Sprinkle list: Lawmakers add $25M to Job Growth Grant Fund — far below Gov. DeSantis proposal

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Florida’s Job Growth Grant Fund is getting $25 million in next year’s spending plan through a last-minute earmark from the Senate.

That’s a third of what Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed for the program in his February budget proposal.

In its “sprinkle list” Friday, the upper chamber allocated the nonrecurring set-aside from the state’s General Revenue Fund.

The move came after the Senate and House disagreed on how much to apportion the program through the regular budgeting process.

No similar sprinkle list allocation came from the lower chamber.

The sprinkle list, as its name suggests, is an assortment of supplemental funding initiatives that each chamber of the Legislature compiles as its budgeting processes near the end of every year.

The Job Growth Grant Fund is a state-backed incentive program that supports public infrastructure projects intended for public use, as well as regional economic growth and workforce training initiatives at state colleges and technical centers for unemployed or underemployed individuals.

State lawmakers created the program in 2017 with an initial $85 million earmark under HB 1A, sponsored by former House Speaker Paul Renner.

The Legislature has since replenished its funding, which DeSantis regularly awards and highlights in press releases.

Projects and programs must meet certain criteria to receive funding. For infrastructure, eligible projects must have a more than five-year life expectancy — roads, water and telecom projects, among others.

For workforce training, the funds can cover curricula at state colleges and technical centers that provide participants with transferable, sustainable skills applicable to more than a single employer, as well as equipment associated with those programs.

College and technical center departments must also work with CareerSource Florida to ensure that the programs do not exclude unemployed or underemployed applicants.