The City of Zephyrhills has announced it will receive slightly more than $12 million for three local infrastructure-related projects.
The state allocations were approved as part of the 2022-2023 Florida state budget, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 2.
The funds will be used on work at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, road projects and sewer and water main improvements.
“Receiving these appropriations helps to improve the infrastructure throughout the City of Zephyrhills in a multi-faceted approach,” Billy Poe, city manager for the City of Zephyrhills, said in a news release.
Poe also expressed his appreciation to Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, Sen. Danny Burgess, and Rep. Randy Maggard for their support of the Zephyrhills community.
Poe also thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis for “seeing the value in these infrastructural improvements in the City of Zephyrhills.”
Here are the specifics:
Municipal Airport improvements: $6.6 million
Several projects are already underway at the airport, including a runway extension that is expected to be completed soon. The additional funds will be used to design and construct a new Fixed Based Operator (FBO) Terminal Building, Taxiway F and two new box hangars. Future development of the airport and the adjacent Industrial Park is expected to attract new corporate and recreational aircraft operations, including increased jet traffic. When this happens, new jobs are expected from the increased capacity for aviation businesses, including pilot lessons, new hangar construction, mechanical businesses and corporate relocations and from maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses.
Kossik Road and Fort King Road Sewer Main/Water Main Extension: $3.5 million
This is the second part of a three-phase project to improve utility access in the north end of the city. When completed, the overall improvement will create a looped system, allowing for redundancy, as well as improving fire flow and water quality.
The sewer part of the project will allow decommissioning of up to 400 existing septic systems and prevent nearly 2000 new onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems. It also will provide reclaimed water to benefit the Hillsborough River Basin minimum flow levels.
South Avenue Extension – National Guard Entrance Road: $1.94 million
This funding is intended to provide to access a new Florida National Guard facility that is planned for Zephyrhills. In 2021, a $25 million appropriation was approved to to construct a new facility in Zephyrhills. The Guard selected a location just north of Sixth Avenue and South Avenue and the airport. However, the proposed site does not have improved access from Sixth Avenue. The extension project consists of purchasing the right-of-way, a quarter-mile roadway to access the Guard site, stormwater and extension of 1,300 linear feet of water main and sewer main to service the site from the Sixth/South Avenue intersection. The industrial access road is a critical segment to access both the armory and future industrial development.
Poe said these funds couldn’t come at a better time, especially as the city has numerous projects already in the works or on the books.
“With the growth we’re experiencing (in Zephyrhills) — not just residential, but commercial and citywide,” Poe said, “that comes with improving the water and the sewers and the streets and even the airport. These are all much-needed improvements.”
Published June 22, 2022
