THE FLORIDA SENATE SENATOR BEN ALBRITTON
President
MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:
All Senators Ben Albritton Florida’s Rural Renaissance February 19, 2025
Today Senator Simon will file legislation that brings to life Florida’s rural renaissance. As you all know, I’m a proud son of rural Florida, Florida’s Heartland, six generations deep. Our small, tight-knit, legacy communities are filled with some of the nicest, hardworking people you will ever meet. Rural communities look after one another and would give their last dollar and even the shirt off their own back to help a neighbor in need. That’s a way of life worth preserving. As I did at our Organization Session in November, I’m asking you to join me in the fight for a rural renaissance in Florida. Our rural communities are full of opportunity, and that doesn’t just mean development. We need to update our laws to reflect what a rural community can look like in modern Florida. And, we need to diversify our view of what economic development looks like in rural Florida. Gone are the days of setting our sights primarily on large companies, or anchor businesses, with massive capital investments who can deliver on the promise of high wage, high-value jobs, but economically devastate a local community when they close or relocate. We need to focus on infrastructure improvements that support existing businesses as they grow and transition based on the needs of our economy. This includes our legacy farm and citrus operations, who will be well-served by improvements to farm-to-market roads essential to keeping fresh food within reach of Florida families. Expansions to our broadband infrastructure will drastically expand opportunities for education, commerce, and health care in rural Florida. The number of remote workers has nearly doubled since the pandemic. Just like remote work offered people the chance to flee high tax, lockdown states and head south to the free State of Florida, improvements in broadband capacity and highspeed internet access will allow folks living in rural communities to capitalize on workforce changes, placing big city employment options at the fingertips of our rural residents.
SUITE 409, THE CAPITOL, 404 SOUTH MONROE STREET ▪ TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399-1100 ▪ TELEPHONE (850) 487-5229 Senate’s Website: www.flsenate.gov