- April 19, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Growth is coming, guest speaker Scott Hall, of Advanced Technology Group, told the Flagler County Business Town Hall on March 22. People will continue to move to Florida and it’s up to the community to decide what type of growth they want, he said.
“I want you to keep the quality of life you have,” he said. “But you must plan for what is coming.”
To prepare for the future, city and county leaders see high-speed, reliable internet as a necessity, and the topic of the town hall was starting a conversation about getting fiber optic cable for the cities and broadband in the rural areas.
Showing that the city and county were working together, the meeting at the Palm Coast Community Center was led by Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland and Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins.
“We are unique,” Mullins said. “We have large rural areas, a city and coastal area. We’re a diverse group. But alignment is here today.”
Holland said the cooperation between city and county has not been seen before.
“You can feel success coming,” she said.
The city and schools have installed high-speed fiber optic cable in Flagler County and Mullins said it’s now time to bring high-paying jobs and new businesses to the area.
Petitions were passed around the audience, so people could show they have a need for better Internet, which is important in getting grant dollars.
Andrew Hayes, of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, monitors grant applications throughout the country. Each year, they grant a total of $3 million to rural areas such as western Flagler County.
“It’s fairly competitive,” he said.
He said getting community involvement, such as the town hall meeting, was a good start in applying for a grant. Areas must show needs for such areas as education, health, public safety and community development.
Mullins said a USDA grant will be a good source to make sure western Flagler County has the same opportunities as the city.
Advanced Technology Group is an example of a small business that has sprung up to provide internet solutions for companies. Large cable companies can take years and millions of dollars, Hall said, while his company can install fiber optic cable in a relatively short time.
Scott said not to led politics and bureaucracies stand in the way.
“There are solutions,” he said. “I commend you for starting the process.”
Mullins said the small company can provide the cable to any business or homeowner, who can switch their service from their current local large cable provider. Television channels would be included.
Arthur Scott, of the National Association of Counties, introduced an app, testit, that works with both Apple and android. People can use it to measure Internet speed wherever they are, and each time it’s used it will help create a data base for areas that need more service. Mullins encouraged everyone to use it as much as possible.
Alvin Jackson, Bunnell city manager, said all parts of a community are important when attracting businesses because they are looking at workforce needs. He said Bunnell is developing a master utility plan, and broadband needs to be part of the infrastructure.
Holland said to attract talent to the county, accessibility is needed, so people can work at a park or at home.
She said the city is currently issuing a request for proposals to determine the next step to move forward to expand fiber optic cable in the county.
