Workforce housing, training top priorities for Chamber
January 16, 2018 | Naples Daily News
By: Michael Dalby
When Florida’s annual 60-day legislative session kicked off earlier this month, legislators made the trek to Tallahassee armed with a long to-do list.
But they aren’t the only ones hoping to accomplish much in a short amount of time. Members of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce leadership team are traveling to Tallahassee on Jan. 24 to advocate for several Chamber and community priorities, including increased workforce housing and workforce training opportunities, long-time issues of importance for the organization.
Local employers have told the Chamber team that the cost of housing and the lack of a skilled workforce is a barrier to economic growth. We have heard countless stories of employers having to look out-of-state to hire skilled workers, only for job offers to be rejected because of the high cost of housing or long commute times from neighboring counties.
Collier County commissioners appear to be taking steps to address these challenges at a local level. The Collier County Community Housing Plan recommended several steps the county could take to reduce regulations, increase density and fund workforce housing initiatives. Commissioners have agreed to ask affordable housing developers to submit proposals to either purchase or enter into a public-private partnership to build housing on two pieces of property.
The board appears to be poised to move forward with a proposal to put a 1 percent infrastructure sales surtax increase on the 2018 ballot. That proposal could set aside a total of $20 million over seven years for land or other infrastructure necessary for workforce housing.
But workforce housing isn’t just a Collier County issue, and shouldn’t be dealt with as such. Communities across the state are having similar conversations about how to make sure there are housing options that are safe and affordable for a variety of citizens. While communities are trying to put more local dollars into housing, state dollars have been diverted elsewhere.
A bill by Sen. Kathleen Passidomo could stop that. The bipartisan measure, sponsored by Rep. Sean Shaw in the House, would prohibit lawmakers from transferring money out of the State and Local Housing Trust Fund. It is supported by the Sadowski Coalition, and would make sure dollars earmarked for housing were used for that purpose.
Projections show Collier County will need 43,000 new jobs by 2030. As our population grows, we need to consider what types of jobs those will be. While the tourism and service industry will always be a strong and vibrant part of our community, there are other ways to grow our local and regional economy.
That’s why the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, which is the designated economic development organization for Collier County, applied for a grant through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to expand and enhance the machining program at Immokalee Technical College.
During a meeting with Gov. Rick Scott at our offices earlier this month, manufacturers explained why this funding is needed. They have also sent letters of support, explaining how their growth far exceeds the number of available skilled workers in this region. The application has also been supported by business, educational and community leaders.
But the grant dollars are just one piece of the puzzle.
While there has been significant interest in building a centrally-located workforce training and development center as part of the county’s proposed 1 percent infrastructure sales surtax ballot initiative, we can’t just hope if that “if you build it, they will come.”
It’s part of our everyday discussions with local officials and business leaders in Collier County. We are hopeful that our trip to Tallahassee will give us the chance to meet with members of the state House and Senate, economic developers and other statewide leaders to advocate for these important Chamber and community priorities.
Article last accessed here on January 19, 2018.