Gabrielle Russon
Gov. Ron DeSantis is giving $1.5 million to help expand Winter Haven’s railway to an industrial park in a project aimed at helping grow Polk County’s economy.
DeSantis announced the grant from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund at a press conference in Winter Haven.
The project will expand rail access to the Central Florida Integrated Logistics Park, which DeSantis touted as having nearly 1,000 acres of developable land and is near CSX Rail Intermodal Facility.
“We believe there’s a high return on investment,” DeSantis said. “The rail extension will help businesses expand operations in this area, and we definitely see the potential for new jobs being created.”
Local officials say they have been waiting for direct rail service at the park for years.
“This marks an important milestone for our community,” said Bruce Lyon, President of the Winter Haven Economic Development Council. “This new rail spur that we’re going to bring in, this is going to bring a fresh mode of transportation to the industrial park. It’s going to improve freight efficiency statewide by getting trucks off of our roads.”
Lyon called it a public-private partnership with rail companies, the manufacturing businesses and others investing to make the rail expansion a reality.
Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly touted the project as an economic driver in Polk County, and statewide, as manufacturing continues to grow.
“If you just drive around, you look at the Coca-Cola Distribution Center, you look at Florida Can Manufacturing facility,” Kelly said while standing alongside DeSantis. “Not too far in the distant future, we’ll have Niagara Water just across the street, and you can see that incredible effort to create really a hub for employment.”
DeSantis hinted that some other recognizable businesses are coming to the industrial park, which can accommodate everything from food and cold storage to manufacturers and statewide logistics companies.
