• Unemployment rate: 8.6%
• Median Household Income: $22,719
• Per Capita Income: $14,460
• Large-scale phosphate mining is prevalent in Hamilton County’s White Springs
• The community includes 100 acres of undeveloped land in census track 9802
• The county received designation by Florida as a state Enterprise Zone 

Community Overview:

Hamilton County in North Florida is on the Georgia border and serves as a gateway for Florida traffic on I-75 and offers many miles of scenic land. As a result of the decline of naval stores activity, interstate expansion, and the decline in agricultural production, Hamilton County has been through many economic changes in the past 50 years. Unemployment remains prevalent and lack of skilled workers is a key component in their struggle to strategically develop. Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners successfully uses their Champion Community designation to attract diverse business and industry to the area and increase technical training opportunities to the residents.  

Strategic Plan Highlights:  

With the implementation of its strategic plan, the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners seeks to achieve a balance in economic and sustainable community development. The plan focuses on:

• Economic Development: Aggressively recruiting diverse business and industry to develop new jobs;

• Transportation: Improving public transportation systems and creating a traffic plan; and,

• Community Image: Improving eco-tourism activities without subjecting the resources to overuse. Actively preserving and restoring historic sites.

Partnerships include:

• Town of Jennings;

• City of Jasper Florida Department of Community Affairs;

• Suwannee River Water Management District;

• North Central Florida Regional Planning Council;

• Hamilton County Emergency Management;

• Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office;

• North Florida Community College;

• Hamilton County Council on Aging;

• Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center;

• Hamilton County Veteran’s Service Office;

• Kiwanis Club of Jasper;

• Jasper Women’s Club; and,

• Florida Power Corporation.

Leveraging

Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners has identified and secured support from various organizations at the federal, state, and local levels. Grants, technical assistance, and in-kind contributions in the amount of $3,107,000 were successfully leveraged in 2001. The County has a great deal of natural, historic, and cultural resources to help attract diverse funding.

Community Involvement:

The County holds regular community, public, advisory, and marketing meetings to review benchmarks and update goals. They hired an economic development coordinator to help secure funding and focus on monitoring their strategic plan. 

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