OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
11:49 AM – Friday, December 19, 2025
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced $311 million in awards allotted to improve infrastructure in 37 Sunshine State communities, including 32 awards to rural counties and small cities.
These grant awards aim to improve critical infrastructure needs ranging from utility and transportation improvements, to emergency operations resources, including critical water infrastructure investments, the Florida governor noted.
“Today in Highlands County, I was proud to announce $311 million in grant awards to improve infrastructure in 37 communities across Florida impacted by the major storms of 2023 and 2024—Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene, Milton and the North Florida Tornadoes,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “These infrastructure projects will help make Florida more prosperous, more resilient, and better prepared to weather any storms that may come our way.”
“These awards directly support job creation by providing communities with the critical infrastructure to embolden their vision for resiliency and business formation,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “Whether it’s upgrading utilities, developing pad ready manufacturing sites, or improving essential services, these projects help small and rural communities attract job creators, bolster their workforce and build a thriving economic future.”
According to the announcements, these awards come from funding through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Infrastructure Repair Program, which “assists communities commonly affected by deadly hurricanes and tornadoes,” as well as funding from the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF).
These communities will receive funds through the 2023 and 2024 Storms Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Infrastructure Repair Program:
- Bradford County Board of County Commissioners ($5,951,403) – to strengthen the road structure through additional base material and pavement, while restoring roadside swales via regrading and erosion control measures.
- Citrus County Board of County Commissioners ($16,435,400) – to fund the overhaul of the sanitary sewer infrastructure after stormwater infiltration and higher flows from the 2023 and 2024 storms. These improvements will increase system capacity, ease existing growth limitations, and promote economic expansion.
- City of Arcadia
- $14,233,044 – to expand the primary stormwater channel within the city, creating greater storage capacity for heavy rainfall events. $8,514,000 – to build and enlarge the wastewater treatment facility.
- City of Live Oak ($3,895,500) – to build a 100,000-gallon elevated water storage tank and complete a water distribution line looping initiative.
- City of Macclenny ($7,028,700) – to reinforce and update the Ohio Street Water Treatment Plant through modernized equipment and software enhancements
- City of Palatka ($4,932,396) – to resiliently upgrade and boost the wastewater treatment plant’s capacity to better manage increased flows during extreme weather.
- City of Wauchula ($2,386,500) – to facilitate repairs, rehabilitation, and flood mitigation improvements to the wastewater infrastructure.
- Columbia County Board of County Commissioners ($4,000,000) – to enhance and fortify emergency shelters throughout Columbia County.
- DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners ($8,000,000) – to install wells and pumping equipment linking the wastewater treatment plant to deep disposal wells, enabling a safer underground method for effluent discharge.
- Hardee County Board of County Commissioners ($1,900,000) – to clear accumulated vegetative debris from the Peace River waterway channels.
- Jacksonville Electric Authority ($20,000,000) – to reroute all wastewater discharges to JEA’s established and dependable treatment plant.
- Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners ($2,720,000) – to repair, maintain, and strengthen five key county bridges.
- Peace River Watershed Project ($70,000,000) – to advance water infrastructure restoration in Polk County, enhancing resilience against flooding and improving water quality via ecosystem rehabilitation.
- Santa Fe College ($5,000,000) – to restore and improve the campus gymnasium after major roof damage sustained in the 2023 and 2024 storms.
- Sebring Airport Authority ($3,044,630) – to remove and rebuild the stormwater management system and related components at Sebring Regional Airport and Multimodal Logistics Center.
- Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners ($38,044,115) – to develop the North Florida Regional Special Needs Emergency Shelter.
- Town of Glen St. Mary ($1,339,500) – to reinforce the wastewater collection network by adding permanent backup generators at sewer lift stations.
- Town of St. Lucie Village ($12,124,812) – to establish a durable, centralized drinking water distribution system for community use.Union County Board of County Commissioners ($1,401,750) – to build a resilient public safety communications tower and modernize the county’s emergency dispatch operations.
- Village of Indiantown
- $9,300,000 – to develop a new Reverse Osmosis water treatment facility, phasing out obsolete equipment.
- $7,900,000 – to renew 13,000 linear feet of the primary water transmission line serving the Village.
- The following communities will receive aid under Hurricane Ian and the 2023 and 2024 Storms Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-DR) Infrastructure Repair Program:
- City of Avon Park ($22,248,529) – to inspect, assess, repair, line, or reconstruct components of the City’s Sanitary Sewer Collection System infrastructure.
- Immokalee Water and Sewer District ($10,823,000) – to upgrade the current wastewater treatment facility, correct hydraulic issues, improve operational dependability, and adding extra capacity to handle high-volume inflows during severe weather events.
- Town of Dundee
- $6,008,781 – to reinforce the town’s sanitary sewer collection network and add monitoring systems at the wastewater treatment plant.
- $10,257,429 – to restore storm-related damage and strengthen the town’s drinking water infrastructure.
The Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF) was created to improve infrastructure initiatives that promote job growth, attract private investment, and bolster economic resilience in “Rural Areas of Opportunity,” rural counties and rural communities.
$17 million has been allocated by the Florida Legislature to the statewide RIF program, and an additional $5 million to the Panhandle-specific program, totaling $22 million.
Florida Commerce had received a record breaking 112 applications requesting over $195 million in funding. Ever since its creation in 2019, the program has distributed more than $110 million in grants.
These communities will receive funds through the Rural Infrastructure Fund Program:
- City of Frostproof ($238,991) – to prolong an existing water main line, including the design of a 12-inch looping system to enable future connections to the planned Duke Readiness Center site.
- City of Lake City ($1,788,415) – to rebuild a hangar at Lake City Gateway Airport that suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Idalia.
- City of Okeechobee ($1,200,000) – to advance a public infrastructure improvement project that supports expansion at an established industrial park, including repaving two key roads providing entry to the Okeechobee Commerce Center.
- City of Wauchula ($510,000) – to upgrade the current water distribution network by adding about 7,100 linear feet of water main, improving fire suppression capabilities along Townsend Street up to U.S. Highway 17.
- Columbia County Board of County Commissioners ($2,000,000) – to develop inbound and outbound rail tracks to serve the North Florida Mega Industrial Park.
- Hardee County ($250,000) – to construct a dewatering system aimed at lowering ongoing disposal expenses.
- Hardee County Industrial Development Authority ($226,250) – to proceed with centralized parking development, incorporating the underground relocation of electrical utilities.
- Keystone Heights Airport Authority ($2,950,450) – to extend Runway 2 through new construction.
- Okeechobee Utility Authority ($1,000,000) – to add piping and associated water mains linking to previously installed water system components.
- Putnam County Board of County Commissioners ($3,000,000) – to build and activate essential public infrastructure at the Central Landfill in Putnam County.
- Town of Zolfo Springs ($300,000) – to perform a thorough Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Survey to pinpoint sources of infiltration and inflow, while tackling issues related to power disruptions, lift station malfunctions, and deteriorating infrastructure.
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