- Leon County leaders made 20 new goals for the next two years in Leon County.
- Two big events in 2025 and 2026 are expected to bring millions into the local economy.
- Watch the video to hear how the county plans to increase affordable housing inventory:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Leaders are planning the future of Leon County in 2025 and beyond.
County leaders met at the Retreat at Bradley’s Pond to discuss increasing affordable housing, tourism numbers and community resources in the years ahead.
20 new goals added to a list of 85 already for the next two years in Leon County.
"Our economic development, our tourism, our planning agency, those things all work together to bring money into the community," said County Commission Chair Brian Welch. "We want to build roads and we want to build infrastructure to facilitate events coming here."
Chair Welch said the county's yearly retreat is important to recap work done already to make plans for the future.
Seventy-two of the goals have been completed since 2022.
One of their new plans: expanding tourism in our community.
The Motor, Drive Systems and Magnetics Conference is coming to the Capital City next month and leaders want to keep that ball rolling.
"That's a huge deal," Welch said. "That's going to bring over 400 industry executives from all over the country to Tallahassee where we obviously have a huge magnetic ecosystem we want to take care of."
Next year, the director of Visit Tallahassee Kerri Post said Apalachee Regional Park will make a huge impact with the World Cross Country Championship.
"There will be teams for more than 60 countries, more than 10,000 spectators and an estimated economic impact of 4.3 million dollars," Post said. "We're literally welcoming the world to Florida for Tallahassee's first world championship sports event."
That's why some goals in the 20 new plans include working on the park, continuing to host the magnetic conference and bringing more Billboard Top 100 artists to town.
Leaders also talked about affordable housing, with an expected 158 new units coming for extremely low- and low-income households off of Lake Bradford Road.
They said they will encourage others to build more units through the Live Local Act, giving 100% property tax exemption to affordable housing developments.
Welch said with the path the county's plans are taking, they will be headed toward completion of their goals by the end of 2026.
"It's hard in government because it doesn't feel like things are moving but the reality is, they are moving, it just moves slowly," Welch said. "It's like watching an oak tree grow, but when you're under it and in the shade, everybody loves it."
Leaders will continue those conversations about Apalachee Regional and affordable housing inventory at their regular meeting Tuesday.
