Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed an executive order re-designating and expanding the Northwest Rural Area of Opportunity, a regional economic development zone aimed at encouraging investment and job creation in economically distressed communities across the Florida Panhandle.
The move renews the designation for another five years and adds portions of rural northern Bay and northeastern Okaloosa counties to the area.
The updated designation includes the entirety of Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Wakulla, and Washington counties, along with northern Walton County. It now extends into parts of Okaloosa County east of State Road 85 and north of Interstate 10, covering communities such as Laurel Hill, Auburn, Deerland, and Svea. In Bay County, the order includes areas north of Scotts Ferry Road and east of Highway 231, as well as land north of Highway 388 between Highway 231 and Highway 79.
The Rural Area of Opportunity designation, first established in 1999 and extended multiple times since, provides flexibility for state agencies to waive eligibility or procedural requirements for various incentive programs. These include the Quick Response Training Program, rural job tax credits, brownfield redevelopment refunds, and economic development-related transportation funding.
Under the order, the region receives priority support from the state’s Rural Economic Development Initiative. Local governments within the designated area must enter into formal agreements with the Florida Department of Commerce to access program benefits. These memoranda of agreement must outline each jurisdiction’s commitments to retaining existing employers and attracting new businesses.
The designation remains in effect through July 8, 2030, and will be reviewed annually by the Rural Economic Development Initiative, which may recommend changes based on economic progress or compliance with agreement terms.
