Gov. DeSantis awards $9M to fund workforce education programs in areas impacted by Hurricane Ian

DeSantis hopes to focus on funding high-demand fields, such as emergency management

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AVON PARK, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $9 million to state workforce education programs Tuesday in an effort to bolster professions serving those impacted by Hurricane Ian.

The three schools that received funding through the Critical Workforce Needs Grant Program include South Florida State College, serving DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties, St. Petersburg College in Pinellas County, and Daytona State College, serving Flagler and Volusia counties.

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These funds are intended to “support programs that help students graduate and enter careers in emergency management, law enforcement, health care and education,” DeSantis’ office said in a statement.

DeSantis added these in-demand fields are especially important in the wake of disasters like Hurricane Ian.

Over the next 3 years, about 2,000 students are expected to graduate from these programs, the governor’s office said in a news release.

“With today’s announcement, Florida will continue to effectively support these critical workforce pipelines to fill critical positions,” Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. said in a news release. “As we continue to recover from Hurricane Ian, Governor Ron DeSantis is helping to ensure our workforce education meets the modern demands of Florida’s growing economy.”

Funding will be distributed to the following schools:

  • South Florida State College - $2.8 million to support workforce education programs
  • Daytona State College - $2.8 million to support workforce education programs
  • St. Petersburg College - $3.4 million to support workforce education programs and oversee this initiative

This comes after DeSantis and Charlie Crist participated in the only governor debate ahead of the November election.

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