County may hire consultant to develop economic growth plan

Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree

MILTON — A strategic plan has never been developed for the Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office, according to Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree. He and his office, with a consultant's help, want to create one.

With Santa Rosa commissioners' expected approval this Thursday, the county EDO will release a request for quotation, seeking a consultant to develop a plan for the county’s economic development efforts, according to Ogletree.

The backup documentation for Monday’s commissioner committee meeting includes a draft of the RFQ.

“The completed strategic plan will provide a ‘road map’ indicating where best to allocate Economic Development resources and how to generate local business expansion and new business growth while maintaining a focus on the aerospace/defense and the commercial sector as an economic development strategy,” the RFQ states.

The EDO estimates the cost to do so will be between $80,000 and $120,000, which is included in the county’s economic development budget.

The estimated timeline starts with the RFQ’s Thursday approval and includes a presentation of the plan to commissioners in December.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: County may hire consultant to develop economic growth plan