Leon County began bleeding jobs ten years before the Great Recession got into full swing in 2008 when newly elected Gov. Jeb Bush and the GOP legislature started chopping away at state departments.Those job losses have only gotten worse over the past 12 years as Florida Democrats have consistently failed to mount strong gubernatorial campaigns or gain significant seats in the state House or Senate.
The simple reality is that the Democrats are unlikely to regain control of the governor’s office or either chamber of the legislature in the near future. That makes it all but certain that the state jobs which are central to the Leon County economy are going to continue to disappear.
Now is the time for the City of Tallahassee and Leon County to invest in the health care sector, which the U.S. Department of Labor predicts will be the leading source of new jobs in upcoming years. The $10M contribution dental school contribution that FAMU has requested from the local government will be a big investment in job creation.
During the September 14 Strategic Planning Committee meeting of the Florida Board of Governors, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks confirmed the city and county’s favorable responses to FAMU’s request.
“The university has asked us to commit $5M each,” Marks said. “We have committed that we will do that either in direct funding or in-kind dollars. So that’s $10M that our community has committed to this effort…We truly believe that this will enhance our community in many ways.”
Tallahasseeans can look to Crestview for an example of how FAMU’s health science programs can attract job creators. Crestview donated land and a two story building to help FAMU launch an education center that will offer degrees in areas such as pharmacy, nursing, and public health.
Now, Pharmacy South, Inc. has expressed interest in establishing a plant in Crestview and forming a partnership with the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences satellite campus in that city. The FAMU pharmacy program would pipeline its graduates into jobs at the plant and also assist with research projects. According to the Crestview Bulletin, the first phase of the plant would initially bring 130 new jobs with a total payroll of $6.8 million. The average salary would be more than $52,000 per year. The second phase of the plant would take the total number of jobs up to about 500.
The Tallahassee and Leon County Commissions have been wise to take steps to avoid a statewide bidding war for the site of the potential FAMU College of Dental Medicine. Back when the FAMU College of Law was reestablished, Tampa, Orlando, and Lakeland all vied for the chance to have it located in their respective cities. Orlando ultimately offered the best package with its land and building contributions.
Jacksonville actually got off to a head start over Tallahassee in supporting the proposed FAMU dental school. The Jacksonville Times-Union endorsed the idea last year. FAMU also picked up community support when it attempted to save a dental clinic in that city that the University of Florida was closing.
The Healthcare and Bioscience Council of Northeast Florida, which is filled with prominent Jacksonville leaders, has been pushing to bring a medical school to the city for years. It is not happy about the fact UF and the University North Florida both said no. A dental school would likely be very welcome as part of Jacksonville’s ongoing push for more health science doctoral programs.
There is no reason for Leon County to wait for another community to come up with a better offer for the potential FAMU dental school. The $10M commitment is just what is needed to keep Tallahassee ahead of any additional competition that might be on the horizon.
The unqualified financial statement audits of President James H. Ammons’ administration, which have all had zero findings, prove that FAMU’s financial management is on par with all the other public universities in Florida. Ammons has gotten FAMU back to the normal, perfect performance it had on financial statement audits for 24 years before FYEs 2003 through 2007.
Tallahassee should have a dental school and FAMU is the right place for it. The $10M contribution from the city and county will ultimately come right back to the taxpayers through the economic boost the new program will give the community.