Wakulla County wins state funds for ladder truck, wastewater dewatering and emergency operations center; manufacturing campus to bring 300 jobs

WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. — County representatives told the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 4 that Wakulla County secured several state appropriations from the 2025 legislative session, including funds for a new aerial ladder fire truck, upgrades at the Otter Creek wastewater treatment plant, and equipment and furnishings for the county’s new emergency operations center. Commissioners were also briefed on a public–private manufacturing project planned for Opportunity Park that officials said would bring about 300 jobs.

Michelle Metcalfe, presenting a post‑session summary, said the county was granted three of five appropriation requests it submitted to the state. She told commissioners Wakulla County was awarded $1,050,000 through the Florida Division of State Fire Marshal toward an aerial ladder truck and $1,000,000 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for improvements to the dewatering process at the Otter Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The county also received $673,000 to outfit the new emergency operations center through the Department of Financial Services, Metcalfe said.

Those awards, Metcalfe said, were part of larger state programs and grant lines that the county targeted during the extended 2025 legislative session.

Jim Spratt of CAS Governmental Services, who represented the county in Tallahassee, provided a session overview and highlighted larger policy items that shaped appropriations. Spratt noted the session ran longer than usual and that the overall state budget adopted for 2025–26 was reduced from the prior year. “We put a budget on the table. We have a balanced budget as we always do. It’s a little less,” Spratt said.

Spratt and Metcalfe also described a public–private partnership announced to construct a 118,000‑square‑foot, two‑building complex in Opportunity Park to fabricate body armor. Metcalfe said the project, led by Point Blank Enterprises with local economic development partners, would bring an estimated 300 jobs. Funding for site preparation, design and construction was described as a package that includes $4.5 million from a rural infrastructure grant and $3.5 million from Florida Job Growth Grant funds; Metcalfe said a total of $21,500,000 in grant funding had been discussed to support the project (a mix of state and other grant sources was described in the presentation).

The board later approved the immediate purchase of a demonstrator Rosenbauer 78‑foot aerial fire truck for $1,218,799. County staff explained the authorized purchase order was needed before the fire marshal’s office would execute the grant agreement; the board approved the purchase 5–0. County staff said the legislative appropriation of $1,050,000 will be applied to the purchase and that 1¢ sales tax and MSBU capital funds will temporarily backfill any timing/delta until legislative funds are received.

Why it matters: the appropriations touch public safety, wastewater operations and economic development. County officials said the new aerial truck will improve coverage for multistory or large commercial structures; the dewatering upgrade is intended to improve sludge processing at Otter Creek; and the Opportunity Park investment is intended to expand local manufacturing and jobs.

What commissioners asked and next steps: Commissioners thanked legislative partners and staff for securing the funds. Staff told the board they will follow up with contract and procurement steps for the truck purchase and with grant‑acceptance paperwork for the other awards. The Point Blank facility remains dependent on final grant agreements and private project development milestones, and staff said design and construction funding sources and schedules will be tracked and reported to the board.

Speakers quoted in this report spoke during the legislative session summary and related agenda items at the Aug. 4 commission meeting.