BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The Northeast Florida Economic Development Corporation’s strategic alliances business partner said her immediate goal is to put together a comprehensive strategy to market Bradford County and the surrounding area to potential employers.
The development corporation is the successor organization to the Bradford County Development Authority, which was dissolved by state statute in 2022 when lawmakers abolished the governmental district overseeing Walt Disney World. The legislation also did away with similar local districts, like the one in Bradford County.
The new entity is led by some of the officers of the old development authority and includes Chairwoman Sandra Kahle, Treasurer Patricia Evans, Secretary Marty Shaw, and board members Dean Weaver, Avery Roberts, Evan Douglas, and Dawn Strickland.
Amber Shepherd is the Development Corporation’s strategic alliances business partner. She said she is now seeking grant money for a new plan that would pull from previous economic development studies written for the county between 2018 and 2022.
Three previous studies
In 2018, the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government wrote a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis for the chamber and the county’s development authority. The report said county residents have access to higher learning and technical training, as well as high-quality healthcare. The document added that the area has abundant, affordable land for development and enjoys a tight-knit, faith-based, and family-centric community. Weaknesses included underperforming schools, the lack of an attractive and positive brand to promote the county, and poor relationships between City of Starke and county officials.
In 2019, The Urban Land Institute studied the economic impacts of the U.S. 301 bypass on Starke and Bradford County. That report recommended that area leaders capitalize on natural resources to create ecotourism and agritourism businesses. The report also recommended improving the city’s appeal through infrastructure upgrades and implementing what it called a complete-streets approach.
In 2022, an analysis by the International Economic Development Corporation provided an overview of the county, a history of the area’s development, and significant economic sectors. That report also emphasized the need for infrastructure improvements in the county.
Shepherd said each document provides detail and insight into the community. However, they lack a guiding strategy.
“It’s been good work,” Shepherd said of the previous studies. “We just need that information synthesized and then develop a strategy to market the Bradford County area, not just within Florida but nationally and internationally.”
Chemours lunch and learn
Shepherd added that her organization continues to develop relationships with local leaders and state and national economic development contacts.
One step in that process is a lunch-and-learn on May 9, highlighting the work of Chemours at the Bradford-Clay County line within Camp Blanding.
Shepherd said the mining concern wanted to reach out to the community, and the economic development corporation was eager to help.
“Some of the members of the EDC had attended the Chemours community advisory panel,” Shepherd explained. “While we were there, Chemours shared a lot of details about what goes on out at their facility and how they operate. Their big desire is to share with the community what they do and how they do it and let people in the community know how they really work to preserve the ecosystems. That’s how the lunch and learn came together.”
