Rep. Ted Yoho & Assistant Secretary For USDA Rural Development Host Field Hearing

Press Release

Representative Ted Yoho participated in a USDA's rural prosperity field hearing today with Rural Development's Assistant Secretary Anne Hazlett in Palatka, Fl along with state and local stakeholders. The meeting held at the Putnam County Board of Commissioners room lasted approximately 3 hours and included commentary from the Putnam County Commission, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Florida Rural Water Association, the North Florida Economic Development Partnership, the Putnam County Medical Center, UF IFAS, St. Johns River State College, and the Florida Department of Transportation.

The meeting centered on ways federal, state, and local partnerships can be formed and used to effectively engage in rural development opportunities. Projects that were discussed included waste water treatment systems, potable water treatment plants, rural health and medicine, rural transportation, workforce development, and access to broadband. Representative Yoho highlighted his vision, "Project Putnam" as a potential model for the rest of the region and rural areas of the state. Project Putnam is a 5 pillar vision that seeks to help Putnam County recover from recent natural disasters, stabilize and build their infrastructure, bolster education, and grow their local economy.

Representative Yoho released the following statement after the meetings conclusion:

"Today was a great day for rural America and in particular, the 3rd Congressional District of Florida. To have so many engaged stakeholders at the table discussing ways that we can come together and work towards supporting our local communities is a testament to the shift in leadership that we are seeing in this new administration. We are coming out of the days of over regulation, burdensome rules and mandates that were killing our small rural communities in the past, and moving into a prosperous era for agriculture all across America. There are several critical infrastructure projects that are long overdue that can only be done with the help of federal and state partners. They have gone on for too long without resolution and if we are to truly be supportive and care about our rural communities, we must do what we can.

"I want to thank the USDA and in particular Assistant Secretary Anne Hazlett for her hard work in pulling together a wonderful group of stakeholders who are all invested in making rural America great again. I also would like to thank our state and local USDA team who were instrumental in making today a success. We have a great team of people who are coming together and we will see the benefit of this work for decades down the road. Personally, I will be conducting follow up meetings with several of these stakeholders to continue working on the projects that we have begun under Project Putnam and to begin work on some new projects that were introduced and highlighted today. Stay tuned!"

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