Tavares will receive $6 million from the state to help build a new public works complex combined with an automotive training center for Lake Technical College.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the money from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund Friday afternoon.
Tavares Mayor Amanda Boggus couldn't stop smiling as she stood near the governor holding a giant check made out to the city.
"We've been working on this project for years and the problem has always been funding. Where are we going to get the money from? And then, depending on how much money we get, how limited the project could end up being," she said. "This is going to change everything. It's like we're going to get everything on our wish list. So I'm giddy like a kid at Christmas right now."
The 35,000- to 40,000-square-foot building will house the public works department and Lake Tech programs for mechanics, forklift operators and collision specialists.
It will also train technicians to work on emergency vehicles like fire trucks and police cars and will triple Lake Tech's automotive enrollment from 16 to 48 students per semester.
Tavares is also spending five and a half million dollars of its own money on the building.
