Florida Senate President Ben Albritton unveiled a much-anticipated priority package Wednesday ahead of next month’s legislative session.
The proposal (SB 110) calls for a “rural renaissance” in Florida by appropriating $197 million and redirecting $97 million in previously allocated money to help the state’s more sparsely populated areas. It is focused on creating “opportunities for rural communities to expand education offerings, increase health care services, and modernize commerce,” according to a news release announcing the bill's filing.
While Florida has experienced economic and population booms in recent years, some rural areas have fallen behind. The poverty rate in rural Florida is 20%, compared with 13% in urban areas, according to American Community Survey data. All eight Florida counties that shrunk in population over the past 10 years are rural.
Albritton, whose represents Wauchula and other rural areas, pledged since becoming Senate president last year to focus on helping Florida’s rural areas. He said this package is focused on improving infrastructure so those communities can thrive.
“Florida’s legacy rural communities offer a time-honored way of life worth preserving in modern Florida. Our rural communities are full of opportunity, but that doesn’t mean traditional development. We can create a rural renaissance by modernizing some of our longstanding economic development programs with a focus on infrastructure, not incentives,” he said.
State Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, is sponsoring the package as it makes its way through the Legislature, which begins its annual session March 4.
Simon's district includes 12 rural counties in the Panhandle and Big Bend region. He said the package will help hundreds of small communities across Florida.
“We are combining enhancements to the traditional infrastructure for schools and hospitals with innovations that expand and strengthen access. We know commerce and capital are attracted to strong transportation infrastructure and robust public services, which will provide the chance for rural communities to prosper and grow as they see fit,” he said.
The proposal allocates $110 million for improving rural roads. About $48 million would go to protecting and developing affordable housing. Over $80 million would go to improving access to medical resources.
The bill also creates the Office of Rural Prosperity within the state Department of Commerce. That office would help rural governments with accessing state and federal resources.
It is typical for the heads of state House and Senate to champion an expensive and intricate legislative package every year. The filing of the bill is the first step in a long process that will include passing committees, a vote in both chambers and a governor's veto.
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