BARTOW, Fla. (August 27, 2010) – The Central Florida Development Council is encouraging all small and minority-owned business in Polk County interested in working with the Florida High Speed Rail project to attend a meeting hosted by the Florida Rail Enterprise division of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm at The Lakeland Center, 701 West Lime Street in Lakeland.
The purpose of this meeting is to provide small and minority-owned businesses an opportunity to learn about the FDOT’s business enterprise goals and certifications required for working on the $1.25 billion (first phase) rail project which will connect Tampa to Orlando with a stop on Interstate 4 in Polk County.
“The FDOT meeting on September 1 is an excellent opportunity for Polk County businesses to learn how they may participate in this major capital project,” said the CFDC’s Executive Director Tom Patton. “There are literally thousands of jobs and millions of dollars at stake during the planning, engineering and construction phases of the High Speed Rail project. Polk County companies need to be at the table to take advantage of this huge opportunity.”
Patton said any potential contractor, vendor or supplier with an interest in the rail project, regardless of size, should attend the afternoon session at The Lakeland Center.
A meeting to inform the general public about the status of the High Speed Rail will follow the small business meeting at 6:30 pm.
