Suwannee County officials said they will apply for $60 million to $70 million from a state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to build a 125,000-square-foot hardened shelter that would also serve as a sports and events complex for regional use. Jason Furray, assistant county administrator, told a Sept. 1 special meeting that the project would serve coastal and inland communities affected by the 23–24 hurricane season and other storms.

The project would be a regional shelter for roughly 12 counties in North Central Florida and is being pitched as both a disaster shelter and an economic driver for the county, officials said. Furray said the facility would “serve approximately 1,500 occupants” and described it as a hardened, wind- and missile-rated building that could also host basketball and volleyball tournaments, conferences and other “blue skies” events.

Why it matters: County staff said the shelter would reduce the need to use schools as emergency shelters — a practice that delays reopening schools after storms — and would allow pre-storm staging of utility crews and equipment. Crystal Ecker, general counsel and director of administrative services for Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, said the site could be used to house line crews before storms and “it could also possibly be set up as a fueling site” to speed restoration work after an event.

Discussion and local support: The meeting included public comment from business and civic leaders who urged county commissioners to pursue the grant. Marshall Beck, who identified himself as representing the Busy Bee business at the proposed site, urged support based on his experience hosting evacuees after Hurricane Irma: “I actually seen what those folks went through … it just break your heart out there,” he said. Amanda Jackson, president of the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce, and JD Kurls, also speaking on behalf of the Chamber, expressed formal support for the project’s economic and school-related benefits. Frank Davis, identified at the meeting as mayor of Live Oak, said the city supports the proposal.

Funding and status: Furray said the county already has some state funds committed to securing land and beginning engineering work and described a statewide funding pool of about $400,000,000 being distributed to affected counties. He characterized the CDBG application as a large ask — “60 to $70,000,000” — and said the county expects the state funds to be divided among many eligible jurisdictions. Furray also said the proposed shelter is being planned with federal CDBG low- and moderate-income (LMI) requirements in mind: “this grant does have some, some LMI qualifications … we’re planning for 51% of the shelter to be able to serve … the disadvantaged,” he said.

Design and site details: County staff described a roughly 125,000-square-foot facility sited on about 400 acres north of Interstate 10 near U.S. 129 across from the Busy Bee, on a former blueberry farm hilltop. The building would include multiple courts and meeting rooms that could be converted for sheltering needs during storms. Staff characterized the site as a shelter — not an incident command or base-camp facility — intended primarily for congregate sheltering, not tented or distributed logistics operations.

Next steps and public input: Furray said a draft application is available for public review at the county office and invited comments; he set a cutoff for receiving comments at 5 p.m. on Sept. 26 and said staff will finalize and submit the application to the state that week. There were no motions or formal votes taken at the meeting; commissioners heard public comment and directed staff to continue refining the grant application.

Details and limits: County staff and speakers emphasized that the application is one piece of a larger funding strategy and that additional grants or local funding will be necessary to complete the full project as envisioned. Staff also said grant writers from Ovid Solutions are assisting the county on the application.

For further information, the county office will keep a copy of the draft application available for review through the public comment period ending Sept. 26 at 5 p.m.