Hello!
Wow! What a great year for the state of Florida and DEO. I am so honored to work at this agency and have the privilege to help Floridians throughout the state, especially those in rural communities impacted by the most recent storms. I want to take the time to reflect and share with you a few of our team’s accomplishments throughout 2019.
First and foremost, our state has had very positive economic indicators throughout 2019. Florida’s labor force continues to grow, and businesses have added 201,700 private-sector jobs over the past year. Our state also continues to exceed the national job growth rate, 2.6% to 1.6%. Florida’s unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in a decade at 3.1%. All of this means Floridians are able to find jobs, provide for their families and continue to support the communities they live in.
Governor DeSantis is focused on continuing to develop Florida’s workforce. Through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, $40 million has been made available to fund job training and public infrastructure projects that support growth and employment. Governor DeSanits directed our agency, along with Enterprise Florida (EFI), to expedite and the review of Job Growth Grant Fund proposals that provide workforce training programs in the financial service industry, with a focus on FinTech skills training. Our Governor has also awarded nearly $7 million in Job Growth Grant Funds in the Panhandle and Central Florida. In 2020, we will continue to make more smart, strategic investments throughout our state.
Rebuild Florida has also been super busy this year. When Governor DeSantis appointed me to serve and the Executive Director at DEO, I made the Office of Disaster Recovery my No. #1 priority. Since then, this program has moved in the right direction, helping Floridians rebuild after the most recent hurricanes. This past May, Rebuild Florida celebrated the completion of the first Hurricane Irma damaged home. To date, Rebuild Florida has received more than 5,800 completed applications, and awarded more than $24 million in hurricane assistance to 741 homeowners. There are nearly 350 homes in the permitting stage and nearly 100 homes are in some phase of construction. We are rebuilding lives one home at a time. See the program update below for more information about Rebuild Florida.
As you all know, Hurricane Michael impacted our state a year ago this past October. Since then, DEO has worked with community leaders throughout the Panhandle gathering information and identifying innovative ways to assist the impacted communities. Because of this partnership, we’ve been able to provide $5 million in Rural Infrastructure Grants, a total of $34 million through the Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program and more than $2.4 million through other various DEO programs to help this area rebuild. In 2020, we look forward to continuing to partner with these communities to rebuild stronger than before.
Developing Florida’s workforce is a priority of Governor DeSantis. He is paving the way and supporting our efforts to continue building a strong, qualified workforce. DEO has worked with our partners to secure nearly $6 million in federal and state funding to continue enhancing workforce training efforts.
DEO is also laser focused on helping Florida communities achieve their economic and resiliency goals through smart, strategic investments. In the last year, DEO has awarded more than $27.3 million in funding for communities across Florida. DEO will continue investing in all Florida communities both large and small through the year 2020.
As we close out 2019, I want you to know how important your community is to DEO. Please continue engaging with the staff at DEO, as well as me. Tell us about the projects your community needs and the vision you have for the future of your community. We value our partnership, and we want to continue growing our state in the years to come. I hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday season. Let’s move into 2020 and continue the momentum!
Sincerely,
Ken
