Pensacola Chamber Awarded $200K Cyber Warfare Grant

November 7, 2013

Governor Rick Scott announced Wednesday that the Greater Pensacola Chamber has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Florida Defense Support Task Force. The funding will establish a center of excellence for information dominance to stimulate science and technology research and cyber warfare training.

We’re investing $200,000 in the Pensacola region to support the growth of science and technology in the region. The Greater Pensacola Chamber is putting these funds to great use by providing the community with more opportunity to excel and expand their knowledge in the military and defense sector,” Gov. Rick Scott said.

“The bases in Northwest Florida are vital to America’s national security, and we’re committed to supporting the families and communities who serve our country. We want to protect jobs and opportunities for Florida families, and the investment of another $200,000 from the Florida Defense Support Task Force grant funding to support research and development operations, create a center of excellence, and support our warriors will help in that goal,” Sen. Greg Evers said.

Representative Clay Ingram said, “I congratulate Pensacola’s military and defense industry. This award is huge for our area. The knowledge that our military men and women will gain because of these resources will make Pensacola a better place to live.”

“We’ve been working hard to support our military and defense in Pensacola and these funds will greatly help this community. I’m excited about Pensacola’s bright landscape and what’s to come for this area’s military sector,” added Rep. Mike Hill.

“The Center of Excellence is the culmination of our on-going relationship and collaboration with our federal partners at Corry Station,” said Craig Dalton, vice president of Armed Services, Greater Pensacola Chamber. “We are extremely grateful to the State of Florida for supporting this endeavor to collectively develop a cyber-forensics lab that promotes science and technology research in Pensacola.”

The grants are vital to military and defense programs and local economies, according to Secretary of Commerce and President & CEO of Enterprise Florida Gray Swoope. He said jobs are created and the state’s workforce is strengthened.

Statewide, the Task Force awarded more than $2 million in grant initiatives to local community organizations supporting Florida military installations. These grants will be utilized to protect, preserve and enhance Florida’s military missions and installations while maintaining Florida’s reputation as the most military friendly state in the nation.

Additionally, these grants will strengthen Florida’s military bases ahead of any potential U.S. Department of Defense realignment or closure actions. This will protect the more than $73 billion in economic impact and the nearly 760,000 jobs the defense industry infuses into Florida.

The Florida Defense Support Task Force was created in 2011 with the mission to make recommendations to preserve and protect military installations, support the state’s position in research and development related to military missions and contracting, and improve the state’s military-friendly environment for service members, military families, military retirees and businesses that bring military and base-related jobs to the state.

This program is administered by Enterprise Florida, Inc. on behalf of the Florida Defense Support Task Force.

Comments

3 Responses to “Pensacola Chamber Awarded $200K Cyber Warfare Grant”

  1. Jane on November 8th, 2013 4:06 am

    I agree with Jeeperman…there is nothing saying what this will be used for or why Florida is subsidizing a Federal Navy base. We have many well educated people here, many with high technical skills, who are not even able to get a job. We educate the young and they move away because there are no jobs here. I want to know WHAT they are using this money for???? And how much of it are the County Commissioner’s syphoning off for themselves?

  2. Robert S. on November 7th, 2013 6:07 pm

    @ Jeeperman…..

    Have same questions. This article and the one in PNJ have a lot of words, mostly folks patting each other on the back, but very little substance or explanation of what exactly is to be done with the $200,000.

    Figured after CoC does its “normal” studies, assessments, inquiries, hires a few individuals to manage things and buys a box of staples that all the money will have been well spent and nothing accomplished. Sort of like the “Technology Park” and the ECUA old poop plant property which are all booming.

  3. jeeperman on November 7th, 2013 6:20 am

    This same grant was “awarded” last year for the same thing.
    The Center for Information Dominance Unit (CIDU) Corry Station is a Navy operation.
    So is this state of Florida grant being used to subsidize federal dollars for the program or what?
    And why is the CoC in the middle, most likely syphoning off “administrative expenses” ?

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News