$682,000 in Duke Energy grants will provide economic boost to 35 Florida communities
Photo courtesy of Duke Energy.
“By investing in the people, places and businesses that strengthen and uplift our communities, we are creating opportunities for years to come,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “Together with our state, regional and local economic development agencies, we will continue to power lives and fuel Florida's growth.”
The economic development grants are designed to help local organizations increase awareness of a community or region’s economic development strategies and product availability.
This year’s funding will allow the University of Florida (UF Innovate|Accelerate) to identify and vet promising biotechnology businesses seeking to scale, with potential to relocate in the city of Gainesville and city of Alachua area.
“UF Innovate and Duke Energy have a shared commitment to the communities we serve,” said Karl LaPan, director of UF Innovate|Accelerate. “Duke Energy’s support will allow us to provide access to the tools, expertise and resources necessary for high-performance companies to reach their goals, create jobs and build a more thriving entrepreneurial community.”
Another Duke Energy grant will allow the Florida Economic Development Council Foundation to formulate curriculum and program delivery for a year-round professional development program for individuals and organizations.
“Florida’s economy continues to grow and expand,” said Beth Cicchetti, executive director of the Florida Economic Development Council Foundation. “We are grateful for Duke Energy’s continued support in helping the Florida Economic Development Council continue its strong support of business and economic development professionals throughout the state and improve the economic well-being for all Floridians.”
Complete list: 2023 Economic Development Grants, Florida:
Central Florida Development Council - Polk County, Florida
$25,000 - County Asset Overview Video
Funds will assist the council in updating one of its most utilized digital assets, the overview video, which will showcase the diverse and innovative community, quality employers offering high-paying careers and education institutions preparing high-skill talent.
Citrus County Board of County Commissioners - Citrus County, Florida
$10,000 - Citrus County Airports Financial Analysis and Planning Study
Funds will support the BOCC in securing a consultant to analyze the two county-owned airports and provide recommendations on profitability, operations and growth potential.
City of Alachua - Alachua County, Florida
$25,000 – Downtown Partnership with Downtown Strategies
Funds will support a collaboration with downtown strategies to develop a customized market-driven and asset-based five-year strategic vision.
City of Clearwater - Pinellas County, Florida
$25,000 – Property Redevelopment Opportunity Program (PROP)
Funds will support the city in identifying and taking an inventory of sites throughout the city of Clearwater, with the capacity to support target industry office/industrial development.
City of Eustis - Lake County, Florida
$20,000 – Walking out of the Shadows into the Light
Funds will support the city in developing a marketing plan for the city to achieve economic development goals and sustain future growth.
City of Madison - Madison County, Florida
$25,000 – Downtown Partnership with Downtown Strategies
Funds will support the city in developing a customized market-driven and asset-based five-year strategic vision.
City of Pinellas Park - Pinellas County, Florida
$5,000 – Economic Development Marketing and Education
Funds will support the promotion of initiatives and economic growth through advertising in Trade & Industry Development Magazine.
Florida Economic Development Council Foundation - Statewide
$25,000 – FEDC Certificate of Excellence in Economic Development Professional Advancement
Funds will support the council’s efforts to formulate curriculum and program delivery for a year-round professional development program for individuals and organizations.
Florida High Tech Corridor - Statewide
$25,000 – Expanding the Impact of The Corridor’s Research and Innovation Support Programs for Florida Companies
Funds will help attract new participants and referral sources by providing information about The Corridor and how its programs help maximize business success for Florida companies.
Florida's Great Northwest - Gulf County & Franklin County, Florida
$25,000 – Go Beyond Our Beaches
Funds will support the extension of the "Go Beyond Our Beaches" marketing and education campaign, which will lead to deeper brand awareness about Northwest Florida as a top location for business.
Foundation for Orlando's Future - Orange County, Seminole County & Osceola County, Florida
$15,000 – Property and Community Database
Funds will support the continued operation of the Partnership's Property and Community Database, properties.orlando.org, a GIS mapping solution that overlays community data layers with available commercial properties and offers custom Esri reports free to users.
Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce - Alachua County, Florida
$25,000 – Immersive Gainesville
Funds will support the building of an “Immersive Gainesville” experience that will include both a Virtual Reality tour of our region and a helicopter tour for visiting industry-targeted site selectors for the 2023 Alachua County Showcase.
Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp. - Pinellas County, Florida
$25,000 – Website Development and Design
Funds will support an update to its website with new research-based messaging and data, as well as current design and technology.
GrowFL Inc. - Statewide
$25,000 – 13th Annual GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch
Funds will support GrowFL’s signature annual event (Florida Companies to Watch), which is dedicated to honoring top 50 second-stage companies for their dedication, determination and true grit in facing the adversities of growing a business from scratch.
Haines City Economic Development Council - Polk County, Florida
$25,000 – Marketing Grant
Funds will help market the city’s assets, such as the Haines City Rail Center and the Duke Energy Site Readiness Sites, as the marketing engine for the City of Haines City.
Hernando County Office of Economic Development & Brooksville – Tampa Bay Regional Airport & Technology Center - Hernando County, Florida
$20,000 – Aviation Marketing Trade Show Program
Funds will help promote the Brooksville – Tampa Bay Regional Airport & Technology Center (BKV) sites, including a 285-acre parcel that has been through the Duke Energy Site Readiness Process through the Aviation Marketing Trade Show.
Highlands County Board of County Commissioners - Highlands County, Florida
$25,000 – HCED 2023-2024 Recruitment Plan
Funds will help promote site ready sites for development through marketing and recruitment at tradeshows and conferences.
Lake Economic Area Development - Lake County, Florida
$8,000 – Uniting Lake
Funds will help establish four separate industry counsels in Lake County: manufacturing, development and construction, agribusiness and health care.
Nature Coast Business Development Council - Levy County, Florida
$25,000 – Bronson Site Marketing
Funds will support the marketing of the 170-acre Bronson Site for development of an industrial park.
Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership - Marion County, Florida
$25,000 – Strategic Planning/Targeted Industry Outreach
Funds will support the completion of a Phase 2 assessment of the health care ecosystem for business development purposes.
Opportunity Florida - Franklin County, Gulf County & Wakulla County, Florida
$22,000 – Best Practices FAM Tour
Funds will help Opportunity Florida collaborate, learn and view best practices used in South Carolina to attract and retain manufacturing and distribution businesses in rural communities.
Pasco Economic Development Council - Pasco County, Florida
$15,000 – Talent Attraction Campaign
Funds will help the council utilize detailed research and data to create a digital marketing campaign with a variety of tools to reach our target audiences.
Pinellas Park Chamber of Commerce - Pinellas County, Florida
$5,000 – 2nd Annual Manufacturing Summit
Funds will help the chamber in hosting a summit to promote the use, education, awareness, and importance of manufactures within the city and surrounding cities.
Seminole County, Florida
$15,000 – 2023 Marketing and Conference Strategy
Funds will support the county’s strategic marketing efforts and conference sponsorships/attendance aimed at fostering local economic growth and community development.
St. Petersburg Innovation District - Pinellas County, Florida
$10,000 - Technology and Innovation Ecosystem Road Map
Funds will help the district create a road map to explain and market the technology and innovation ecosystem of Tampa Bay.
StarterStudio FL, Inc.- Statewide
$25,000 – Website Redesign & Rebuild
Funds will help complete an overhaul of StarterStudio’s website to support increased success rates for tech startups and positive impact to regional economic development.
StartGNV - Alachua County, Florida
$5,000 – Website and Marketing Materials
Funds will help create a new website and various communication deliverables that will allow us to communicate our mission and vision, and most importantly, to be a resource to help startups start, grow and thrive in Alachua County.
Sumter County Economic Development - Sumter County, Florida
$7,000 – Strategic/Marketing Plans
Funds will help the county perform a fire flow analysis and technical certification report at the Duke Energy-Certified Site Ready Pike 75 Industrial Park.
Suwannee County Economic Development - Suwannee County, Florida
$25,000 – Retail Recruitment Partnership with Retail Strategies
Funds will support the county in collaborating with Retail Strategies, LLC to create and implement a tailored retail recruitment strategy.
Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation - Volusia County, Florida
$25,000 – Team Volusia EDC Three-Year Strategic Plan
Funds will support the development of a new three-year strategic plan to guide the organization forward into the 2024-2026 time period.
Town of Cross City - Dixie County, Florida
$25,000 – Retail Recruitment Partnership with Retail Strategies
Funds will help the city collaborate with Retail Strategies, LLC to create and implement a tailored retail recruitment strategy.
University of Florida (UF Innovate) - Alachua County, Florida
$25,000 – Biotechnology Business Assistance
Funds will help identify and vet promising biotechnology businesses seeking to scale, with potential to relocate in the city of Gainesville and city of Alachua area.
Volusia County Division of Economic Development (VCED) - Volusia County, Florida
$10,000 – Volusia Business Resources/Funding Resource
Funds will provide a Self-Readiness Business Assessment program to elevate the business owner’s understanding of funding institution needs, prepare them in advance of the application process and offer tools to circumvent any concerns or information gaps.
Winter Haven Economic Development Council, Inc. - Polk County & Madison County, Florida
$15,000 – Entrepreneur & Small Business Accelerator
Funds will help provide a Self-Readiness Business Assessment program to elevate the business owner’s understanding of funding institution needs, prepare them in advance of the application process and offer tools to circumvent any concerns or information gaps.
Madison County, Florida
$25,000 – Retail Recruitment Partnership with Retail Strategies
Funds will help the county collaborate with Retail Strategies, LLC to create and implement a tailored retail recruitment strategy.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.