responsible renovation in Downtown DeFuniak Springs
What’s happening in Downtown DFS?
"Coming to 'Town'," was special when I was growing up," said Wanda Hardy Brannon, a native of DeFuniak Springs (DFS) and graduate of Walton Senior High School, Class of 1970. "Coming back in 2003, after being away for 30 years, downtown felt old and tired. But not anymore. I love the new look and new shops."
Reynolds Henderson, real estate investor and entrepreneur, is
responsible for much of the Baldwin Avenue restoration to which Brannon
referred. He has bought, renovated and leased several Baldwin Avenue retail
spaces including Perla Baking Company, Setco Services and the former First
National Bank building. And he is excited about the potential he
sees for future economic and business growth in DFS and Walton County.
In addition to his work downtown, Henderson is a member of Triumph
Gulf Coast's board of directors, so he is keenly aware of Walton County's
funding status. And as a former member of Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC)
Board of Directors, he has an informed perspective of Walton County's workforce
training and education. So, The Herald-Breeze sat down with Henderson for a
Q&A to discuss his insights about responsible growth and development in
DeFuniak Springs and Walton County.
Herald: What prompted you to begin restoring properties in
Downtown DFS?
Henderson: I have always
been interested in historic preservation and have formerly owned and renovated
historic buildings in Alabama. One afternoon I was returning to Florida
after a visit with family in Alabama and happened to take an accidental detour
straight into downtown DFS. It was then that I saw the rich history and overlooked potential of
revitalizing the picturesque DeFuniak Springs and Baldwin Avenue.
Herald: Why is Triumph funding important to Walton County?
Henderson: Triumph Gulf Coast was a non-profit set up after Florida's $2 billion settlement with [British Petroleum] BP. Triumph is a $1.5 billion trust fund set up statutorily to create a more resilient economy in the Panhandle. The legislation allocated 75 percent to eight affected counties along the Panhandle’s coast.
Walton County is guaranteed 5 percent of this allocated money. Funds can be used for public infrastructure projects to incentivize companies to create jobs that provide wages over the median income. The funds can also create workforce education to train a workforce (CTE-Career Technical Education) through third-party certificate training (CAPE level).
Herald: Do we have a trained local workforce to support sustained growth?
Henderson: No, and we are nowhere close. Triumph can assist in providing funding, but we need local leadership to create the programming ideas and apply. Northwest Florida State College is our statutory provider in this county for these types of training programs. The college recently built new training facilities at their Chautauqua Center campus, on Highway 90 in DeFuniak Springs, partially through Triumph funding, The new programs offered include cyber security, drone training, structural welding, and construction trades just to name a few. However, they have failed to properly implement these programs, and the campus is not functioning due to a lack of leadership.
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