Expand / Collapse search
☰

Governor DeSantis touts Florida job growth as manufacturer announces new facility

By
Published  June 9, 2025 10:44am EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News
Gov. DeSantis news conference in Crawfordville

Gov. DeSantis news conference in Crawfordville

Gov. Ron DeSantis touted job growth in Florida during a news conference on Monday where he announced a new manufacturing facility in the northern part of the state.

The Brief

    • Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida continues to expand in areas like manufacturing.
    • His comments on Monday came during the announcement of a new facility for Point Blank Enterprises in north Florida.
    • The governor says such projects generate millions of dollars for local economies.

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting job growth in Florida, speaking at an event on Monday announcing a new manufacturing facility in the northern part of the state.

What they're saying:

During Monday's news conference in Crawfordville, the governor said Florida ranks among the best in the country for gross domestic product (GDP) growth, a claim that is backed by recent statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

"We lead the nation in new business formation," DeSantis said. "Every year for the past five or six years, more businesses have been formed in Florida than any state."

Pictured: Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in Crawfordville on June 9, 2025.

Pictured: Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in Crawfordville on June 9, 2025.

By the numbers:

Monday's announcement focused specifically on a new manufacturing facility in Wakulla County for Point Blank Enterprises, which manufactures body armor for law enforcement and the U.S. military.

The company is based in Pompano Beach and employs about 4,000 people worldwide.

Officials at Monday's news conference said the new north Florida facility will create about 300 jobs with an average annual salary of $52,900.

READ: 'Brooke's Law' awaits governor's signature. Here's how it targets 'deepfakes'

DeSantis said the state's Job Growth Grant Fund and Rural Infrastructure Fund contributed a total of $8 million to make Point Blank's expansion possible.

"When you think about things that they manufacture, these are things that save the lives of our law enforcement personnel, particularly when they have to go into very dicey situations," DeSantis said.

The governor also said projects like this generate millions of dollars for local economies around the state.

"You guys know how the economy works: if people are able to find gainful employment and actually earn a decent living, then they're going to be able to spend that money locally," DeSantis said. "It helps businesses. It helps things move."

Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

The Source: This story was written with information from a news conference in Crawfordville, Florida, on June 9, 2025.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

FloridaRon DeSantisNews