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« Back to News MainDeFuniak Springs Community Hears an Update on the 7th Special Forces
DeFuniak Springs, Florida, March 25, 2010 – On March 22nd Lt. Col. Gary presented to the DeFuniak Springs community at a session hosted by the city of DeFuniak Springs and the Walton County Economic Development Council. Lt. Col. Gary Bloomberg is charged with leading the team coordinating the move of the 1st Special Forces, 7th Special Forces Group moving from Ft. Bragg to Eglin.
The audience was pleased to hear the Lt. Col share that, “My wife and I like old houses, and live in an 1895 home. I will come to DeFuniak Springs anytime just to see the historic downtown.” In a little over a year, more than 2200 soldiers and 4300 or more family members will be welcomed to our area. The average age of a 7th member is over 30 years old with a minimum of 10 years of service.
These not the rambunctious youth sewing their oats, as one might imagine when the term “soldier” is used. The men and women that are coming to town are highly skilled, responsible, family oriented future community members and neighbors. “These guys can’t afford to mess up because they have security clearance and their pay depends on it,” stated Lt. Col. Bloomberg. He talked about some expressing concerns of higher crime rates. Bloomberg said, “if you want to effect crime, then have one move into your neighborhood and it will go down.”
He also explained that when it comes to where the families will reside, “the majority will live in Walton, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa and can afford to live in Destin and South Walton but will also like the rural areas. There are no restrictions on where they can live, and like any family top priorities in selecting a residence are in putting their children in quality schools; amenities and housing options are also key considerations.” Bloomberg believes that, “Northwest Florida will become destination of choice for 7th Special Forces!”
Construction is underway and the group will begin moving in, in the spring 2011, but we could begin welcoming families as soon as this June. An advanced party will come in October. The Workforce Development Board is working with the group in areas such as housing, education, employment, medical and family services.