DeSantis comes to NeoCity, awards $9.7 million for two local programs

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  • Gov. Ron DeSantis presents grants for a pair of NeoCity-based projects Wednesday at the Center of Neovation. PHOTO/KEN JACKSON
    Gov. Ron DeSantis presents grants for a pair of NeoCity-based projects Wednesday at the Center of Neovation. PHOTO/KEN JACKSON
  • Valencia College President Kathleen Plinske accepted a $3.7 million "check" from Gov. Ron DeSantis to fund new programs that focus technology workforce training for semiconductor industries. PHOTO/KEN JACKSON
    Valencia College President Kathleen Plinske accepted a $3.7 million "check" from Gov. Ron DeSantis to fund new programs that focus technology workforce training for semiconductor industries. PHOTO/KEN JACKSON
  • Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle speaks about the benefit of the state funding handed out at NeoCity Wednesday. PHOTO/KEN JACKSON
    Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle speaks about the benefit of the state funding handed out at NeoCity Wednesday. PHOTO/KEN JACKSON
  • Osceola County Manager Don Fisher accepted a $6 mllion "check" from Gov. Ron DeSantis to help fund Neovation Way, a NeoCity connector road to Neptune Road. PHOTO/OSCEOLA COUNTY
    Osceola County Manager Don Fisher accepted a $6 mllion "check" from Gov. Ron DeSantis to help fund Neovation Way, a NeoCity connector road to Neptune Road. PHOTO/OSCEOLA COUNTY
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Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the Center for NeoVation in NeoCity in Osceola County on Wednesday to announce the state has agreed to provide $9.7 million to fund local projects.

DeSantis said manufacturing, like the semiconductor work that goes on at NeoCity, needs to be done without a reliance on foreign markets, which are seeing their own supply chain shortages.

Standing right on the other side of a window where semiconductor manufacturing was going on, the governor presented a $6 million grant to Osceola County to help fund the construction of Neovation Way, a road that would directly link NeoCity to Neptune Road, and awarded Valencia College $3.7 million to fund new programs that focus on technology workforce training for semiconductor industries.

County Manager Don Fisher said the new road, which will create a southern portal to NeoCity, is infrastructure important to the the Korean company DS Semicon and investor Young-hwa Song, who made the $25 million investment to build a NeoCity city center.

"That property will sit at the corner of NeoCity Way and Neovation Way," he said. "To be competitive, we believe that's infrastructure that makes a difference. Our economic development strategy is to put infrastructure in place for companies to succeed, not just pay them to come in here."

State Rep. Fred Hawkins (R-St. Cloud) also attended the event, and noted he's worked with Fisher on a state appropriations bill to include funding for the road last legislative session.

"When it wasn't (originally) funded we continued to push through the Governor's programs to make what happened today a reality," Hawkins said.

DeSantis called the investment in Valencia -- a robotics technician training program with a specialization in semiconductor production -- a move to expand in-state opportunity.

"We've worked hard in Florida to have more opportunities for expanding vocation education and expanding our manufacturing footprint in Florida," he said. "Semiconductors are a huge issue worldwide, we are overly depending on foreign nations, the more we can manufacture here, the better.

"Through this program, students will be able to get certified in operating, repairing and designing the robots that create semiconductors in just 14 weeks," DeSantis said. "Valencia estimates that, in the first two years, 120 people will be able to graduate and immediately find work in the NeoCity technology district, with virtually no debt. Valencia has a proven track record of seeing students graduate."

DeSantis spoke of the shortage of semiconductors in the auto industry; with less inventory because of internal technology, some cars, which generally depreciate in value, are actually rising in value.

"The pandemic has proven how reliant we are on foreign supply chains, especially those coming out of China -- which is not our friend -- and Taiwan, which is a great ally of ours, but they are under an immense amount of pressure and threats from the Communist Party of China. More of that can be done in the United States, and Florida, it gives Floridians more opportunities and strengthens our financial resiliency, so this is something we're happy to be supporting."

"We're creating jobs that would otherwise be shipped overseas, this is exciting but we have more to do," said Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle.