Bowling Green, FL — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is dedicating another nearly $2 million for the “rapid” training and credentialing of new commercial drivers.

In an announcement on Thursday at the Hardee Campus of South Florida State College, Gov. DeSantis said he was making the funds available through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funding to support Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and Logistics training programs spanning up to sixteen weeks.

“Workforce education provides a pathway for Floridians to succeed, but also helps alleviate the damage being wrought by inflation and supply chain interruptions,” said Governor DeSantis. “We are facing supply chain shortages caused by bad federal policies and a lack of investment in workers across our country. In Florida, we are stepping up by providing support to skilled trades that are essential for a strong economy.”

Governor Ron DeSantis announces funds for workforce education programs that will train thousands of new truck drivers across Florida.
Watch Live: https://t.co/LtOBgecbtM

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 20, 2022

A spokesperson for Gov. DeSantis told Transportation Nation Network (TNN) the funding is expected to add another at least 1,000 Class A and B CDL drivers across the state by August 2022.

Institutions that will receive funding are:

• $930,000 to State College of Florida for CDL training;
• $550,000 to Manatee Technical College for Logistics (forklift) and CDL training;
• $415,000 to South Florida State College for CDL training;
• $100,000 to North Florida Technical College for CDL training.

Last month, Gov. DeSantis awarded a $3.1 million grant to Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) for the establishment of the Nassau County Transportation Education Institute (NCTEI).

The Governor’s office stated FSCJ will use the funds to purchase new training trucks and construct two commercial vehicle driving pads for NCTEI, which trains students to obtain Class B and C CDLs.

The grant is projected to provide required driving classes and endorsements for an estimated 1,240 individuals ($2,500 per CDL driver) to obtain jobs in the transportation industry.

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