July 2018

158 159 workers down there who cannot afford housing.We probably don’t even have 15 vacant houses that are available right now, but we have two companies that are seriously looking at developments to build workforce housing.We have the land located al- ready and they are just working out their processes right now. So much is going on that we have told our local board to fasten their seat-belts.” Offshoot development from the business park not only includes housing but also other types of infra- structure. For example,Holmes County has a small general aviation airport with a 5,600-foot runway, which is at capacity and is currently expanding hangar space. In addition, the Holmes County Board of County Commissioners has purchased 56 acres of land to build a new government center.“We have been scattered in about six different buildings for years,” Thomas avers,“and they purchased the land two months ago and are drawing up the plans now, to build a government complex. In those plans they are working on the idea of an events center and an evacuation center because we are on the evacua- tion route from the beaches.When there is a trop- Building the future together. Gulf Power s proud to support econom c development n Holmes count M GulfPower com PREFERRED VENDOR n Gulf Power Company www.MyGulfPower.com HOLMES COUNTY, FLORIDA ical storm or a hurricane announcement, you can’t drive down the street here for traffic from people trying to get out of there. In fact, the last time there was a major one, they closed all the southbound lanes and had everything coming out of down there, using all the lanes, and it was backed up for 24 hours.” Thomas recently announced that three entities, Holmes County, the City of Bonifay, andWashington County, signed the final agreements to establish a new commercial corridor tentatively called “The Highway 79 Economic Development Corridor.” It consists of a two-mile stretch and includes 1549 acres. It has received grants totaling $2.8 million, and engineering and planning for wastewater and sewer infrastructure has begun.Marketing will be- gin, soon. This rural county that bills itself as the “crossroads of Northwest Florida”has changed its branding to “The Green Gateway to Northwest Florida”, and is set to expand. It is hoping others will see the oppor- tunities available.Or, as Thomas puts it,“Come be a part of something special; after all, there’s no place like Holmes!”