BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Amber Shepherd, strategic alliances partner with the Northeast Florida Economic Development Corporation, recently gave Starke city commissioners a presentation highlighting the organization’s efforts to attract investment, promote job creation, and spur regional economic growth.
Shepherd began by outlining the EDC’s core mission for Starke and Bradford County.
“My goal for Starke is simple,” Shepherd told the commissioners. “I want to position Starke as a competitive, investment-ready city and make sure opportunities coming through Northeast Florida flow right here into Bradford County.”
During her report, Shepherd described how NEFEDC leverages Starke’s central location — between Jacksonville, Gainesville and Ocala — and its infrastructure, including proximity to major highways, rail, and the Foreign Trade Zone, as key selling points. Over the past year, Shepherd’s outreach efforts have reached over 13,000 businesses and led to dozens of meetings with prospective investors looking to establish operations in Bradford County.
High-growth sectors targeted by NEFEDC include advanced manufacturing, aviation, aerospace, renewable energy, defense, robotics, logistics and distribution. Shepherd specifically highlighted several ongoing initiatives:
—A “smart manufacturing hub” project for the Keystone Heights Airport, promising hundreds of new jobs and millions in capital investment.
—A renewable diesel facility under discussion for a Starke property, aimed at converting biomass into fuel.
—And another expansion that would see city water and sewer service extended to an existing local facility preparing for a $35 million upgrade and 100 new jobs.
Shepherd also emphasized the organization’s partnerships with local schools and colleges for workforce development, noting the importance of aligning career training with the opportunities the EDC is working to attract.
Commissioners responded enthusiastically to Shepherd’s initiatives. Commissioner Danny Nugent thanked Shepherd for her commitment. Commissioner Bob Milner shared praise for NEFEDC’s outreach and acknowledged the challenge of local workforce shortages. “I think that Amber and Northeast Florida Economic Development Corporation are going to be an absolute necessity,” he said when working with Santa Fe College and North Florida Technical College on workforce training.
Mayor Andy Redding said many may not understand what NEFEDC does. Emphasizing the city’s potential and and opportunities for strategic growth, he said, “If we continue to position ourselves in that fashion, we will be very competitive in the job market and what’s coming forth.”
Shepherd concluded by inviting commissioners to participate in NEFEDC’s newly launched “North Florida Development Diaries” podcast and requested their input on potential local incentive strategies, expressing confidence that Starke’s regional partnerships and economic groundwork would yield tangible benefits for residents.
As a government investor, Starke contributes $10,000 annually to NEFEDC’s budget.
Manager rewarded for positive evals
The results from the city manager’s performance review were two commissioners saying Drew Mullins was meeting expectations and three saying he was exceeding expectations. The recommendations were for a pay increase of 10% to 15%. After taking into consideration what other cities are paying their manager and the additional duties taken on, the commission set Mullins’ new salary at $125,000, which is around 17% more.
The commission was considering $120,000, but Redding pointed out prior discussions about competitive salaries for the position were from $125,000 to $150,000.
