YULEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced more than $9 million in new state funding for rural economic development and workforce training during a stop in Nassau County, framing the awards as part of his push to expand blue-collar job opportunities and infrastructure in Northeast Florida.
Speaking in Yulee alongside Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly and local officials, DeSantis said the state will direct $6.25 million from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to Nassau County to build a new roadway network and industrial park near the U.S. 301–Interstate 10 interchange, along U.S. 90 and the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad mainline. The site is envisioned as a logistics and manufacturing hub and is expected to create about 1,250 direct jobs, with local officials projecting room for up to 6.3 million square feet of industrial and commercial space and more than 2,300 jobs over time.
DeSantis also announced a $3 million award to the Bradford County School District to construct a new commercial driver’s license training facility operated through North Florida Technical College. The project is designed to mirror an existing CDL program at nearby Camp Blanding and would allow enrollment to double to about 60 students per year as the state tries to replenish an aging truck driver workforce.
“The logistics is very important. We’re a big logistics state,” DeSantis said, noting that entry-level long-haul drivers can earn six-figure salaries. He said expanding CDL training has been a priority of his administration and argued that Florida is now among the top states for producing new commercial drivers.
Watch the entire news conference below:
The governor cast the awards as part of a broader strategy to elevate workforce education and attract industry without relying solely on traditional four-year degrees. He touted Florida’s designation as No. 1 in the nation for workforce education several years ahead of a 2030 goal he set when he took office, and criticized what he described as “worthless degrees” from expensive universities that leave graduates in debt.
“We want people to know there’s other pathways where you can be successful — and really seriously successful,” DeSantis said, pointing to trades such as air-conditioning repair, electrical work and aviation maintenance that can lead to high-wage jobs or small business ownership.
Since 2019, Florida has awarded nearly $330 million through the Job Growth Grant Fund, which DeSantis said has helped facilitate about 43,000 jobs and 33,000 new workforce training slots statewide. Kelly said roughly 430,000 Floridians work directly in manufacturing and support an additional 2.8 million jobs tied to shipping, logistics, sales and marketing of goods made in the state.
Local officials in Nassau County said the new four-lane roadway and related improvements at U.S. 90 will provide the infrastructure foundation for long-term growth near the rural interchange.
“This project represents a strong partnership between public and private sectors,” a Nassau County representative said, calling the announcement “monumental” and saying the new jobs will provide “meaningful career paths for our residents.”
DeSantis said the state will also amend the North Florida Rural Area of Opportunity designation to add Nassau County, a status that Kelly said gives rural communities access to expedited permitting and flexibility on local matching requirements for grants. About 30 rural counties and several small cities benefit from the designation, which Kelly said is worth “tens of millions of dollars annually” in value for each participating area.
DeSantis, who frequently highlights population and business migration to Florida, said rural awards often deliver more visible impact than similar spending in large metro areas, arguing that “the money goes farther” and is more deeply appreciated in small communities.
Noting that some relocating firms primarily import high-paid workers rather than hiring locally, DeSantis said the state seeks projects that build a workforce pipeline and create jobs for residents in communities like Nassau and Bradford counties.
“We don’t run these businesses as state government,” he said. “But [our role is] to create the necessary infrastructure so that these things can come to fruition.”
DeSantis closed by promising to return to the region to announce a hoped-for expansion of the Atlantic red snapper recreational fishing season, echoing his frequent focus on fishing and tourism in Northeast Florida, where he praised Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island as examples of the area’s appeal.
“We’ve got more that we’ll be doing throughout the rest of the year to really bring it full circle,” he said.