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CRA director highlights $1.2 million in new grants, Deering Park innovation project and workforce initiatives
Summary
Samantha Bergeron, CRA and economic development director, reported $1,200,000 in new grants, $315,000 closed out, facade grant activity, Brownfields work, and the Deering Park Innovation Center zoning approval; she outlined workforce, partnerships and upcoming business events.
Samantha Bergeron, the city's CRA and economic development director, presented a year-in-review that the city described as focusing on "investing in people, places, and progress." Bergeron told the commission the CRA secured $1,200,000 in new grants this year and closed out $315,000, citing facade grant programs, a CDBG-funded Mary Tot Lot project, Brownfields remediation efforts and capital improvements in the adopted budget.
Bergeron highlighted the Deering Park Innovation Center (zoning approved May 2025) as a large mixed-use project intended to include a hub for jobs, education and low-impact recreation — she described the concept as more than 1,600 acres of mixed use with roughly 400 acres of preserved natural land. Bergeron also summarized partnerships with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Volusia County Economic Development and the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, and announced a job fair on April 8, 2026 in Brandon. She encouraged shop-local efforts during the holiday season and invited commissioners to ask questions about program eligibility and verification.
