Gov. Ron DeSantis' budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year saw nearly $1 billion in line item vetoes, including a number in the greater Tampa Bay region.
While DeSantis signed the $116.5 billion budget just after noon Wednesday in Tampa, the long-awaited list of cuts was not released by his office until around 4 p.m.
According to state figures, DeSantis cut $949,611,399 — $766,287,757 in general revenue and $183,323,642 in trust dollars.
Communities throughout the area lost funds for infrastructure programs such as water main replacements ($1 million in Safety Harbor), stormwater system repairs ($375,000 in Dunedin and $150,000 in Largo), shoreline revitalization ($550,000 for St. Petersburg's North Shore Park and $1 million for Tampa's Palmetto Beach), and road projects (such as $2 million for Collins St. in Plant City and $1 million for improvements of East Lake Road and Keystone Road in Pinellas County).
The University of South Florida fared well, with President Rhea Law hailing a $50 million recurring increase to its operation budget, a $35 million nonrecurring increase to fund strategic projects, and $31 million for infrastructure and safety improvements.
However, DeSantis cut $3.9 million in nonrecurring funds for its Opioid Incident Response Simulation Modeling and Healthcare Professionals Training Program.
The newly proposed joint project between USF’s College of Nursing and College of Behavioral and Community Sciences would have used state Opioid Settlement Funds to attempt to lower opioid abuse statewide and better respond to opioid overdoses.
Southeastern University ($750,000 for its Trades Start Up Project and $500,000 for dorms and transitional housing) and Polk State College ($1.5 million for building renovations) — both in Lakeland — had projects cut.
And various funds for the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg ($500,000 for expanding education, innovation and community outreach), Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater ($820,000 for hurricane response and preparedness), the Perlman Music Program in Sarasota ($200,000 for its winter residency program), and the Perry Harvey Bandshell in Tampa ($500,000) were also removed from the budget.
Here is a county-by-county list of some of the key projects that were nixed:
Hillsborough
USF - Opioid Incident Response Simulation Modeling and healthcare Professionals Training Program: $3,900,500
Hillsborough County Lithia-Pinecrest Transportation Project: $2,000,000
Plant City Collins Street Complete Streets: $2,000,000
CR579 Little Manatee River-South Fork Bridge - Hillsborough County: $1,500,000
Tampa - Palmetto Beach Neighborhood Protection and Living Shoreline Enhancement: $1,000,000
Tampa Bay Watch Living Shoreline and Water Quality Improvements: $1,000,000
Tampa Bay Water - Surface Water Treatment Plant Expansion: $1,000,000
St. Petersburg North Shore Park Shoreline Revitalization: $550,000
Hillsborough County East Energy Resiliency Project: $500,000
Plant City Turkey Creek Road Improvements: $375,000
Pinellas
St. Petersburg Willow Marsh Boardwalk Replacement: $1,100,000
City of Oldsmar - South Oldsmar Infrastructure Renovation: $1,000,000
Madeira Beach Milling and Resurfacing Area 9 Streets: $1,000,000
Safety Harbor Roadway Improvements and ADA Infrastructure Compliance: $1,000,000
Dunedin EOC and North County Fire Training Center - Phase II: $850,000
Revitalization of Clearwater Armory Site: $714,000
Amplify Clearwater - IGNITE Entrepreneurship Center: $680,000
Treasure Island Roadway and Drainage Improvements: $500,000
St. Petersburg Public Safety Training Complex: $500,000
Pasco
Pinellas and Pasco Affordable Homeownership Initiative (HF1188, SF 1749): $3,000,000
Zephyrhills Septic to Sewer Southside Transmission Line Upgrades: $1,550,000
Hernando
Hernando County Beach Wastewater Resiliency Project: $1,000,000
Polk
Fl Poly STEM Program Enhancements: $3,000,000
RCMA Mulberry Community Academy (charter school) expansion: $500,000
Sarasota
Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority Regional Transmission System Expansion: $2,500,000
Manatee
City of Bradenton Transportation Safety Improvements $5,000,000 (HF 2902 SF 1281)
Hardee
Hardee County Center Hill Bridge Improvements $1,400,000
The complete list is below:
