NORTH FLORIDA – Gov. Ron DeSantis has cut nearly $20 million in funding for Northeast Florida, and one of the entities affected by the cuts is a workforce development group seeking to help people with their career planning and foundational work skills.
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CareerSource North Florida, according to its website, provides individuals with career planning resources, including assistance with earning a high school diploma, gaining admission to a technical or community college, or finding opportunities for those who need work experience to enhance their resumes.
It also offers personalized services for veterans and their families to assist in their transition from military to civilian life.
The organization says it will lose about $25,000 in funding as a result of DeSantis’ budget cuts, and although adjustments will be required, it believes it can successfully adapt to the situation.
“We feel pretty confident we’re going to be all right,” said Ron Whittington, a spokesperson for North Florida’s Skilled Workforce Development. “But like any household, I mean, if you come home and they cut your hours by 10 hours at work, you have to make adjustments.”
Whittington said that the organization has been anticipating some form of cuts after following along with news of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ and while the loss of $25,000 is “large,” he believes it can provide the same level of service.
“The folks that are coming to work with us every day, I’d say we’re still going to be here,” he said. “We don’t anticipate any kind of changes in our services, hours of operation, or any of that stuff. So don’t want to say business as usual, but kind of business as usual.”
Even though $25,000 is a significant amount, Ron says.
“The levels may change a little bit,” he noted. “But by and large, we’ll provide the same level of service, provide the same umbrella of services we have in the past.”
