradford County Sheriff’s Office (salary increases for fiscally constrained counties) – $858,176.
—RJE Building Modernization – $900,119.
—SLERS Radio Equipment Replacement and Upgrade – $907,000.
—Courthouse Renovation – $500,000.
—Keystone Heights Airport – S.R. 100 Road Connectivity – $744,588.
—Starke U.S. 301 Utility Extension – $2,000,000.
—School Readiness Services – $1,317,353.
—Voluntary Prekindergarten Program – $582,878.
—Preliminary Engineering Consultants Transportation Work Program – $1,012,279.
—Resurfacing Transportation Work Program – $7,522,409.
—Small County Resurface Assistance Program – $2,300,000.
—Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) Fund Workforce Education – $550,920.
—Public Schools Workforce Education Program Funds – $1,223,046.
The county is already considering how to best and most efficiently spend the funds. For example, while only 50% of the request for the access road at the airport was funded, the county will finish design work and utilize the road department for construction. Similarly, the clerk’s office and court will collaborate on the use of funds for the courthouse.
In Union County, the funding included:
—Union Lake Butler Elementary School Phase I – $29,519,032. (Upon completion, in total, this will be an $88,577,096 project.)
—Union County Sheriff’s Office (salary increases for fiscally constrained counties) – $454,552.
—Union County Public Safety Complex – Phase 4 – $750,000.
—Union County Courthouse Restoration – $850,000.
—School Readiness Services – $622,799.
—Voluntary Prekindergarten Program – $290,201.
—Public Schools Workforce Education Program Funds – $114,402.
