A.G. Gancarski
On Wednesday, Florida State Rep. Jason Fischer filed HB 3799, an appropriations bill calling for $2 million to go to FloridaMakes.
That would be a five-fold increase in state funding, which was $400,000 in 2016.
The goal: to help Florida maintain its competitive edge in the manufacturing sector.
FloridaMakes is a nonprofit public-private partnership and Florida’s affiliate in the nationwide Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
The $2 million in state money would be the necessary state match for $3.5 million in federal dollars from the Department of Commerce program. An additional $1.5 million comes from elsewhere.
“Manufacturing offers high wage career paths, with real jobs for real people,” said Rep. Fischer. “Our efforts to build a strong and diversified Florida economy won’t be successful unless we include support for our manufacturing sector.”
The program, launched in 2015 according to the Orlando Sentinel, is an industry-led group run by manufacturers and for manufacturers, allowing them to keep apprised of best practices, advances in technology, and changes in regulations.
The project is supported by a statewide coalition of manufacturing groups, including the South Florida Manufacturers Association, Florida Advanced Technological Education Center, University of West Florida Division of Research & Strategic Innovation, Bridging the Innovation Development Gap, CareerSource Pinellas, Manufacturers Association of Central Florida, First Coast & Treasure Coast.
Money would be used to promote jobs in Rural Areas of Opportunity, and to ready the state’s workforce for the specific requirements of advanced manufacturing.
The appropriations request suggests an expansion of the program is sought; more than $10 million is expected to be requested from the state over the next five years.
In a year when the Florida House is heavily scrutinizing programs like Enterprise Florida and VisitFlorida, the fate of FloridaMakes is worth watching
