Osceola County Awarded $6 million to Support Chip and Semiconducto...
Published on January 05, 2022
PR22-3
Osceola County Awarded $6 million to Support Chip and Semiconductor Manufacturing
Valencia Receives Additional $3.7 million to Train Workforce
Osceola County, Florida - Osceola County received a $6 million grant from the State of Florida for a key piece of transportation infrastructure that will elevate its NeoCity technology district, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday.
The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund dollars fast tracks work on the new road - known as NeoVation Way. The road will ideally position the County and its partners to better market the NeoCity complex to potential investors and development interests, provide new, high-wage job opportunities to residents in a cutting edge “live-work-play” community.
“Expanding domestic manufacturing capability is important for Florida and our nation,” said DeSantis. “The strategic investments we are making today will help bring microchip and semiconductor manufacturing back to our state at a time when the supply chains are more fragile than ever.”
Additionally, the Governor awarded $3.7 million to Valencia College to develop a new program that will train students in utilizing robotics technology for semiconductor manufacturing. These two awards will combine to create manufacturing jobs while developing a talent pipeline that supports industry growth.
“We are grateful to Governor Ron DeSantis and the Department of Economic Opportunity for believing in and actively supporting Osceola County’s vision for the future. Because the infrastructure investments we made, and awards like today’s Job Growth Grant, uniquely position NeoCity to lead our nation’s semiconductor renaissance,” said Osceola County Manager Don Fisher. “As we have proven with the on-time and on-budget construction of NeoCity Way, we will not disappoint with NeoVation Way, which will pave the way for an untold number of innovative, high-paying jobs and educational opportunities in NeoCity.”
NeoVation Way will be the southern portal to NeoCity, connecting approximately 80 percent of Osceola County’s population to a project County Commissioners believe is a way to upend a decades-long struggle to keep up with the rest of the region and state in terms of education, access to jobs and transportation, personal income and other key economic indicators.
Following the Great Recession, Osceola County made a long-term, strategic decision to diversify our economy for the 21st century. The County invested in the creation of the technology district, which is home to one of the world’s most technologically advanced manufacturing research centers in the western hemisphere called the Center for Neovation, a 100,000-square-foot Class A office space, and a magnet STEM public high school.
The grant the governor announced Wednesday piggybacks on a $5.8 million grant from Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) that helped build NeoCity Way, which was completed just last year.
Recently, Osceola County announced its award of $500,000 in the federal Build Back Better Challenge Grant - with up to $100 million on the table in Phase 2. At almost the same time, the County announced that South Korean tech giant DS Semicon’s Florida subsidiary entered into an agreement with the County to acquire and develop 25 acres in the heart of NeoCity to create a billion-dollar mixed-use city center, which will showcase the “smart technology” being developed at NeoCity.
Osceola County owns the land needed to build NeoVation Way. The expansion will include the construction of an approximately 3,160 linear-foot, two-lane roadway with a gateway design feature, on-street parking, a multi-use path, sidewalks, landscaping, and lighting.
Valencia College will use its funding to address the workforce development needs related to incorporating robotics technology into the manufacturing and distribution industry sectors through the Accelerated Skills Training Program in Robotics Technology. This workforce program also includes a specialized semiconductor track designed to prepare future robotics technicians for the semiconductor industry and an Advanced Robotics Learning Factory. This program was developed as a direct result of partnerships between Central Florida businesses and Valencia College.
“Strategic investments in emerging industry sectors, like what is happening at NeoCity, and critical industries, such as chip and semiconductor manufacturing, will continue to elevate Florida’s future economic growth,” said DEO Secretary Dane Eagle. “With Governor DeSantis' support, these projects will continue to provide more Floridians with access to dynamic resources while increasing the current progress of growth for Florida’s industries.”
The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund is an economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training across the state. Proposals are reviewed by DEO and Enterprise Florida, Inc., (EFI) and are chosen by the Governor to meet the demands for workforce training or infrastructure needs in communities around the state.
Other infrastructure investments include a regional stormwater pond that will also serve as the recreational hub of NeoCity; and KUA invested in a $20 million, 200-megawatt substation in 2018.
A year ago, the County partnered with Skywater Technology - the only U.S.-owned and based pure play semiconductor foundry - to operate the Center for Neovation, where Wednesday’s announcement was made. Skywater specializes in development and manufacturing of integrated circuits and took over operation of the micro-electronics manufacturing facility from UCF with a goal of expanding on existing business relations, fulfilling ongoing contracts with the Department of Defense, encouraging the investment of millions of dollars into NeoCity, and the creation of an estimated 220 jobs at the Center for NeoVation in the next five years.
According to Dr. Brad Ferguson, SVP of SkyWater Florida, “SkyWater chose Florida as the state to make our very first expansion outside of our headquarters in Minnesota for many good reasons. The creation of NeoCity provided an opportunity that fit SkyWater’s model of innovation, while also providing partners for workforce development."
Condado Osceola Otorgado $6 Millones para Apoyar la Fabricación de Chips y Semiconductores
Valencia Recibe $3.7 Millones Adicionales para Capacitar Fuerza Laboral
Condado Osceola, Florida - El Condado Osceola recibió una subvención de $6 millones del estado de Florida para una pieza clave de infraestructura de transporte que elevará su distrito tecnológico NeoCity, anunció el miércoles el gobernador Ron DeSantis.
Los dólares del Fondo de Subvención para el Crecimiento de Empleo de Florida aceleran el trabajo en la nueva carretera, conocido como NeoVation Way. La carretera posicionará idealmente al Condado y sus socios para comercializar mejor a NeoCity a posibles inversores e intereses de desarrollo, y proporcionar nuevas oportunidades de trabajo de alto salario a los residentes en una comunidad de vanguardia de "vivir-trabajar-jugar".
"Expandir la capacidad de fabricación nacional es importante para Florida y nuestra nación," dijo DeSantis. "Las inversiones estratégicas que estamos haciendo hoy ayudarán a traer de vuelta la fabricación de microchips y semiconductores a nuestro estado en un momento en que las cadenas de suministro son más frágiles que nunca."
Además, el Gobernador otorgó $3.7 millones a Valencia College para desarrollar un nuevo programa que capacitará a los estudiantes en la utilización de tecnología robótica para la fabricación de semiconductores. Estos dos premios se combinarán para crear empleos de fabricación mientras se desarrolla talentos que apoyan el crecimiento de la industri