~The City of Newberry is among the four pilot communities celebrating their accomplishments through the Competitive Florida Partnership~

NEWBERRY – Today, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Executive Director Jesse Panuccio, DEO Director of Community Development Bill Killingsworth, and community leaders celebrated the achievements and progress in economic development made by the City of Newberry with assistance from DEO’s Competitive Florida Partnership. DEO community planning experts prepared an Asset Mapping Report that identifies top assets in the community, specific areas for improvement, and recommendations. The community will consider the report as part of their action plan to promote economic development in the area.

DEO Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “Today is a great day for the City of Newberry as we join them in celebrating their participation in the Competitive Florida Partnership. The state of Florida is in the midst of a remarkable economic turnaround but there’s more work to do to ensure that all communities are creating pathways to prosperity for their families. By participating in the Competitive Florida Partnership, Newberry is taking the steps necessary to spur economic growth.”

Competitive Florida is targeted technical assistance that helps communities map their strengths and identify what makes them unique, then determine opportunities and improvements that fit within their character for greater economic and community development. Understanding the power of collaboration, this program builds an active network of passionate community leaders who share ideas, establish best practices, and learn from each other’s experiences.

"The City of Newberry has long been proactive in its efforts to foster economic development and improve the quality of the lives of its residents.  Participation in the Competitive Florida Partnership has provided community leaders with further direction as to how to establish a strong economic development strategy and move forward with its implementation with confidence,” said Senator Rob Bradley.

“I am pleased to offer my congratulations to the City of Newberry for their ongoing dedication to their community and I am proud to represent this great area of Florida. The future of Newberry is bright as we work to implement new strategies for economic and community development,” said Representative Keith Perry.

In January 2014, DEO announced the four communities participating in the pilot program for the Competitive Florida Partnership, a new community development initiative. The City of Port St. Joe, the City of Newberry, the Town of White Springs, and Desoto County were the first four communities chosen to participate in the program. The Competitive Florida Partnership focuses on improving local economic development activities, particularly in the rural areas of our state. DEO assists these communities in creating strategic economic development plans that are tailored for each community’s unique assets. For example, with guidance from DEO, communities created asset inventories that will be available to potential businesses wishing to expand in or move to Florida.

“The city of Newberry wishes to thank the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for the tremendous support they have provided to our community in the successful development of an economic outreach plan.  This planning has already produced measurable results in business growth and job creation, and the citizens of Newberry look forward to celebrating the success of the Competitive Florida pilot program with the DEO staff,” said Newberry Mayor Bill Conrad.

“The demonstration grant from DEO to the city of Newberry has served as a critical component in our efforts in developing an economic development plan for our city.  First it provided the resources to jump start the planning and implementation of a rational and business-like approach for our plan.  Second, the asset mapping process not only provides an inventory of our commercial assets but will assist in our marketing efforts. Third and perhaps most important, the grant and the actions of the DEO staff demonstrated a willingness to be an active participant in our economic development efforts with a long term view of  developing, implementing and evaluating  positive economic development strategies.  I consider DEO as an active and participating member of our economic development team,” said Dr. Jerry O'Neil, Economic Development Steering Committee Chair.

DEO will announce the next round of communities participating in the Competitive Florida Partnership by the end of October. Eligible communities include municipal and county local governments, with an emphasis on rural areas. Rural areas may include rural municipalities within urban counties. Communities that are selected can receive both staff support from DEO and partnering agencies through the Rural Economic Development Initiative and grant funding.

Asset-based economic development is a bottom-up approach that focuses on developing and promoting existing local resources to strengthen the local economy. This approach focuses on a rural community’s tangible and intangible assets combined with economic advantages and how these can be leveraged into sustainable economic growth and prosperity. Assets in a community may include but are not limited to: individuals and human capital; associations and voluntary networks; political advocates; historical and cultural resources; natural landscapes (including renewable and nonrenewable material resources); financial assets; the built environment including transportation networks, communications facilities, utilities, public facilitates and commercial buildings; institutions such as schools, hospitals and government agencies. DEO will work with the selected rural communities to help them identify and market these assets and facilitate promotional opportunities to bring economic development to their community.

About DEO

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce, and community development efforts.  This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities.  For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.

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