DeSantis Awards City of Marathon $1.3 Million Through Job Growth Grant Fund

'It's going to benefit residents, it's going to benefit tourism, and improve traffic flow to properties others can invest in'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks in a neighborhood impacted by Hurricane Ian at Fisherman's Wharf in Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2022. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

During an Oct. 28 press conference on Crawl Key in Marathon, Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his award of $1.3 million for infrastructure improvements to U.S. Highway 1. Funding for the Marathon project will support widening U.S. 1, adding a turn lane, and installing utility infrastructure that will include nearly a mile of new sewer lines. It will also add improvements to increase the overall wastewater capacity of the Marathon system.

According to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) website, the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund is “an economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training across the state.” Applications are reviewed by the DEO and Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI). The governor chooses projects based on workforce training or infrastructure needs of that community.

Traffic flows on the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Fla., on Sept. 19, 2017. Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via Getty Images

According to DOE Secretary Dane Eagle, local governments send requests for infrastructure projects. The DOE then considers the request based on how much money is in the fund; how much money they want, and how that money will benefit the community. How many jobs will it create? Are they kicking in their own money? Then, they brief the governor on all the details.

“The governor makes the final decision,” Eagle told The Epoch Times.

Following the announcement by DeSantis, Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris revealed plans to build a new fishing resort in Marathon.

“Florida is the fishing capital of the world and we are proud to be chosen by Bass Pro for their first-of-its-kind resort that will be a world-class attraction,” DeSantis said, calling Bass Pro’s promotion of sport fishing and the conservation of natural resources “a natural fit for the Florida Keys.”

The project will create an estimated 500 new jobs, generate workforce housing, and fuel economic growth in the area.

“It’s going to benefit residents, it’s going to benefit tourism, and it will improve traffic flow to properties others can invest in,” he said. “We think it’s a win-win.”

According to Eagle, the widening of U.S. 1 alone “will be huge for the Keys.”

“If you’ve ever driven up or down U.S. 1 through Marathon, especially on the weekend, it’s bumper-to-bumper,” Eagle noted, adding that residents cheered the news when the project was announced.

As Eagle explained, the Job Growth Grant Fund was created in 2017 when he was part of the Florida legislature. Then-Gov. Rick Scott and the legislature wanted to “do away with the idea of handing multimillion-dollar cash incentives to corporations to lure them to Florida.”

Now, rather than handing a check to a corporation that wants to come to Florida, Eagle said they “hand the check to the community to benefit everybody equally.”

Florida’s DEO and EFI are currently accepting proposals until all funding has been awarded. For more information, visit www.FloridaJobs.org/JobGrowth.