Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor, has funded the last $4.8 million installment to expand the Pensacola Airport, including modernizing infrastructure, adding three hangers, a warehouse and offices, the governor reported on Wednesday.
“The Governor, along with county and city leaders support for infrastructure investment will result in over a 1,000 new quality jobs, increasing the demand for a highly skilled workforce in the rapidly growing aviation sector of the local Pensacola community,” said Tom Vecchiolla, President and CEO of ST Engineering North America.
DeSantis funded the upgrade to support his platform of lowering unemployment and is projected to add 1300 new employees. As part of his Florida Job Growth Job Fund, the infrastructure enhancements will include taxiways and ramps that will support additional maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities and other development.
That will “allow the airport to support ST Engineering’s plans to build one of the biggest MRO operations in North America,” DeSantis Said. “I think that this is really going to help drive not only in Escambia, but really throughout the region,” he added.
Other funding pledged for the project includes $15 million each from Escambia County and the City of Pensacola, $66 million from Triumph Gulf Coast and $20 million from the Florida Department of Transportation.
About the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund
The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund is an economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training across the state. Proposals are reviewed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) and chosen by the Governor to meet the demand for workforce or infrastructure needs in the community they are awarded to.
Workforce training projects will provide Floridians with transferable, sustainable workforce skills applicable to more than a single employer, and for equipment associated with these programs.
