Governor announces $6.25 million for Nassau industrial site and $3 million for Bradford CDL training

The governor announced a $6,250,000 award to Nassau County to build a roadway network and site infrastructure for a new industrial and commercial hub, and a separate $3,000,000 award to the Bradford County School District to construct a commercial driver’s license training facility, during an appearance in Nassau County on March 7.

The governor said the Nassau project sits near the U.S. 301 and Interstate 10 interchange and the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad mainline and will support manufacturing, transportation and logistics employers. “The first one is $6,250,000 to Nassau County to construct a roadway network to establish an industrial and commercial site,” the governor said.

Alex Kelly, secretary of commerce, described the two grants as complementary: the Nassau investment creates a site for jobs and companies while the Bradford-funded CDL program supplies trained drivers. “In the state of Florida today, we have about 430,000 Floridians who directly work in manufacturing,” Kelly said, adding that manufacturing and logistics together support broader employment across the state.

Alan, a local presenter for the county, said the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners approved the grant application and provided project details: “The site is expected to accommodate 6,300,000 square feet of industrial and commercial space, creating over 2,300 jobs, 1,200 in the next 10 years,” he said. He also described planned signalization and intersection upgrades at U.S. 90 to provide safe long-term access to the site.

The Bradford award will fund a new CDL training facility to be run through North Florida Technical College and modeled on a program at nearby Camp Blanding. Officials said the new facility will double the program’s enrollment to as many as 60 students per year.

The governor placed the grants in the context of the Job Growth Grant Fund’s cumulative impact, saying the program has awarded about $330 million since 2019 and has helped facilitate an estimated 43,000 jobs and roughly 33,000 workforce-education slots, including CDL training opportunities.

The governor also said he will amend the North Florida rural area of opportunity to include Nassau County, expanding the region to 15 counties; Alex Kelly said the designation provides benefits such as expedited permitting and certain waivers intended to reduce administrative barriers for local projects.

After the announcements, the governor invited local officials forward for a ceremonial check presentation and took several audience questions about regional development and other issues. The governor closed by congratulating partners and noting that state workforce and infrastructure programs are aimed at creating local career paths and attracting employers.

Details and figures cited at the event show some numeric inconsistencies in spoken remarks; the transcript records multiple job estimates for the Nassau site. Where precise numbers are critical for procurement or legal documents, officials said those details will be confirmed in project paperwork and follow-up notices.