Budget conference: USS Orleck funding in ship shape

Ahoy, matey: House and Senate budget committees agree that funding for a Jacksonville warship turned museum is seaworthy after all.

The House has agreed to the Senate Transportation and Economic Development Committee’s $500,000 offer for repairs to the USS Orleck, a priority of Sen. Clay Yarborough.

The money will go to retrofit the helicopter dash hangar and repair Shipyard Pier 1, per the funding request, which will benefit Florida’s only naval warship museum.

The repairs include “tarping the dock, necessary repairs on the concrete dock including patching cracks or holes, resealing surfaces to prevent water damage, and reinforcing or replacing structural elements such as pilings or beams, including repairing or replacing any damaged or worn dock hardware, such as cleats or bollards.”

The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association owns the ship docked in the St. Johns River. The City of Jacksonville asked for money last year, but the “priority was not funded.”

The argument for the funding includes STEM education for youth and benefits for the “underserved,” per the funding request. Expectations are for 377,000 visitors per year in the next five years, with the ship encompassing functions ranging from tours to settings for laser tag.

While the Governor vetoed money for the ship last year, he has since derived political benefit from it. In June, the Orleck displayed signs for a so-called Ron DeSantis Flotilla.

“The Republican Party of Duval County leased the USS Orleck for the event, decorating it with signs like this one that says, ‘Keep Florida Free’ with a picture of the Governor,” reported First Coast News at the time.

Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association President Daniel Bean defended the move, saying it was a private event. Bean endorsed DeSantis in an ad in 2022, which appeared to have been shot on a ship like the Orleck.