PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — On Thursday, there was a big announcement and a big check for a small town on the First Coast.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced funding for a major infrastructure overhaul in Putnam County. Indications are it's most likely connected to Bass Pro Shops and a possible resort.
That's because the founder of the company was at the press conference today with the governor.
At Corky Bells Restaurant in East Palatka, DeSantis announced a $3.5 million grant for the City of Welaka for a new wastewater treatment plant.
That's a hefty sum for a town of 717 people.
It's also the town where First Coast News has reported that Bass Pro Shops has been buying up hundreds of acres of land and clear-cutting large swaths as well.
For what exactly? There's no official word from the company.
Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris' company owns several high-end resort facilities around the country, including a 5,000 resort in the Ozarks. He has owned a fishing lodge on the St. johns River in Welaka for 30 to 40 years.
He thanked the governor at Thursday's press conference for looking out for small towns and for the St. Johns River.
Morris also said, "We love this river. We love this community. We don't have any real big particular plans, but when we develop something or have a wish list, we'll be sure to work with everybody and be part of the community. And hopefully, whatever we end up with, if we do something, everybody would be proud of it."
Meanwhile, Welaka Mayor Jamie Watts is thrilled about this money for a new waste water treatment plant. It would most likely take the town's 700 residents off of septic tanks, and that could improve the impact on the river.
When First Coast News prodded the mayor about what's coming that would demand such a major improvement to the wastewater system in his town, he did not reveal much.
"We don't know (what's coming)," Watts said. "We don't know, but we're going to be ready for it when it happens."
First Coast News' Jessica Clark said, "It sounds like you know there's something."
Watts said, "I think, as you said earlier, we're connecting the dots. We know something's going to happen and we know when that happens, the infrastructure of this magnitude is not built overnight. This could take 3-5 years to complete. We have to be ready to meet that challenge. We can't wait until that challenge arrives. We have to do it now."
Mayor Watts mentioned three to five years. That's how long it's expected to complete the wastewater project.
So politicians and even the Bass Pro Shops founder are keeping tight-lipped about any plans for a Welaka resort.
However, coupled with an earlier grant, this tiny town has now received a total of more than $14 million from the state for an upgraded wastewater treatment plant.