Jackson Lab Abandons Effort to Establish Facility in Florida
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Published on Friday, 03 June 2011 18:02
First, the Jackson Laboratory said goodbye to Ave Maria. Now, the Maine-based genetics research organization has pulled the plug on all plans to establish a research facility in the state of Florida.
The lab had hoped to build a personalized medicine research center in Sarasota County, settling on that location after it became apparent early this year that its original proposal to build near the town of Ave Maria was unlikely to receive the necessary support from either the Collier County or state government.
The lab announced Friday that it will withdraw its request for $100 million in state start-up funding, citing "the lack of funds in Florida's severely constrained state budget, which provides only limited funding for economic development activities".
Charles E. Hewett, Jackson's executive vice president, said in a statement that senior state economic development officials were supportive but did not have access to sufficient funds to support the project.
"We were invited to submit a much-reduced proposal to the Florida Innovation Fund, but the amount available in that fund now, and the uncertainty of future funding, made such a venture too speculative to undertake responsibly," Mr. Hewett said.
He indicated this would be the final chapter in the laboratory's Florida venture.
"We understand Florida's budget situation, and we will turn our attention to other priorities," he said.
