A regional airport in the Sunshine State has received nearly $2 million to upgrade its stormwater drainage systems and the local economy in the process, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced recently.
The DOC’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a $1.8 million grant to the Sebring Airport Authority in Sebring, Fla., the DOC announced Nov 1. The grant funds will be used to improve stormwater drainage at Sebring Regional Airport's Multimodal Logistics Center, according to the announcement.
In addition to improving drainage at the airport, the EDA investment, which will be matched with $457,552 in local funding, "is expected to create 214 jobs, retain 345 jobs, and generate $36 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates," the agency states in the announcement.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo said in the announcement that the EDA “is pleased to support the Sebring Airport Authority in its efforts to create new business opportunities. This investment will broaden and grow the local economy, while building economic resiliency in the region for decades to come.”
The EDA reports the Central Florida Regional Planning Council (CFRPC) oversaw the regional planning efforts that developed the project. CFRPC uses EDA funding to develop partnerships between the public and private sectors that strengthen the local economy with economic development projects that create jobs and support private capital investment, according to the report.
“President Biden is committed to supporting communities across the country as they work to grow their local economies,” Sec. of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in the statement. “This EDA investment will provide the infrastructure to facilitate expansion of the region’s aviation sector and create new economic opportunity and jobs for local citizens.”
