What Florida GOP's budget truce means for Tampa Bay projects
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Republicans in the Florida Legislature passed a $115.1 billion state budget and $1.3 billion tax relief plan earlier this month.
Why it matters: GOP lawmakers blew past the 60-day deadline, dragging out the process with threats, insults and 45 days of overtime. Now, it's up to Gov. Ron DeSantis to decide whether to sign it.
- In the meantime, here's how Tampa Bay's priorities fared.
🚦 Partial win for Gulf Boulevard: The budget sets aside $750,000 of the $1 million requested to upgrade dozens of traffic signal cabinets to withstand storm surges along flood-prone Gulf Boulevard.
- The project aims to keep traffic signals on during storms for the 100,000 residents within Pinellas County's beach communities.
🏖️ Win for Safety Harbor: Both chambers agreed to earmark the $1.14 million needed to repair Safety Harbor's pier after Hurricanes Debby and Helene wrecked it.
- The state House's earlier proposal offered half that.
🚸 Win for Harmony Heights: The budget allocates the $750,000 requested to better protect pedestrians, cyclists and children in Harmony Heights, a low-income neighborhood in Pinellas Park.
- House lawmakers had also tried to cut that allocation in half.
🔌 Win for generator upgrades: Lawmakers from Hillsborough County secured the full $3 million needed to replace aging generators at two water treatment plants and two wastewater lift stations.
- The facilities collectively provide drinking water and wastewater services to more than 250,000 residents.
🏫 Partial win for USF's AI College: The budget sets aside half of the $20 million requested for the University of South Florida's College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.
🌉 Win for bridge fix: Lawmakers agreed to allocate the $750,000 requested to replace a deteriorating bridge near 55-plus community Sun City Center, which saw an average of 6,450 vehicles per day in 2023.
🌀 Loss for tax holidays: This year's hurricane season began without the usual sales-tax holiday for disaster preparedness. And if the governor signs this budget, don't hold your breath for one.
- In lieu of the two 14-day sales-tax holidays on dozens of supplies that DeSantis proposed, lawmakers opted for a permanent, year-round sales tax exemption on fewer items.
- Covered are: six sizes of batteries, smoke detectors and alarms, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, gas and diesel fuel tanks, certain portable generators, tarpaulins, and ground anchor systems.
- Missing are the pet supplies covered under last year's exemption, which included wet and dry food, manual can openers, food and water bowls, cat litter pans, leashes, collars, and more.