Eleven building sites for new industries have been approved to move forward in Gulf Power Company’s site certification program for Northwest Florida.

The sites — from both public and private owners — were submitted earlier this year as part of Gulf Power’s “First Sites” program aimed at helping communities prepare locations to attract new industries and new jobs to the region.

Gulf Power hired McCallum Sweeney, a nationally recognized site consultant firm, to evaluate the sites and determine which were best suited for industrial use. The consulting firm evaluates the properties, identifies improvements that must be made and then certifies the sites once they have met all the program requirements.

“Northwest Florida has quickly gone from having zero certified sites to potentially having 11 sites ready for development by September 2014,” said John Hutchinson, Gulf Power’s director of Public Affairs and Economic Development. “Having the McCallum Sweeney ‘stamp of approval’ on these sites will make the region more competitive for economic development projects.”

Landowners have one year to complete the identified improvements — everything from obtaining permits, improving topography and producing engineering reports to making sure adequate utilities are available to the site. Once all of the improvements are made, McCallum Sweeney will consider certifying the site. Gulf Power is paying half the consultant charges for publicly owned sites with private landowners paying the full amount.

Once certified, the sites will be marketed by local, regional and state economic development agencies to prospective companies to bring new jobs to Northwest Florida.

The 11 sites include one each in Escambia, Walton and Okaloosa counties, two in Bay and Jackson counties and four in Santa Rosa County. Another site in Walton County could be added to the list in mid-October if plans for sufficient wastewater capacity that meet the consultant’s minimum criteria for certification are submitted.

“This is the first program of this type in the state of Florida,” Hutchinson said. “Other states already have certified sites so we need to push forward with the preparation of these sites to help bring jobs to Northwest Florida.”

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”