DeSoto to receive $5M in broadband funding from DeSantis program

DeSoto County has been named one of 19 Florida counties to be awarded funding through Gov. Ron DeSantis' Broadband Opportunity Program, the governor's office announced in a May 26 press release.

Around $60 million in awards will be offered through the program to expand broadband Internet acces in Florida's unserved communities. The funds will go to support 22 projects in the 19 counties, impacting nearly 58,000 unserved residential, educational, agricultural, business and community locations. 

For DeSoto, program funding focuses primarily on the Southeast Arcadia region — south of Hargrave Street between U.S. 17 and Southeast Airport Road. 

This awards almost $5 million ($4,997,588) to add 13 miles of fiber optic cable, providing 497 unserved locations in the county with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 gigabyte per second (GB).

“This $60 million in awards brings our total investment in broadband to more than $226 million to expand broadband Internet access in Florida’s under connected communities,” DeSantis said. “With this investment, we are connecting more than 250,000 unserved homes and businesses and expanding opportunities in rural communities.”

Administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), the Broadband Opportunity Program funds the installation and deployment of broadband Internet infrastructure in unserved Florida communities, providing valuable access to telehealth, economic, educational, and workforce development opportunities to offer a brighter future for all Floridians.

The recent awards follow more than $144 million Governor DeSantis awarded in February and more than $22 million awarded in April, bringing Florida’s total investment to more than $226 million for the expansion of broadband Internet in Florida’s small and rural communities, impacting a total of more than 250,000 homes and businesses across the state.

“Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Floridians won’t need to leave their hometowns to access education, healthcare, and business resources due to lack of broadband Internet access,” DEO Acting Secretary Meredith Ivey said. “Small and rural communities across the state will be able to connect to fast, reliable broadband Internet at their home or business and can take advantage of the opportunities that accompany broadband Internet connectivity.”

Other areas involved in this round of the program, include:

• Cities of Cedar Key and Chiefland, Towns of Otter Creek and Inglis, and Unincorporated Communities of Gulf Hammock, Old Town, Rosewood, Summer and Suwannee ($5,000,000) — to add 1,096.91 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,238 unserved locations within Dixie and Levy Counties with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Hampton and Starke ($5,000,000) — to add 89 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 960 unserved locations within Bradford County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Unincorporated Communities of Marion Oaks, Ocklawaha and Silver Springs ($2,428,013) — to add 122.12 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,061 unserved locations within Marion County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Unincorporated Community of Rainbow Lake Estates ($1,043,858) — to add 49.17 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 668 unserved locations within Marion County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Okeechobee and Sebring; Unincorporated Community of Lorida ($5,000,000) — to add 795 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,195 unserved locations within Highlands and Okeechobee Counties with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Towns of Jay and Pine Level; Unincorporated Communities of Berrydale, Brownsdale, Dixonville, Mount Carmel, Munson, Springhill, Walnut Hill and Whitfield ($2,615,434.62) — to add 1,015 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,193 unserved locations within Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• City of Mascotte; Town of Astatula; Unincorporated Communities of Astor and Astor Park ($2,007,768) — to add 71.94 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,272 unserved locations within Lake County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Unincorporated Communities of NE and NW Citrus County ($1,245,500) — to add 310.9 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 4,982 unserved locations within Citrus County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Bowling Green and Wauchula; Town of Zolfo Springs; Unincorporated Community of Charlie Creek; Central and Northern Hardee County ($2,098,642) — to add 165.10 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,664 unserved locations within Hardee County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Eustis, Groveland, Leesburg, Mount Dora, Tavares and Umatilla; Town of Astatula; Unincorporated Communities of Altoona, Lake Kathryn Lake Mack-Forrest Hills and Paisley ($1,800,250) — to add 341.3 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 7,201 unserved locations within Lake County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Unincorporated Manatee County and Unincorporated Communities of Duette, Parrish, Rubonia and Willow ($1,550,553) — to add 42 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 261 unserved locations within Manatee County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Town of Mcintosh, Reddick and Zuber; Unincorporated Communities of Anthony, Blitchton, Citra, East Williston, Ematha, Evinston, Fairfield, Irvine, Lowell, Martin, Orange Lake, Spar and York ($2,980,000) — to add 701.1 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 11,920 unserved locations within Marion County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Frostproof, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales, Lakeland and Polk City; Unincorporated Polk County and the Unincorporated Community of Indian Lakes Estates ($1,799,853) — to add 204 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 2,440 unserved locations within Polk County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Bartow, Fort Meade, Frostproof and Mulberry; Towns of Bradley and Brewster; Unincorporated Polk County and the Unincorporated Community of Homeland ($2,321,388) — to add 103 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 853 unserved locations within Polk County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Bushnell and Webster; Unincorporated Communities of Croom-A-Coochee, Lake Panasoffkee, Linden, Tarrytown and The Villages ($604,000) — to add 126.7 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 310 unserved locations within Sumter County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• City of Labelle and Unincorporated Communities of Felda, Fort Denaud and Port Labelle ($4,916,800) — to add 261.2 square miles of fixed wireless coverage to provide 1,128 unserved locations within Hendry County with minimum download and upload speeds of 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps).
• Cities of Bowling Green and Wauchula; Town of Zolfo Springs; Unincorporated Communities of Limestone, Gardner and Ona ($5,000,000) — to add 618 square miles of fixed wireless coverage to provide 6,071 unserved locations within Hardee County with minimum download and upload speeds of 100/20 Mbps.
• City of Valparaiso ($207,087.49) — to add 15.14 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 174 unserved locations within Okaloosa County with symmetrical download and upload speeds of 1 GB.
• Cities of Trenton and Fanning Springs ($4,948,800) — to add 100 square miles of fixed wireless coverage to provide 1,981 unserved locations within Gilchrist County with minimum download and upload speeds of 100/20 Mbps.
• City of Williston ($25,000) — to add 20 square miles of fixed wireless coverage to provide 1,000 unserved locations within Levy County with minimum download and upload speeds of 100/20 Mbps.
• Cities of Chipley and Vernon; Towns of Wausau and Caryville ($2,493,000) — to add 616 square miles of fixed wireless coverage to provide 9,904 unserved locations within Washington County with minimum download and upload speeds of 100/20 Mbps.

For additional information about the Office of Broadband and its initiatives, please visit www.FloridaJobs.org/Broadband.