Florida Gov. DeSantis designates Northeast Okaloosa as Rural Area of Opportunity to boost jobs and investment
Okaloosa County, Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed an Executive Order that formally makes Northeast Okaloosa County a Rural Area of Opportunity (RAO). This new title comes with a lot of economic benefits that are meant to help create jobs and draw in businesses who want to invest in Florida’s rural areas.
The new RAO zone in Okaloosa County includes all of the unincorporated lands east of State Road 85 and north of Interstate 10. This includes the City of Laurel Hill and the rural villages of Auburn, Deerland, and Svea. Okaloosa is now part of a network of Northwest Florida counties that are already getting benefits from the program, including Holmes, Liberty, Jackson, and Wakulla.
“Having this designation will position Okaloosa County for success in further job creation that has already begun with recent endeavors from companies invested in northeast Okaloosa County at Shoal River Industrial Park,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Paul Mixon.
“We have invested in the creation of new and improved infrastructure in this region. We will now be able to leverage that with this recent designation to attract companies that will establish an economic environment that will benefit residents in our area looking for higher wages.”
The Rural Area of Opportunity program offers a variety of tools and rewards to help the economy grow. These include waivers for some state grant criteria, access to rural job tax credits, faster permits, and the ability to ask for regulatory exceptions that could otherwise make it harder to invest. Opportunity Florida is a regional group that aids businesses and local governments in RAO zones. It offers training and helps get the word out about the area to potential investors.
“We now have an additional tool to help attract positive economic development and jobs to Okaloosa County,” said One Okaloosa EDC Executive Director Nathan Sparks. “We appreciate Gov. DeSantis for including us in this designation and look forward to building upon this success.”
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In other RAO counties, success has meant more manufacturing jobs in Wakulla County and new businesses like Busy Bee and Probes Unlimited opening in Holmes County. Local authorities are confident that Okaloosa will now have similar wins, which will generate more jobs and make the economy more stable in the long term.
