Columbia County, Florida

7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 high-quality post-secondary educational opportunities to the community members of North Central Florida. The county is also partnering with the city on the creation of a 20,000 square-foot technology training center near the airport to train professionals on technical skills related to the aerospace and similar industries. A Florida Jobs Growth Grant application has been submitted to help fund the creation of this academy. Airplane maintenance, pneumatic operations, and other skills will be taught, with new programs added as students are attracted from around the region. “It’s exciting to know that manufacturing and other industries are seriously looking at us as an option,” says Daniels. “We also are increasing the number of high-paying jobs you can get here and that allows residents to build great be the park’s second tenant and will use about 30 acres of space. According to Kraus, “The projects we are attracting are looking for large amounts of acreage and desire good access to a large workforce.” Director of Economic Development Glenn Hunter adds that there are nearly one million residents located within an hour of Lake City, the county’s “strike zone” of available workers. Columbia County’s proximity to Gainesville and Tallahassee make it a short drive to both the University of Florida and Florida State University, two of the most respected institutions of higher learning in the south. Santa Fe College in Gainesville offers both Associate and bachelor’s degrees and won the 2015 Aspen Prize for Educational Excellence. Florida Gateway College in the heart of Lake City provides affordable,