~ The investments through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, Florida Department of Transportation's Spaceport Improvement Program, and Florida's Defense Reinvestment Grant Program (DRG) and Florida Defense Support Commission Grant Program (FDSC) strengthen Florida's military communities, grow workforce opportunities and advance projects through Florida's shipbuilding, aerospace and supply chain industries to support national security. ~
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced nearly $23 million in investments to strengthen Florida's defense workforce, military communities, and defense industrial base. The investments include nearly $15.3 million thought the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, up to $5 million through the Florida Department of Transportation's Spaceport Improvement Program in partnership with Space Florida, and more than $3.1 million through Florida's Defense Reinvestment Grant Program (DRG) and Florida Defense Support Commission Grant Program (FDSC). Together, these awards are strengthening Florida's military communities, growing workforce opportunities, and advancing projects through Florida's shipbuilding, aerospace, and supply chain industries to support national security.
"Nearly 900,000 Floridians work in defense and defense-related industries," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "Our colleges and universities provide skilled talent for defense, aerospace, aviation, and maritime industries throughout the state. Today, I announced major investments to help ensure that Florida remains the national leader in these growing industries. By investing in critical infrastructure and workforce development, we've helped make Florida a magnet for defense, aerospace, and shipbuilding companies looking to start or expand their operations."
"Under Governor DeSantis' leadership, Florida has strategically invested in Defense and Aerospace communities, along with the industry partners in those communities that create such incredible jobs, defend our nation, and advance our state's innovation-driven economy," said Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. "Today's awards elevate and leverage Florida's 21 major military base communities, the nearly 900,000 Floridians who work in defense and Florida's spaceports to bolster our industrial base for those industries like Defense, Aerospace and Aviation, and even Maritime, that truly help accentuate many of Florida's unique value-adds to our nation."
Florida's Spaceport Improvement Program prioritizes investments that will have a lasting impact on Florida's aerospace industry," said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. "These investments at Cecil Spaceport will attract new companies and expand opportunities for aerospace workforce and research institutes."
"We are grateful for Governor DeSantis, FloridaCommerce and the Polk County Legislative Delegation's continued investment in workforce education at Polk State College. This support underscores our success in providing quality training that is vital to Florida's economy," said Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas. "Affordable, short-term workforce training opportunities give students clear paths to rewarding careers, strengthen the talent pipeline that local employers rely on, and help build a stronger, more resilient community and state for years to come."
Boosting Florida's Defense Industrial Base and Workforce
Through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, Florida is awarding nearly $15.3 million for infrastructure and workforce training in industries that directly support national security. Since 2019, the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund has awarded more than $354 million and created more than 45,000 new jobs and more than 35,000 workforce education opportunities.
The awards include:
- City of Palm Bay ($3,500,000)-to provide wastewater transmission to the planned Phoenix Business Park (PBP) which will support the City's redevelopment plan for the undeveloped northeast portion of the PBP and unlock 960,000 square feet of future industrial and commercial space that will target the aerospace, defense, semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, technology and engineering services, logistics and distribution, and energy industries.
- Florida State College at Jacksonville ($7,009,168.52)-to establish the Cecil Training Institute adjacent to Cecil Commerce Center by purchasing and renovating a vacant building at Cecil Center North. The College will purchase equipment to expand enrollment capacity within its HVAC and Welding programs, with future plans to expand its Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics programs through the new facility. The new space is expected to support an additional 324 HVAC and welding program completers over the next ten years.
- Northwest Florida State College ($3,000,000)-to construct and equip a 4,000-square-foot, two-bay facility to establish the Maritime Fabrication Training Center at Northwest Florida State College's Niceville campus. The facility will expand an existing building to provide specialized training in Composite Fabrication and Industrial Pipefitter programs to address the rapidly expanding maritime and shipbuilding industries.
- Polk State College ($1,782,236)-to establish a dedicated Commercial Vehicle Driving Program to support the growing region, including the aerospace and defense related industries, through a new commercial truck driving program at its Advanced Technology Center in Bartow. This award comes on the heels of our announcement last month at SunTrax AirGround where we highlighted that Polk State College and Embry Riddle will be the primary education partnerships as the facility enters new heights in Advanced Air Mobility.
Governor DeSantis also awarded up to $5 million through the Florida Department of Transportation's Spaceport Improvement Program to support the design and construction of a rocket motor test stand at Cecil Spaceport. The test stand will serve as a testing facility for large rocket motors and a magnet for the region-ultimately leading other aerospace companies to start or expand their operations at Cecil Spaceport, maximizing the regional workforce and leveraging research intuitions.
Strengthening Florida's Military Communities and Installations
Governor DeSantis also announced more than $3.1 million in awards through the Defense Reinvestment Grant Program and Florida Defense Support Commission Grant Program to support Florida's military communities and military installations.
The Defense Reinvestment Grant Program directly supports community-based activities that protect existing military installations, diversify the economy of a defense-dependent community, or develop plans that facilitate the reuse of closed or realigned military installations, such as developing and implementing strategies that will help communities support the mission of military installations.
Awards through the Defense Reinvestment Grant Program include:
- Bay Defense Alliance Corporation ($125,000) - to leverage talent and community partners to support Bay County military installations through strengthening relationships between military and congressional leaders, monitoring installations and missions to identify opportunities and threats, gathering intelligence on issues impacting installations, and advocating for military installations in the area.
- Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast ($125,000) - to advance infrastructure and resilience priorities that affect Brevard County, Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.
- Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance ($125,000) - to advance the Broward Maritime Defense Readiness and Diversification Initiative by modeling existing and potential maritime-industrial readiness, preparing vendors for defense production and support and matching Florida capabilities to validated defense and dual-use needs.
- LANDWERX, a Division of DEFENSEWERX ($225,000) - to identify, validate, and scale dual-use agricultural technologies that create high-tech jobs, attract private capital, build long-term economic independence, and strengthen national security by increasing food security. The project serves MacDill AFB, Homestead AFB, USSOCOM, CENTCOM, SOCCENT, and SOUTHCOM.
- One Okaloosa ($125,000) - to leverage and connect broad-based community stakeholders, including industry, government, educators, and community leaders, to strengthen regional installations and ranges, enhance the regional STEM industry ecosystem and talent pipeline, and foster defense and non-defense sustainable industrial growth.
- Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners ($250,000) - to advance Phase II of Whiting Aviation Park by completing the data collection, engineering analysis, and design necessary to extend Don Salter Boulevard into the Phase II development area.
- South Florida Tech Hub, Inc. ($125,000) - to deliver a comprehensive pathway for small and medium-sized businesses in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties to access venture capital and successfully compete for defense, prime, and government contracts.
- Training and Simulation Technology Consortium, Inc. ($125,000) - to strengthen Central Florida's position as the nation's leader in defense modeling, simulation, and training by retaining expert advocacy consultants, supporting high-impact strategy development, and enabling targeted engagement with federal decision-makers during 2026-2027.
- University of Florida-IFAS ($150,000) - to increase food security-a core pillar of national security-by mapping the Florida AgTech ecosystem and building an integrated framework that connects Florida is for Veterans Inc., statewide workforce development initiatives, farmers, AgTech companies, startups, manufacturers, venture capitalists, and public agencies to accelerate the creation and adoption of technologies suited to Florida.
- University of South Florida ($125,000) - to provide the University of South Florida with resources needed to advance Tampa Bay's Regional Defense Community Inventory and to preserve and enhance the region's military installations by creating and strengthening relationships supporting the entire military community.
The Florida Defense Support Commission Grant Program provides and administers grant awards to preserve and protect Florida's military installations. The awards assist with economic and workforce development efforts, support military missions, businesses, and families through planning and research, and improve the state's military-friendly environment for servicemembers, their families, and military retirees.
Awards through the Florida Defense Support Commission Grant Program include:
- City of Key West ($275,000) - to conduct a coastal resilience and erosion analysis of the shoreline on the south side of Fleming Key that will support Naval Air Station Key West and the City of Key West.
- City of Pensacola ($82,000) - to provide natural gas supply redundancy for Naval Air Station Pensacola.
- Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast ($150,000) - to conduct a regional public awareness campaign focused on responsible drone use and protection of military missions near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Patrick Space Force Base.
- Okaloosa County ($421,272) - to acquire a 0.56-acre parcel of land to be used as part of a stormwater retention pond for critically needed highway expansion that will ensure better access to Eglin Air Force Base.
- Pensacola-Escambia Promotion & Development Commission ($200,000) - to engage Navy stakeholders, develop project authority agreements, identify prospective tenants, assess military value enhancement opportunities, and create a comprehensive implementation and investment roadmap for Corry Station.
- Polk County ($275,000) - to acquire development rights from landowners willing to convey conservation easements on properties surrounding Avon Park Air Force Range, the largest and most highly utilized air-to-ground range in the Southeastern U.S.
- Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners ($275,000) - for a land and easement acquisition program protecting NAS Whiting Field and its Navy Outlying Fields (NOLFs) from incompatible development.
