MAYOR SEEKING SECOND TERM IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUED GROWTH FOR FLORENCE
– Mayor Steve Holt announces he will seek a second term to serve the City of Florence with continued growth in economic and community development.
“When I took office on November 7, 2016, the unemployment rate in Florence was 7.3%,” said Mayor Holt. “Florence is currently at 2.8%, the lowest unemployment that research has recorded. In the next term, I intend to maintain and continue this momentum for jobs.”
“The success of our job market means we now need to locate additional land for more industrial growth,” said Mayor Holt. “With the help and support of our citizens, I will keep pursuing business investments from every
category possible.”
Mayor Holt said he has added the responsibilities of business development and recruitment to the one-stop-shop program initiated by former Mayor Bobby Irons. The program makes it easier for potential new businesses to invest in Florence by gathering all services and departments under one roof for convenience. Investors no longer have to chase down answers by going to multiple offices to make inquiries. Everything needed is made available to them in one room.
“When I ran for Mayor, I promised we were not going to wait for the phone to ring, and we haven’t,” said Holt. “We have relentlessly pursued business investments and jobs for Florence. We have called, visited and engaged
with people to find solutions. We have focused on ways to make things possible – rather than the 49 reasons why it’s not possible. We have broken down barriers that made it difficult for those who wanted to help grow Florence.”
“I took a hard look at our assets, the projects that needed to be completed, the jobs that needed to be created, and made decisions that needed to be made for our city’s best interests,” said Holt.
Beyond job and business growth, other accomplishments under Mayor Holt’s first term of leadership include:
• Achievement as one of only nine cities to reach Platinum Status in the valley’s sustainable community program through TVA, and one of only two in the state
• Completion of the animal shelter with future plans to accommodate large animals
• Maintained a balanced budget with no deficit
• Ranked #2 in the state of Alabama for amount of reserved funds in relation to budget expenditures
• Improvement of campuses and quality facilities for students, teachers, and staff, with continued emphasis on the educational and economic value of programs such as dual enrollment, as well as local partnerships with
businesses and organizations which provide scholarships and internships, offering hands-on experience to students in one or more career fields
• Pursuit of bandwidth availability, expansion of wireless technology and a fiber capacity that will enable Florence to compete with any community in the digital economy
• Partnership with the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to complete the resurfacing of Mall Road and Hough Road, with the addition of a traffic light at the intersection to increase traffic flow and safety; additional partnering with DOT on the next major project, Rickwood Road at Helton Drive to Chisholm Road, should be out for bid this fall
• Continued extension of the Streetscape on Tennessee Street to Dr. Hicks Boulevard and connecting to College Street from Tennessee Street, a five block development
• Completion of the roundabout in East Florence and the paved connector between Sam’s Club and Target, as well as an emergency culvert replacement at Darby Drive and Decatur Avenue, in addition to numerous other current and completed paving projects
• Finished resurfacing all level 10 streets and, beginning this year, start resurfacing of level 9 streets (where roads are ranked 1-10 with 10 being in need of the most attention)
• Riverwalk is ready to go to bid, with construction to begin this summer
• Recovery and establishment of “The Club Senior Center” as a permanent location
• Ongoing renovation of all museums
• Expansion of programs and opportunities across our musical heritage base
• Restoration of parks and playgrounds, including pavilions and picnic areas, with development and upgrades to the disc golf course, tennis courts, kayaking and other recreational sports areas, plus properties conveyed for UNA women’s softball and sand volleyball
“Being Mayor of Florence is both an honor and a challenge,” said Holt. “I appreciate and take very seriously the vote of confidence my neighbors have placed in me. I recognize it’s important to serve everyone’s interests, and I endeavor to earn that trust daily.”
With over 49 years of experience in all aspects of economic and community development, including 22 years serving as President of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Holt has long been an active leader in the city. Along with other Shoals officials, he secured funding for the Singing River Bridge, Highway 157, and Shoal Creek Bridge. More recently, working with a legislative delegation and Lauderdale County, Mayor Holt helped support a grant to make it possible to six-lane Highway 72 from Indian Springs Road to the Shoal Creek Bridge area, potentially improving Florence traffic flow.
Mayor Holt is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a BS degree in Public Administration. He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute and is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD). Mayor Holt
graduated from the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management at the University of Georgia and is a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE). He is one of only about 100 professionals in the United States to hold both certifications.
Mayor Holt and his wife, Susie, are the parents of five children and have ten grandchildren. They are members of First Baptist Church of Florence, where Mayor Holt serves as a Sunday School teacher.
“When you look around Florence, you can see the growth and hopefully feel the momentum,” said Holt. “The community outlook is positive right now, and we plan to keep it going!”
