Rural business tour stops Florida

Florida’s Rural Business Resource Tour made its Wakulla-Franklin stop in Crawfordville on Friday, April 10, bringing state, federal and local business agencies to two Big Bend counties. (thewakullasun.com) (floridajobs.org) The tour is co-hosted by FloridaCommerce and the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, and the state said the program was built to connect rural companies with “essential resources” close to home. Florida announced the statewide initiative on September 30, 2025, with its first stop set for Perry on October 2, 2025. (floridajobs.org) Florida said attendance is free and open to any business, with a focus on small business owners, entrepreneurs and groups that support emerging firms in rural counties. The Wakulla Sun reported the Crawfordville event was aimed at business owners and would include federal, state and local support organizations. (floridajobs.org) (thewakullasun.com) The stop landed in two counties with long ties to the water. Wakulla County’s economic development arm points to St. Marks’ marina and industrial park, while Panacea is described by local tourism officials as a community shaped by fishing, shrimping, crabbing and boat-building. (wakullaedc.com) (visitwakulla.com) Franklin County sits in the same regional economy. The Apalachee Regional Planning Council lists both Franklin and Wakulla among the nine counties it serves on economic development projects, grants and outreach. (arpc.org) The state has framed the tour as a face-to-face model for places where owners put more value on “direct, local, face to face outreach,” Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly said in the launch announcement. Greg Britton, the state director of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, said the goal is to give rural entrepreneurs access to tools “right in their own backyard.” (floridajobs.org) That approach runs through the support network behind the tour. Florida said the events are organized with Rural Areas of Opportunity groups and partners including CareerSource Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and VISIT FLORIDA. (floridajobs.org) For businesses in Wakulla and Franklin, the nearest Florida Small Business Development Center service area already runs through Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, which covers both counties. The United States Small Business Administration says these centers help firms with capital access, planning, operations, marketing and exports. (floridasbdc.org) (sba.gov) The Florida stop also fits a wider state focus on coastal industry. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s working waterfront grant program says state money can support projects tied to seafood, aquaculture and the heritage of traditional waterfront economies. (floridadep.gov) The tour’s pitch in Crawfordville was simple: bring the agencies to the businesses, not the other way around. In Wakulla and Franklin, that meant a one-day stop aimed at owners whose next customer, supplier or permit office may still depend on who they can meet in person. (floridajobs.org) (thewakullasun.com)