- Gadsden County wants $40 million from the legislature this year for ongoing infrastructure projects
- Gadsden also wants to start up a youth and drug prevention program.
- See what else leaders pitched this week to Tallahassee’s Republican Senator Corey Simon and Democratic Representative Gallop Franklin.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The legislative delegation meeting included community leaders like Havana’s Mayor Eddie Bass.
He thanked Simon and Franklin for their work in securing a million dollars last legislative session to build Havana a brand-new safety complex.
But the mayor says now, Havana needs money to fix two failing lift stations.
“We have two sewer lift stations that are constantly breaking down," Bass told lawmakers on Monday. "We have applied with FDEP for some of theirs, but we cannot afford the difference in what they’re wanting.”
Bass says the project would cost the state roughly 3 million dollars. Gadsden County is also asking for funds to help address sewer issues—in Quincy and Chattahoochee. And the county wants money to continue building a new K-8 school.
“We need to really start looking at the planning dollars if you’re not ready for this project to take place," said State Senator Corey Simon.
Over the past two years, Gadsden received about 70 million dollars from the legislature but hasn't actually broken ground yet—something Simon isn’t happy with.
Simon says these delays put future county projects in jeopardy.
“We’ve go to continue to push the envelope and be ready when these grant dollars come down the pipe. We’ve got to be ready to move on them."
Simon says the legislature this year is on a tight budget. Especially as COVID-19 era federal funding runs out.