The City of Tampa holds its first public hearing today for the proposed 2026 operating budget, which comes in at a whopping $1.9 billion.

Why it matters: The budget lays bare the city's priorities, dollar by dollar — with millions set aside for storm preparation and flood mitigation to address pain points from hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Follow the money: Mayor Jane Castor called public safety her "top priority," and her budget reflects that. Nearly half a billion dollars will go to first responders.

• The police department is set to receive $262 million, with most of it, $221 million, covering salaries and benefits. The fire department would receive $192 million, with $143 million allocated for its personnel.
• The FY26 budget adds $79 million to replace aging water and wastewater lines; some of Tampa's pipes are almost 100 years old, and failing infrastructure has already cost the city millions of dollars.

Castor also earmarked $11 million for permanent backup generators at select stormwater pump stations and for staffing the city's Pump Station Rapid Response Team, addressing the flooding seen during Milton.

• About $10 million will go to resurfacing the city's aging roads, with $2.5 million to repave a stretch of New Tampa Boulevard; $850,000 is allocated for sidewalk construction.

What they're saying: "Roads, stormwater systems, and water lines might not be glamorous," Castor said when she unveiled her budget, "but they keep our city running."

What's next: The hearing's set for 5pm. If you'd like to share your thoughts during public comment, you can sign up to speak here.

• The next hearing happens Sept. 16, with the budget due before the 2026 fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Spread the word

Florida Department of Transportation workers early Tuesday painted over St. Petersburg's Progressive Pride intersection.

Why it matters: It's the last of five murals that were slated for removal under Gov. Ron DeSantis' directive to remove street art the state deems political.

• The removal also comes just hours after several hundred people gathered at the intersection Monday to protest the state's action by drawing rainbows and pro-LGBTQ+ messages with sidewalk chalk.
• "My heart hurts," organizer Rachel Covello posted on Facebook Tuesday morning.

Driving the news: Eric Sumpter, who lives in an apartment overlooking the intersection, was woken up about 2:50am by crews with leaf blowers clearing off the intersection, Sumpter told Axios.

• They soon began covering the rainbow stripes with black paint, using rollers and a sprayer, he said.
• They finished the work about 5am, police spokesperson Ashley Limardo told Axios.

What they're saying: "It was more intense than I expected," he said. "When you see them actively putting black on a rainbow, it's like sabotage. ... Freedom of expression is a big deal around here."

• Sumpter is gay and moved to the Grand Central District in part because of its LGBTQ+-friendly reputation.

Catch up quick: Four other installations, including a "Black History Matters" mural outside the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, were removed over the weekend.

• While cities such as Key West and Delray Beach have refused to comply with the state order, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said last week there was no legal path for the city to do so without risking millions in state funding.

The other side: DeSantis and state leaders have given varying reasons for the new rules. The initial guidance banned "social, political or ideological" pavement art that "does not serve the purpose of traffic control."

• While the guidance maintains that such artwork is a safety hazard to drivers, state leaders have produced no evidence to back up that assertion.
• The data that does exist shows the opposite.

More recently, DeSantis has blamed the directive on a new law passed this year by the Legislature.

• Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle refuted that and said covering pavement art never came up in the numerous conversations about FDOT's priorities for the coming year, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Keep reading

📣 Pinellas County Commission chair Brian Scott floated defunding Creative Pinellas, the county's designated arts support agency, during budget discussions for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. (Fox 13)

• The agency is urging supporters to speak at or submit comments ahead of this Thursday's meeting.
• The first of two votes for commissioners to adopt the budget will occur during the public hearing portion of the meeting, which begins at 6pm. The second and final vote is set for the Sept. 18 meeting.

🔍 Auditors with the state DOGE asked for thousands of documents from Hillsborough and Pinellas about their policies on carbon emissions, electric vehicles and solar energy policies. (Tampa Bay Times)

🤣 The Atlantic Coast Conference fined Florida State $50,000 after fans stormed the field after its 31-17 win over Alabama on Saturday. (ESPN)

Obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine may require some extra lifting this fall.

The big picture: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced new limits on who is eligible for COVID vaccines last week as the FDA issued approvals for updated boosters that may have left some scratching their heads.

• The country's COVID vaccine policy was already murky since Kennedy and other vaccine critics within and outside the federal health bureaucracy cast doubts on the safety of the mRNA shots.

Reality check: Experts generally see the COVID vaccine as safe and effective, especially for those at risk of serious illness.

• The policy change comes as COVID-19 cases have been surging across the country amid the rise of the Stratus variant.

Go deeper: A quick guide on the new COVID vaccine recommendations

Biologists at the Florida Aquarium's Coral Conservation and Research Center are working to spawn 5,000 baby corals over the next two years.

• The effort offers a lifeline to Florida's Coral Reef, which is increasingly vulnerable to disease as ocean temperatures rise.