First of all, I want to take a moment to thank the Rio Grande Valley Partnership for the invitation to be here to speak to you all today. It is certainly an honor and a pleasure for me to be here.
As you all know, there are a lot of exciting things happening the Rio Grande Valley, from space programs in Cameron County to international trade to the Valley becoming a medical hub for the state of Texas, which we are very proud of.
Starr County is no exception. We have been blessed with an enormous growth in our communities. I don't know if y'all have been there lately, but if you haven't, I invite you to go visit us. You'd be surprised to the growth that we've had. The landscape has changed tremendously and I'm going to try and highlight a few things that we're working on and that have been accomplished in the county.
And I'll start with green energy, alternative energy. Over the last few years, we have been blessed with green companies that have invested billions of dollars into Starr County. This has created a tremendous amount of jobs during construction. Unfortunately, once they're done, the jobs that are retained are minimal, but they're high-paying jobs, something that we really need in Starr County. So, we're very thankful for these companies that looked at us to invest. And as we speak right now, we have approximately eight companies that we're negotiating with, as far as contracts with them, for wind and solar and many, many, battery storage facilities in the county.
Another area that we have grown drastically in is real estate. As you drive into Rio Grande City, you'd be amazed at how the landscape has changed. Just a few years ago, it was very different. Now we have constructed a lot of retail stores, such as tractor supplies, clothing stores, banks, hotels, etc. All this brings tax base to the county. Our citizens now can pretty much find anything that they need in Starr County. Of course, they still do a lot of their shopping here in the Valley.
I guess one of our… if not the biggest accomplishment and the one that I'm most proud of, is the advancements that we've had in our medical community. As you all know, many years ago, Starr County had only one doctor for the whole county, and that was Dr Mario Ramirez. don't know how he did it, but he served all our population by himself. So, we are eternally grateful to him and the Ramirez family.
Since then, of course, the hospital was built: Starr County Memorial Hospital, and our services improved greatly. However, Starr County still has one of the highest patient-to-doctor ratios in the country, and that we're trying to work; we’re trying to improve.
Doctor's Hospital at Renaissance has been a tremendous partner in Starr County and the Starr County Memorial Hospital went into partnership (with them) for medical services. Since then, DHR has been sending some of their specialty doctors to our community, so that our people that need the services, who are usually the elderly, don't have to travel. They can see those doctors right there in their backyard. So that's been a great improvement.
And right now, DHR is constructing a medical plaza right across from Starr County Memorial Hospital that will work in conjunction with our hospital to offer services that are not being offered at the hospital. They are building specialty clinics, for which the buildings are already done, and, most importantly, a medical research center and a center for a residency program for young doctors.
f I had been told or asked two, three years ago, what I thought of a residency program or a research center, I would have said, you know, I would love to see it, but I don't think it'll happen in my lifetime. Well, guess what? The buildings are already up, and those programs will start, hopefully, in 2026.
What does this mean for us and the Valley? Well, for one, we have more medical services in our county. Also, the research center… for years, our Hispanic community has been left behind as far as research, and that's partly our fault because we don't volunteer to be patients that will do research. But now, having this facility there, hopefully that will improve and change, not only for us in the Valley, but for the whole country.
And then the residency program. Why is that so important to us? Because we're hoping that some of these young doctors that go through the residency program in Starr County will build roots there and will stay there, so that our patient-to-doctor ratio will improve. And we think that will happen because we have really good people in Starr County, and I know they'll make you feel very welcome.
Moving on to some projects that we're working on that affect not only Starr County but the Valley as a whole. I really don't know what the other judges are going to talk about, but to me, the things that are most important are our infrastructure, drainage, flooding, and our roadways.
Currently, we're working with GLO (General Land Office) on a flood program/plan/study that they've been working for the whole Valley. So, in conjunction with that, the county has gone out and hired engineers to do a drainage study, so that together we can come up with a plan that is more efficient and more productive as far as getting the rain from Starr County down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Zs you all know, any bit of rain that falls in Starr County has to flow through Hidalgo County and ends up in Willacy or Cameron counties. So it behooves all of us that we work on this, because I know they (the other counties) also have problems with drainage.
And then the other (infrastructure issue) is the thoroughfares, the road constructions. Most of the heavy traffic that goes through Starr County is either trucks that are coming from Cameron and Hidalgo going to Webb, or from Webb going to the Valley. So it is pretty crucial that we have a good road system. Just last week, we broke ground on State Loop 195. This is a project that will loop around Roma and Rio Grande at a cost of about $250 to $300 million and this was made possible due to TxDOT. And I want to thank them and our legislative leaders for funding that project. (Applause).
So, hopefully this project will not end with construction of this particular project. The final goal is to extend it all the way to the new proposed Causeway into South Padre Island. So, what does that mean for the Valley? Now, people from Zapata, the Guerrero area in Mexico, can use this highway to get to the island without any inconvenience. This unites and connects the Valley together.
You know, I've been so blessed to have been working with this three gentlemen that are sitting here at the table, that are the other county judges. We all believe the same thing, that we need to think as a region. That's the only way that we will continue to grow and continue to prosper. So, to the three judges, thank you all so much for having me in your circle, and we look forward to the growth and prosperity of the Valley. Again, thank you to the Rio Grande Valley Partnership.
Editor's Note: The above commentary was provided by Starr County Judge Eloy Vera at the Rio Grande Valley Partnership's recent 2025 State of the Region luncheon.
