Duke Energy awards $200,000 in grants to support economic development in Florida

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida is investing $200,000 in strategic economic development and recruitment programs across the state.

The Duke Energy Foundation grants will help communities across the state attract, build and grow businesses, as well as tackle emerging recruitment and workforce challenges.

"These community partners are delivering meaningful results for our state, and we're proud to support their ongoing commitment to growing our economy and enhancing the quality of life for all residents," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president.

One of this year's recipients is Enterprise Florida. The state economic development agency is receiving a $25,000 grant to provide the opportunity to host and further build relationships with site selection consultants and corporate real estate executives in attendance at the Team Florida events. These events will help to improve the perceptions of doing business in Florida and generate awareness of the opportunities in the state.

"Enterprise Florida is grateful for the continued investment and partnership in Team Florida," said Destin Wells, Enterprise Florida Inc. senior vice president of business development. "This year is a renewal and resurgence of the state's marketing cooperative, and Duke Energy has always been there with not just the financial support, but strategic thinking and leadership."

Additional grants were awarded to the following organizations that help create vibrant economies in the communities that Duke Energy serves:

Statewide

Foundation for Chamber Economic Partnership – $5,000. The Foundation for Chamber Economic Partnership will create a website dedicated to marketing an industrial site.

Enterprise Florida – $25,000. Enterprise Florida will host Team Florida events to further build relationships with site selection consultants and corporate real estate executives.

Tampa Bay area

Citrus County Economic Development Council – $15,000. The Citrus County Economic Development Council will create a multi-tiered marketing campaign that will increase global exposure and economic development leads and win projects for the county.

City of Pinellas Park – $5,000. The City of Pinellas Park will update its economic development marketing materials, purchase and install new business retention software and cover costs for conference participation.

Pasco Economic Development Council Inc. – $10,000. The Pasco Economic Development Council will create a workforce development video showcasing its workforceCONNECT program and the talent pipeline in Pasco County.

Hernando County Board of County Commissioners – $10,000. The Hernando County program will target and recruit manufacturing and aviation/aerospace businesses to Hernando County through targeted meetings with projects considering relocation and/or expansion over the next 12 to 24 months.

Greater Orlando area

Foundation for Orlando's Future – $50,000. The Foundation for Orlando's Future program will launch the Property and Community Database to assist local governments searching for demographic information, small businesses looking for market research and out-of-region users exploring investment opportunities in the Central Florida market.

Highlands County Board of County Commissioners – $10,000. As part of its multiyear marketing campaign, the Highlands County Economic Development Office will target additional events such as the Commercial Drone and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Expo.

Lake County Board of County Commissioners – $10,000. Lake County will create a promotional video to showcase its premier location in Central Florida for business attraction and expansion. Elevate Lake and Lake County's economic development office will collaborate with Visit Lake, Lake County's tourism office, to produce the video.

Seminole County – $10,000. Seminole County will develop an integrated social media campaign and marketing collateral to mitigate the negative impacts to local businesses and bring much needed development and expansion resources to its community. 

Greater Tallahassee; Gainesville area

Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Inc. – $10,000. The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation program will facilitate a marketing campaign that targets and solicits business and talent attraction to the Greater Gainesville region.

North Florida Economic Development Partnership Foundation Inc. – $20,000. The North Florida Economic Development Partnership Foundation will continue investigating strategic sites for economic development and identify a list of industries to target for recruitment.

Florida's Great Northwest Foundation – $10,000. Florida's Great Northwest Foundation will expand its "Go Beyond Our Beaches" campaign by creating additional marketing materials and connecting the messaging through events and places where site selection consultants and company executives will be.

Sumter County – $10,000. Sumter County will update its economic development website with new photos and major revisions, including new content and a refreshed website design.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the Foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation. 

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities – with goals of at least a 50% carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to own or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company also is investing in major electric grid upgrades and expanded battery storage, and exploring zero-emitting power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2021 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko
Cell: 315.877.3031 
Media line: 800.559.3853

SOURCE Duke Energy

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