MILTON — Florida’s Great Northwest — a 12-county, regional economic development organization — has won a U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Adjustment Assistance grant, in partnership with and under University of West Florida’s administration, to assist in developing a Northwest Florida economic diversification strategy.
Planners will develop a regional strategy for economic transformation emphasizing business growth, job creation and private investment. The process will include stakeholders in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Escambia, Walton, Bay, Washington, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf and Wakulla counties.
Recognizing the need to have a unified approach for economic growth, Florida’s Great Northwest began convening its local, regional and state partners in late 2015 to begin discussions about regional economic transformation.
The strategy development’s next key phase work will be led by the Haas Center at the University of West Florida. It will include a complete SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — analysis of the region’s economic landscape, including an economic and demographic assessment, literature review of existing strategic plans and studies, and industry and entrepreneurial ecosystem analyses.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Florida organization, college partner for regional economic diversification strategy