2023-01-03 VII. B. Exhibit 3 • Exhibit 3
01/03/0203
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rfi°k CITY OF OKEECHOBEE Okeechobee City Council
,r� Mayor Dowling R. Watford, Jr.55 SE THIRD AVENUENoelChandler OKEECHOBEE, FL 34974MonicaClark6 �,�� Phone: (863)763 3372 Bob Jarriel
%:n,— www.cityofokeechobee.corn David McAuley
3 January, 2023
The Honorable Erin Grall The Honorable Kaylee Tuck
Florida Senate—Dist. 29 Florida House of Representatives—Dist. 83
306 Senate Office Building 308 House Office Building
404 South Monroe Street 402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399 Tallahassee, FL 32399
REF: Letter of Support—Okeechobee School for Boys Public Land Conveyance
Dear Senator Grall and Representative Tuck:
The Mayor and the City Council of Okeechobee is pleased to provide this letter of support on
behalf of Indian River State College (IRSC), the Okeechobee County Economic Development
Corporation (OCEDC), and the Okeechobee Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in their
efforts to seek a public land transfer of the Florida School for Boys property to the IRSC District
Board of Trustees.
The State of Florida opened the door to revitalization of this site's sister campus in Marianna,
Florida, back in 2018. Today, that transition has created a prospering 'Endeavor Park' in Jackson
County, home to economic growth, training opportunities, and more. The Okeechobee
community respectfully asks for the same opportunity to inject new life into a site that is both a
public eyesore and a historical blight.
The College and its committed partners have an innovative vision centrally focused on the
establishment of an IRSC Data Park Campus. This endeavor will create hundreds of jobs,
embolden economic growth, open the door to new hi-tech training programs, and establish
necessary data infrastructure in the heartland of our great state. It also has the potential to infuse
tens, if not hundreds, of millions in capital into the Okeechobee region through Public-Private
Partnerships.
Please know this partnership led by IRSC has our expressed support, and we hope it will earn
your full consideration moving forward.
Sincerely,
Mayor Dowling R. Watford, Jr.