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Clay County gets $54.3 million from new state budget

By Don Coble don@claytodayonline.com

Posted 6/22/23

CLAY COUNTY – With the stroke of a pen on June 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed The Way Free Medical Clinic from concept to reality.

The Way Clinic wasn’t the only $116.5 billion state …

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Clay County gets $54.3 million from new state budget

Posted Thursday, June 22, 2023 12:00 pm

State Budget Clay County

• Governors Creek Boat Ramp Improvements - Phase I (SF 2386) (HF 2037): Boating Improvements $1,000,000

• Clay County - Regional Sports Complex (HF 2258) (SF 1844): Community Services $1,000,000

• Orange Park Community Theatre, Inc.: Cultural & Museum Grants $25,982

• The Fleming Island Theater, Inc. : Cultural & Museum Grants $25,576

• Clamour Theatre Company - Clay & Water 2024, 6th Annual Playwrights’ Retreat: Culture Builds Florida $5,250

• Challenge Enterprises of North Florida - Club Challenge (SF 1436) (HF 1968): Developmental Disabilities $250,000

• School Readiness Services: Early Learning Services $7,236,834

• Voluntary Prekindergarten Program: Early Learning Services $4,874.087

• Clay County Fire Station #20 (SF 2384) (HF 2041): Fixed Capital Outlay - State Fire Marshal - DFS $750,000

• Clay County Fire Station #24 (SF 2385) (HF 2042): Fixed Capital Outlay - State Fire Marshal - DFS $750,000

• Augusta Savage Friendship Park Phase 1: Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program $50,000

• Moccasin Slough Trail and Observation Decks: Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program $200,000

• Vera Francis Hall Park Phase VI: Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program $112,500

• Clay County - Substance Abuse Recovery Center (SF 1431) (HF 2269): Health $3,000,000

• The Way Free Medical Clinic College Drive New Clinic Facility Construction Project (SF 1426) (HF 1704): Health $1,450,000

• YMCA of Florida’s First Coast Immokalee Unique Abilities Center - Multipurpose Facility Phase 3 (SF 2676) (HF 1862) Health $450,000

• Middleburg Colored School: Planning for Preservation and Restoration Historic Preservation Grants $20,000

• Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force (SF 1559) (HF 2030): Local Law Enforcement Project $1,529,703

• Town of Orange Park - Black Creek to Doctors Lake Trail Connection (HF 2256) (SF 2884): Local Transportation Projects $500,000

• Clay County - Regional Sports Complex Turn Lanes (HF 2259) (SF 1443): Local Transportation Projects

$1,500,000

• Clay County Greenways Expansion (HF 2043) (SF 2883): Local Transportation Projects $100,000

• AMIkids Gender Specific Program: RBAP*/Delinquency Prevention and Diversion Program $723,542

• Clay County District Schools: Expansion of Elevation Academy (SF 1850) (HF 2046): School and Instructional Enhancements $213,500

• Clay County District Schools: Expansion of Workforce Development (SF 1435) (HF 2039):

School and Instructional Enhancements/Fixed Capital Outlay Public Schools Special Projects $467,300

• Clay Behavioral Health - Community Crisis Prevention Team (SF 1571) (HF 2266):

Substance Abuse and Mental Health $500,000

• County Transportation Programs: Transportation Work Program $10,713,349

• Intrastate Highway Construction: Transportation Work Program $4,716,964

• Preliminary Engineering Consultants: Transportation Work Program $1,824,413

• Resurfacing: Transportation Work Program $8,514,958

• Clay County Utility Authority Peters Creek Water Reclamation Facility (SF 2677) (HF 2045): Water Project $500,000

• Clay County Utility Authority Swimming Penn Creek Water Main Interconnect (SF 1403) (HF 2035):

Water Project $500,000

• Public Schools Workforce Education Program Funds Workforce Education - Workforce Development

$904,441

Total $55,308,399

By Don Coble don@claytodayonline.com

CLAY COUNTY – With the stroke of a pen on June 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed The Way Free Medical Clinic from concept to reality.

The Way Clinic wasn’t the only $116.5 billion state budget-supported program. Thirty-one projects will share $54,308,399 allocated to Clay County.

“It doesn’t get us to where we need to be, but it sure gets the ball rolling,” said Florida Sen. Jennifer Bradley, who joined Florida Reps. Sam Garrison and Bobby Payne to champion support from other legislators and the governor.

The Way Clinic, which provides free medical treatment to uninsured, low-income families in Clay County, will receive the final $1.45 million to finance the construction of a new facility on College Drive in Orange Park.

The 5,100-foot building will cost $2.5 million, and the nonprofit has already raised $1.25 million. The state pushed the project past the finish line.

“We’re starting to look at contractors, and we expect the start moving dirt real soon,” Executive Director Don Fann said.

“We’re extremely elated and ready to proceed with the project. “We are so thankful for their (legislators’) support. Without them, this project would not happen.”

Neither would $3 million for a

substance abuse center, $1.5 million for two fire stations, $7.3 million for School Readiness Services, $8.5 million to resurface roads, $6.8 million for engineering and construction of intrastate highways, $10.7 million for transportation programs, $2.5 million for construction and turn lanes at the Regional Sports Complex, $1 million for greenways expansion, $2.5 million for the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force for human trafficking, $4.9 million for prekindergarten programs and $7.2 million for school readiness programs.

Only three appropriation requests were vetoed – improvements at the Governors Creek Boat Ramp, County Youth Alternative to Secured Detention program and a Public Safety Warehouse. Those three asks totaled $2 million.

“I think the budget was a big win for the state, and it was a big win for Clay County. No doubt about it,” Bradley said. “We worked as a delegation on the projects, talked to all the entities involved and made sure that they were good projects that would be impactful to Clay County.

“Then the delegation worked together to try to secure them in the budget. And then once they’re in the budget, we advocate to answer any questions that the governor’s office may have and continue to impress upon the governor’s office how important they are for our community.”

Both Bradley and Garrison joined Sheriff Michelle Cook in applauding the governor for creating a new substance abuse center.

“It’s nice to have some beds in Clay County to be able to address addiction and substance abuse recovery,” Bradley said. “It’s a shame that we need it. But the fact is, we need it. We have people in Clay County who have to go to great distances to outlying counties to get the treatment they need. I think that’s a big deal for Clay County.”

Cook also embraced the project.

“We will continue to put drug dealers in jail,” she said. “But for those that are ready to embark on a pathway out of drug addiction, this is that path for them. Anytime we can get somebody off of drugs and back to being a productive member of the community, then it’s a win-win for all of us.”

The legislature and governor also supported INTERCEPT, a collaboration of seven law enforcement agencies to create a task force to combat human trafficking and child exploitation.

I think Sheriff Cook got one of her big initiatives in the INTERCEPT Task Force,” Garrison said. “We made that pitch to our budget chair (in Tallahassee) and ultimately the governor. That’s obviously going to be housed in Clay County through the Sheriff’s Office, so it’ll be a regional benefit. It’s going to be housed here in Clay County.”

Garrison also lauded the protection of several greenway projects and the funding to connect the Black Creek and Doctors Lake trails.

“It didn’t happen through the normal government channels,” he said. “It’s just an example of people working together. It’s just a great, great budget year all the way around.”