Governor Ron DeSantis yesterday announced that $1,250,000 has been awarded through the Florida Defense Support Task Force (FDSTF) Grant Program to five projects to protect military installations across the state. The award recipients include the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners, Clay County Development Authority, Polk County Board of County Commissioners, Orlando Economic Partnership and the South Florida Progress Foundation.
“These grant awards demonstrate the state of Florida’s commitment to our defense communities,” said Governor DeSantis. “Florida continues to be the most military-friendly state in the country and supporting service members and their families is an honor and responsibility we hold high.”
“These grants reflect the high level of engagement communities throughout Florida have with our military,” said Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida. “As a Marine Corps veteran, I take pride in knowing my home state continues to invest in those who serve us.”
Grant funding will support community projects at Florida military installations that will provide support for military families, protect Florida’s bases from future encroachment, enhance defense industry growth, and support community resiliency efforts.
Santa Rosa’s $70,000 grant is aimed to develop and implement a Career Academy Outreach for Military Children. The program’s objectives are to support the military family through information dissemination, ensure military children are not missing opportunities in cutting-edge and relevant career and technical education, and to strengthen the partnership between military installations and Santa Rosa County School District. The project has implications to impact military families throughout North Florida.
