Sen. Corey Simon's 'Rural Renaissance' bill is heading to the Senate floor
A bill to help grow rural communities is heading to the Senate floor. The measure, SB 110, which has been dubbed the 'Rural Renaissance' bill, cleared its final committee on Thursday but first, it underwent a few changes to increase funding.
Sen. Corey Simon, a Tallahassee Republican, is behind the measure.
"This bill does the following: diversify our view of what economic development looks like in rural Florida," said Simon.
Simon is asking the Florida Legislature for nearly $200 million for rural development and creating grant programs to ensure people from smaller counties have access to health care, education, and housing.
The bill, which is a priority of Senate President Ben Albritton was cleared by one committee earlier this month. A Senate Fiscal Policy panel took up the amended version Thursday morning.
The changes, Simon said, would increase state funding for critical access hospitals to the tune of $6.5 million.
“I don’t want North Florida to look like anywhere else but North Florida,” Simon said. “That’s why this bill is so special and so well-crafted to suit the needs of those communities.”
Simon also amended the bill to grow rural Florida’s economy. It now requires VISIT FLORIDA to provide "marketing assistance to agritourism businesses," while adding a teacher recruitment program that offers different initiatives to recruit educators to rural counties.
Simon said this and more will be done primarily through a new state department focused solely on smaller communities.
He calls it the 'Office of Rural Prosperity.'
“It will be led by our local governments," explained Simon. "That’s the way it should be when we start talking about these communities that we’re trying to operate in and trying to grow smartly.”
A few local officials attended Thursday’s bill hearing. Chris Doolin, a lobbyist for the Small County Coalition, praised Simon for his bill and the changes made. He said smaller counties can focus more on building up their schools and more.
“This is the most comprehensive piece of legislation that addresses multiple needs exhibited in rural areas," said Doolin.
The bill now heads to the Senate floor.
Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.
Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.