Development Group outlines multiple projects: Safe Gauge, Aloha, Debut, Culver’s and downtown initiatives

Representatives of the Development Group/Industrial Development Authority provided a comprehensive update to the Hardee County Board of County Commissioners on April 3, describing completed projects, projects under construction and planning work to market the Commerce Park.

The Development Group said Aloha Medical, a nonemergency medical transport company, completed a roughly 13,000‑square‑foot facility in the Commerce Park and will hold a ribbon cutting on May 7; staff reported Aloha has already generated local wages, lease payments and purchases from local businesses while operating in temporary space.

The group said Debut Development — a fill/packaging manufacturer — has outgrown its current location and has broken ground on a new building in the Commerce Park’s newly platted section (slab poured; metal structure erection to begin). Debut’s new facility will enable growth and expanded client work, staff said.

A major announcement concerned Safe Gauge American Manufacturing, described as a medical‑glove manufacturer that will locate in Hardee County with state support. Development Group staff said the company has committed to a minimum of 184 jobs and a minimum of $10 million in local capital investment as part of its agreement under a Florida Job Growth Grant Fund award; the state and county will partner on construction of a facility the company will occupy. The development group said the state awarded grant funding after a competitive process and that kickoff meetings for Safe Gauge construction were scheduled the week after the workshop.

Representatives also discussed food‑service recruitment: Culver’s plans to locate in Hardee County, the development group said, with a property closing scheduled for November to allow Debut to finish its new building before Culver’s takes the site. The group noted associated infrastructure (Hogan Street extension) is tied to a rural infrastructure grant the city secured.

Downtown projects discussed included the Riveter block (a multi‑building renovation the Development Group owns and where one building’s south wall was found structurally unsound after window removal). Staff said the south wall will be rebuilt under a DOT permit and scaffolding will be erected; they also said they are evaluating relocating the Riveter manufacturing operation to a more suitable space to improve operating efficiency while preserving the development group’s investment in downtown property. The group described work on the Rife Hardware building (122 West Main), interior design work and subsequent construction phases intended to produce a downtown restaurant, and the Gardens at Midtown and associated city parking-lot project to support future townhomes and downtown housing.

Staff described broader strategic initiatives: pursuing a national “ready site” designation for the Commerce Park to improve marketability, an inland‑port feasibility study (Kimley Horn contract) to evaluate logistics opportunities, and efforts to coordinate workforce development with South Florida State College and local schools. The group reported ongoing marketing metrics and key performance indicators for digital outreach.

Commissioners asked about lease‑purchase arrangements for Development Group buildings (staff said agreements typically are lease‑purchase with a 10‑year term, 7% of gross investment used in lease calculations, and options to purchase that are appraised at exercise). Commissioners also discussed code enforcement (shipping containers at Debut’s current site) and the possibility of adaptive reuse/teardown options for the old hospital property; staff said a private developer is evaluating residential reuse and the development group is assessing options that could include demolition or private redevelopment.

The presentation emphasized that the development group is pursuing projects across manufacturing, logistics, downtown revitalization and housing, and that many efforts use grants and public–private partnerships to minimize direct county subsidy.