Governor DeSantis announced the state will award $23.5 million to three West‑Central Florida communities to repair storm‑damaged infrastructure and strengthen long‑term resilience. At a Crystal River event, the governor said the funds come from the Job Growth Grant Fund and the Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery program and will be split as follows: $16,400,000 to Citrus County to replace an outdated sanitary sewer system damaged during 2023–2024 storms; $5,600,000 to the City of Newberry for roadway and water infrastructure serving the F300 Ag Food Tech Innovation Park; and $1,500,000 to Levy County for critical water infrastructure serving Chiefland and nearby rural communities including Horseshoe Beach and Cedar Key.

"Today, we are gonna award, 23 and a half million dollars to 3 of our communities," the governor said, announcing the awards and urging local leaders to use the funds to improve economic opportunity and storm resilience. Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly, who accompanied the governor, described the projects as investments in ‘‘infrastructure readiness’’ that support workforce development and sustainable job creation.

The governor said the Job Growth Grant Fund program opened July 1, 2025, and received more than $1,900,000,000 in requests against approximately $400,000,000 available, underscoring high demand for state project funding. He framed the awards as targeted investments where funds go farther in smaller, rural communities and as a tool to help areas recover from multiple storms that struck in a short period.

Local officials on stage included Citrus County and Levy County commissioners, Sheriff David Vincent, Newberry Mayor Tim Martin and Crystal River Mayor Joe Meek. The governor paused for photos with local leaders after announcing the checks. Alex Kelly thanked local partners and singled out University of Florida IFAS and other regional development partners for their role in preparing competitive proposals.

The governor tied the awards to broader economic priorities — including accelerating transportation projects and promoting job training — and urged officials to implement the projects to protect homes and support business growth. The event also included remarks from a local business owner and an ag‑tech developer that underscored workforce and community impacts.

Next steps: the governor presented the awards publicly at the event; project implementation and specific timelines for construction and contract notices were not provided at the announcement and were described as the responsibility of local officials and state Commerce to coordinate.