Florida

During Fiscal Year 2013, EDA invested $1,462,592 in four projects in the State of Florida.   These projects are expected to create or retain 191 jobs and leverage $13,000,000 in private investment, according to grantee estimates. EDA’s investments help Florida communities achieve bottom-up, locally-defined economic development goals and strategies.  

EDA offers a complementary, balanced portfolio of grant programs designed to help rural and urban communities grow their private sectors and create jobs.  

Investment Spotlight: Investing in Florida’s Aquaculture Cluster

As an effective method of meeting the growing consumer demand for high-quality, environmentally responsible, and competitively priced seafood, aquaculture is a growing and increasingly profitable industry.  By providing opportunities to develop new and innovative value-added seafood products, aquaculture is helping to expand and diversify the marine economy across the globe.  

Recognizing the potential demand for sustainable and organically grown seafood, Florida is working to solidify its position as a world leader in aquaculture.   In August 2013, EDA invested $364,000 to fund the construction of roadway infrastructure that will support growth of the aquaculture cluster near Fellsmere, a rural community on Florida’s east coast.  The cluster includes a commercial-scale, state-of-the-art aquaculture program located in Fellsmere, as well as an adjoining facility that will house a research and development consortium for the industry, that includes the Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Institute, the Florida Institute of Technology, and Texas Tech University.  The critically needed road infrastructure will allow for large commercial vehicles to deliver supplies and ship products to and from aquaculture facilities in the area.   Once fully established, project proponents hope to attract other aquaculture-related businesses and industries to the region.