The City of Zephyrhills is proud to announce it will receive $12.04 million in total funding for three infrastructure-related projects, as part of the 2022-2023 Florida state budget approved and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 2, 2022.

City of Zephyrhills receives over $12 million in state appropriations

These local appropriations are as follows:

• Municipal Airport improvements ($6.6 million)

Project background: Design and construction of a new Fixed Based Operator (FBO) Terminal Building, Taxiway F, and two new box hangars. Future development of the airport and the adjacent Industrial Park will attract new corporate and recreational aircraft operations, including increased jet traffic. Moreover, specific immediate job opportunities will be created due to increased capacity for aviation businesses, including pilot lessons, new hangar construction, mechanical businesses, and corporate relocations and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) businesses.

• Kossik Road and Fort King Road Sewer Main/Water Main Extension ($3.5 million)

Project background: This is Phase II of a three-phase project to improve utility access in the north end of the City of Zephyrhills. The water portion of the project will create a looped system, allowing for redundancy, improving fire flow, and water quality. The sewer portion will allow decommissioning of up to 400 existing septic systems and prevent nearly 2000 new OSTDSs (Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems), and provide reclaimed water to benefit the Hillsborough River Basin MFL (Minimum Flows and Levels).

• South Avenue Extension – National Guard Entrance Road ($1.94 million)

Project background: The Florida National Guard was awarded a $25 million appropriation in 2021 to construct a new facility in the City of Zephyrhills. The Guard selected a location just north of 6th Avenue and South Avenue and the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport; this proposed site does not currently have an improved access from 6th Avenue. The extension project consists of purchasing the right-of-way, a quarter-mile roadway to access the Guard site, stormwater, and extension of 1,300 linear feet of water main and sewer main to service the site from the 6th Avenue/South Avenue intersection. The industrial access road is a critically important roadway segment that will provide access to both the Guard and industrial development in the future.

“Receiving these appropriations helps to improve the infrastructure throughout the City of Zephyrhills in a multi-faceted approach,” said Billy Poe, City Manager for the City of Zephyrhills. “Thank you to Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, Senator Danny Burgess, and Representative Randy Maggard for their continued support of the Zephyrhills community. Also, thank you to Governor Ron DeSantis for his support, and seeing the value in these infrastructural improvements in the City of Zephyrhills, as well as the entire Florida Legislature for getting these projects into the state budget.”