Amanda Bishop
NCR Editor & Publisher
A new $6.25 million roadway network will further establish an industrial and commercial site in western Nassau, with the county also designated as part of the North Central Florida Rural Area of Opportunity.
Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the James S. Page Governmental Complex in Yulee March 5 to announce the Florida Job Growth Grant designation.
“When I came in as governor, we said we’re going to be No. 1 in workforce education by 2030. This was 2019 and we were in the bottom half of the states,” DeSantis said.
He added that while he was proud of the performance of the state’s colleges and universities, which are among the lowest in tuition rates, other states were lacking.
“A lot of these colleges, they’re charging an arm and a leg, and they’re producing squat. Worthless degrees that some of these kids have been getting for decades now with debt accumulating,” DeSantis said. “And it’s like look, if that’s really what you want to do, I mean if that’s something that you just would not want to do workforce, OK, we’re not going to force anyone to do it, but we want people to know there’s other pathways where you can be successful.”
He proudly promotes high school workforce programs and apprenticeships, with the goal to be No. 1 in workforce education achieved in 2025.
“It used to be, if you go back to like the ’40s and ’50s, the average person could fix cars. They could fix air conditioning … but in the younger generations, those skills have evaporated. If you have those skills, in Florida you’re going to always be hired to fix people’s air conditioning,” DeSantis said.
Electrical and aviation programs are also vital. High school aviation programs can lead Florida graduates to jobs with SpaceX and other entities. Opportunities to become an entrepreneur are also abundant through participation in these programs.
With a growth in the workforce job training comes need for infrastructure to support those types of businesses, expanding the state’s industry and manufacturing companies.
“We’ve added 30,000 – 40,000 – 50,000 manufacturing jobs since I’ve been governor,” DeSantis shared. “That’s not happening in many other states right now unfortunately. I think we have potential to do a lot more. The education plays into it because if people are being trained in those skills, then businesses know they’re going to have a pipeline of folks, and so Florida makes a lot of sense.”
Areas all throughout the state have worked to create “footprints” to attract businesses, DeSantis said.
Nassau County is among those areas, with the goal of creating more jobs for local residents. He recognizes the need to create infrastructure to bring the businesses to Nassau.
DeSantis presented the $6,250,000 from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund for a road network to be constructed at the Nassau County SW Industrial Park.
The 1,200-acre property was rezoned by the Nassau County Commission in 2024 and is shown on the Nassau County Economic Development website as an available site for light industrial and manufacturing ventures. The industrial park is within close proximity to U.S. 301 and U.S. 90, as well as the railroad with connections in Baldwin and Pensacola.
“The new site will be an ideal hub for businesses across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and is expected to create 1,250 direct jobs at the Nassau County site,” DeSantis said.
He joined Nassau with 14 other counties within the North Central Florida Rural Area of Opportunity. This connection opens Nassau up to more resources and connections to economic opportunities.