Obviously when we pull up a brass and like hey, is your dog?

They said when they approached it, it started to growl at them.

They were obviously hesitant, but they're like, it doesn't look in good condition.

We found one dog in there that was barely alive.

It's literally skin and bones.

Oh my god.

Welcome to a meeting of your Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners.

Representing District One, Harry Cohen.

Representing District Two, Ken Hagen.

Representing District Three, Gwen Myers.

Representing District Four, Christine Miller.

Representing District Five, Donna Cameron Cepeda.

Representing District Six, Chris Bowles.

Representing District 7, Joshua Wolstall.

The County Administrator is Bonnie Wise.

The County Attorney is Julia Mandel.

Time is set aside at the beginning of each meeting for citizens to speak on any issue.

So we have time for everyone.

Speakers are asked to limit their comments to three minutes.

Today's meeting is brought to you with closed captioning by Hillsborough Television.

Good morning, and welcome to the July 15th, 2026 board meeting of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners.

Would everyone please rise for the pledge and invocation given by our chaplain, Commissioner Gwynmyers.

And to the Republic for which you stand.

Thank you for those who are here today as we celebrate the thirty-sixth anniversary.

Father has a special blessing as our budget is being presented today.

Go with our county administrator and Kevin as they present the information to us on behalf of the citizens of Hillsburg County.

Bless our first responders and all of our employees.

Janet Byer, member Hillsboro Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities and the Alliance's Public Awareness Committee.

Maddie Wichorick, co-chair Hillsboro Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities.

Elizabeth Mueller, Chair of the Public Awareness Committee and Board Member Hillsborough Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities, Brenda Clark, At Large Board Member, Hillsborough Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities, Ben Ritter, Hillsboro Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities.

Raquel Pancho, ADA Coordinator, Office of the Chief of Staff of the City of Tampa.

Good morning.

Arizona Jenkins, member, Hillsborough Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities.

Jada Clark, Hillsborough County ADA office, Alder Alensworth, Advocate, Hillsborough Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities, and Cheryl Brown, President and CEO, Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision.

Thank you all for being here today, and good morning.

Ms.

Bayer, would you please join me at the podium?

The other members of your group will join us for photos in just a few minutes.

Thank you for coming today.

Since it was signed into law 36 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act has played an important role in raising awareness and establishing a comprehensive national mandate for eliminating discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

This legislation encourages all of us to celebrate one another's contributions and gifts in addition to learning about universal design, accommodations, and accessibility to dispel the myths and apprehension about different personal abilities.

This year's theme is celebrate, learn, share, impacting inclusion through the arts.

This celebration shines a spotlight on how the arts help build a more inclusive community for all of us to enjoy.

It is my pleasure to present this proclamation in honor of all people who live with disabilities as victors and never as victims.

And this proclamation reads, whereas July 26, 2026 marks the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark legislation that was passed to ensure that people with disabilities have the same civil rights and opportunities as those who don't.

And whereas the principles of the act foster fairness and belonging for all people with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions, and increasing full participation in community life.

And whereas the law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, schools, recreation, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the community.

And whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities, providing that everyone has full access to services, resources, and facilities.

And whereas the Hillsboro County Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities enhances local compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, raises awareness about the equity of people, and advocates on behalf of people with disabilities.

And whereas the 36th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act is celebrated with the theme ADA 36th, celebrate, learn, share, impacting inclusion through the arts, which recognizes the importance of ensuring opportunities for the full inclusion and participation of residents with disabilities throughout the community.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Board of County Commissioners of Hillsboro County, Florida, does hereby declare July 26, 2026, as Americans with Disabilities Act, 36th Anniversary Awareness Day in Hillsborough County, and urges all residents and visitors to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the passage of the law by reaffirming their commitment to its principles and supporting equity and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Executed this 15th day of July 2026, signed by all seven of the Board of County Commissioners.

Congratulations to you all for your hard work.

And Ms.

Bayer, would you like to say some words and accept the proclamation?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Signed and passed by President George H.W.

Bush in July 26th of 1990.

Thank you for supporting continue supporting the Hillsborough County Alliance for Citizens with Disability efforts to ensure equal opportunity and full inclusion and full participation for all citizens with disabilities.

This proclamation ensures us and makes us work harder, serve with a lot of commitment, even greater than before to um that public programs, employment, services, and any other public area is accessible for citizens with disabilities on keeping up with this the theme this year.

Also the Hillsborough Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities will be hosting their annual award ceremony.

Invitar a la Communidad to celebrate compared y aprender las experiencias que tenemos através de las bellas artes.

Las experiencias catenemos através de las bellas artes center forming articiando una noche gratuita donde saran artistas de thefer the diversosboro county alliance teniendo ceremonia annual esta actividad será gratuita in a salon rehearsal guest salon de ensayo a las siete de la noche gracias thank you thank you and if you all want to come up we're gonna take a picture with the board thank you so much thank you and here I'll give this to you to hold and uh that's just sort of I think we're gonna come back here we got a balance yeah so we have a week we're getting squeezing we like squeezing that's okay all right three thank you two and I'll see what the uh great awesome those are your eye glasses yes those are your eye glasses thank you commissioner cohen uh bonnie want to review the changes the agenda yes good morning commissioners we have um one item that has been deferred this is item F four by commissioner myers it is to approve a one year pilot program providing for consideration of affordable housing projects on land zone for commercial or industrial use owned by our religious institution we have one revision or correction to the agenda it's item A19 this is to approve and execute the second modification of an existing contract with Digitech Computer LLC for ongoing and as needed ambulance medical billing services this modification will extend the contract for by six months from july thirty one twenty twenty six to january thirty one twenty twenty seven is the correct date we have several items for time certain today the first one is at ten o'clock item E one this is to receive a special appearance by the Commission on human trafficking to present their semi annual report item e two at ten o'clock is to receive a special appearance by Joseph Walsh PhD executive director of the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District item B three is at ten fifteen this is providing for the issuance of the Hillsborough County subordinate utility revenue note series 2026 and the principal amount of not to exceed six hundred and fifty million dollars to fund various capital equipment projects to the county's utility system specifically the one water campus project located in southern Hillsborough County item G one is related to item B2 it is at 1030 this is to receive a report on a plan for a phased implementation of the African American Arts and Cultural Center project and then item B two at 1030 which is related to item G one is to prove and execute a restrictive covenant requiring the state of Florida with the state of Florida Department of State for their final reimbursement of two hundred fifty thousand dollars of a million dollars in state grant funds eleven forty five is a recess for lunch those are the changes to the agenda commissioner cameron speto just turn your mic on did you want to say anything no okay I can we motion for the changes so approved motion or commissioner um my sign commissioner cohen please call you vote motion carried seven to zero

Go ahead.

Just turn your mic on.

Did you want to say anything?

No.

Okay.

I'll come here motion for the changes.

So approved.

Motion on Commissioner Meyer Sign and Commissioner Cohen.

Please call your vote.

Motion carry, seven to zero.

The board are going to public comment portion of the agenda of the board of welcomes comments from the citizens about any issue or concern.

Your opinions are valued in terms of providing valuable input to board members.

However, at the same time, as requested when you address the board, the comments are not made direct direct directed at uh staff or the board members, but rather the issues.

We set aside 45 minutes for public comment this morning.

Uh when your name's called, please state your name, speak clearly into the microphone.

Up to three minutes are allowed for each speaker.

Uh first three speakers this morning are Tom Cobert, followed by Jeffrey Berger and then Gary Gould.

Mr.

Chairman, Commissioners, staff, and deputies.

Good morning.

My name is Tom Cobert.

I'm speaking about the African American Arts and Cultural Center this morning.

African Americans were brought to America in the holds of ships in chains to work in the cotton fields as slaves.

President Lincoln waged a civil war to free them.

The North One and America went on.

The former slaves were free, but they were considered second-class citizens.

Prejudice still exists strongly in America.

Hillsborough County can rise above this hatred.

I grew up in a clan neighborhood in Hillsborough County outside of the city of Tampa, and I know from personal experience how destructive this hatred can be.

Coming together to create the African American Arts and Cultural Center would showcase the history of a people that have contributed greatly to the betterment of America in Hillsborough County.

As an Air Force veteran, I will speak about the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen.

They were a squadron of African Americans who were assigned to protect the bombers that flew missions over Germany.

They were not welcomed by the white crews or the bombers.

They were considered inferior.

They had to be, they were not white.

The commander of the squadrons had seen the Tuskegee Airmen fly.

All the bombers that flew under their protection returned to base.

They were the only squadron that never had a bomber down by German fighter pilots.

Before long, the bomber fight lists all wanted them as escorts.

The residents of Hillsboro County could learn much from a facility like the African American Arts and Cultural Center.

Hillsborough Doge wants to eliminate the Hillsborough County Health Care Plan.

RFK Jr.

is decimating the Department of Health and Human Services.

Measles were declared to be eradicated in 2000.

The disease has come rowing back because of his anti-vax views.

A parasite is decimating 30 states, including Florida, because he eliminated the department that tracked and dealt with it when it would make an appearance.

Eliminating the Hillsborough County Health Care Program would flood our emergency rooms and kill those that cannot afford health insurance or health care.

This is all because Doge is against any program that benefits the poor or taxes those that can afford of it.

Jesus tasked us with loving and caring for each other.

Unfortunately, there are many in this nation that don't seem to have gotten that memo.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you, Mr.

Cobert.

Jeffrey Berger.

Followed by Gary Gould and then Angel D'Angelo.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning.

Excuse me.

I'm Jeffrey Berger, and I'm the immediate past president of the Tampa JCC's and Federation.

I'm speaking today in favor of your budget allocation to the Florida Israel Business Accelerator or FIBA.

You will soon hear from others about FIBA generally, the types of companies it helps and the positive economic impact that it has on our community.

Through FIBA, Hillsborough County is attracting companies that are developing breakthrough medical technologies, creating high-skilled jobs, attracting investment, and strengthening our innovation economy.

FIBA helps companies establish roots in Hillsborough County, relocate leadership, attract local investment, build partnerships with local organizations, and become part of our business community.

As examples, I want to tell you about three companies that FIBA works with, all of which are improving lives and creating economic opportunity here in our county.

First is Asio, an Israeli medical technology company that has developed a new type of orthopedic implant that becomes part of a patient's own bone, reducing the need for additional surgeries to remove traditional metal hardware.

More than a hundred thousand osseo implants have already been used by orthopedic surgeons, helping patients heal naturally without metal implants.

Locally, OSIO opened its U.S.

headquarters manufacturing facility and surgeon training center in the Tampa Bay region in February 2026.

It currently employs 20 people on site who manufacture and distribute approximately 600 implants per month.

Since April, five to ten orthopedic surgeons from around the country visit the facility each week for hands-on training, bring visitors and economic activity to the region.

Second is UC Care, another Israeli medical technology company whose Navigo platform combines MRI and ultrasound images to help physicians more accurately locate prostate cancer in male patients.

The technology helps physicians perform more precise image-guided biopsies, improving cancer detection while reducing unnecessary procedures.

As for UC Care's Hillsborough County Impact, its CEO relocated to Tampa Bay after participating in FIBA's program.

The company received nearly three million dollars from Tampa Bay investors.

It currently employs five people in Hillsborough County, is looking to hire more and is planning to secure warehouse space to support continued growth.

And the company is multiple customers throughout the Tampa Bay area.

The third company is STEMRAD, which develops and produces advanced radiation protection technology, benefiting healthcare workers, first responders, military personnel, and astronauts.

STEMRAD's healthcare radiation protection product was developed in Tampa through a collaboration facilitated by FIBA with Tampa General Hospital and a TGH physician.

STEMRED Technology has been used by NASA to help protect astronauts during space missions.

Locally, STEMRAD established its U.S.

headquarters in Hillsborough County, and its CEO moved here after participating in FIBA's program.

It received investments from Tampa Bay Investors and at least office space in Tampa, performs product assembly in Hillsborough County, and manufactures product in the region.

As these three companies show your budget allocation to FIBA is an investment in Hillsborough County.

Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you.

Next is Gary Gould, followed by Angel D'Angelo.

Hi, I'm Gary Gould, and it's a pleasure to be here.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk a little bit about the Florida Israel business accelerator.

My colleague talked about three specific companies and another colleague's going to talk about some of the numbers.

But when we created the Florida Israel business accelerator, our ideas were to bring Israeli innovation to Tampa to create jobs, and we've created a large number of jobs, as well as to create tax revenue from these companies.

And we've achieved that objective.

Most of our companies are still who we've been in business for 10 years now.

It's a nonprofit, and most of our companies that have gone through our program have a Florida presence, a Hillsborough County president presence, and we believe we're making a difference.

What I want to talk about, though, is not the specific companies.

Mr.

Berger did a good job, but some of the myths about the Florida Israel business accelerator.

We do not give money to Israeli companies.

We do not send money to Israel through our FIBA initiative.

We do not support these companies in any way except helping them with the county money that we receive.

We help them find investment, we help them find customers, we help them staff up, and as a result of that type of help we've given to these organizations.

They've hired a large number of highly skilled technical jobs, and again, they're they're paying taxes.

We do not, again, send any money to Israel.

We don't give money to any organization.

In fact, we focus primarily on helping these companies.

The support we get from the county goes to help us help these companies.

Most of the companies are in critical areas like medical device development, agriculture in particular.

We've done a lot of work with hospitality.

And we believe we're very value-added to the economy and to the job situation in Hillsborough County, and we're exceptionally grateful for all of the support the county has offered us throughout the year.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

Next up is Angel D'Angelo, followed by Gretchen Hoke and Terry Park.

Good morning, my name is Angel D'Angelo.

And I'm a lifelong Hillsboro County resident, currently living in Ybor.

So I'm here to talk about the nonprofit money.

There's a lot of things that have been going on in Hillsboro County.

In 2020, several businesses in Hillsborough County did not survive the pandemic.

We've seen such a shift in the local business atmosphere here in Ebor, especially, but all across.

So if we're going to accelerate businesses, how about we do some that come from Florida?

Innovation does not need to happen all the way overseas somewhere.

We have innovation right here in Hillsborough County.

So any money that we put in to this county should come back to us as a county.

That sounds like just good sense, on top of the fact that some of these companies that the Florida Israeli business accelerator are accelerating, are accelerating violence and genocide against other human beings.

That's just a fact that's been stated by many, many, many human rights watch organizations over the last several years.

So we need to acknowledge that.

Why do we want to put money into businesses that are accelerating harm somewhere else instead of putting money in businesses or transit or anything that we need in Hillsborough County?

There are so many people in Hillsboro County that cannot get health care or access food or find a bus because the bus system for however long as I've been here has been frankly underwhelming.

There's so many options you have with that money.

And budgets are moral documents.

There's enough of that in the world to last if I were to live a thousand more times.

Like there's just enough of it.

That's not where our money should go.

It doesn't make any sense.

We spend so much money on war policing and jails, and we don't spend the money on the things that would actually stop violence or stop harm in Hillsboro County, let alone the world.

So put the money in a nonprofit that actually benefits Hillsboro County.

It actually gives jobs.

I heard something like five jobs or something.

That's that's not doing a whole lot.

Like put money into something that's going to help people in Hillsborough County thrive, not just survive.

I've lived in this county my whole life.

I shouldn't be just surviving.

I shouldn't have to work two jobs to afford to live in Hillsboro County.

So invest our money in wellness and care, not genocide and violence and surveillance or into any foreign countries' businesses.

That doesn't make sense.

We need the money and we need the care here.

And you have the choice to make as a county commission and as human beings, and I hope you decide to make the right one.

But um I guess we'll have to see.

Thank you.

Next up, Gretchen Hoke, followed by Terry Park, and then Connie Rose General.

Good morning.

Good morning, Chair, Commissioners, and staff.

My name is Gretchen Hoke.

I'm a seventh-generation Floridian, vice chair and treasurer of the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District, executive director of Rainfrog Ranch, and I work with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation.

I've spent my life watching Florida grow, and I've experienced firsthand how conservation science can change the future of a family.

Thank you for your continued investment in our conservation district.

You will hear about the work underway, but I'd like to share why it matters.

Agriculture is about more than food production.

Well-managed working lands are part of Hillsboro County's natural infrastructure.

Supporting aquifer recharge, protecting water resources, reducing flood risk, sustaining our agricultural economy, and maintaining connected landscapes for Florida's wildlife.

These maps that you guys have and that are up here, they're not just wildlife maps.

They're maps of Hillsborough County's natural infrastructure.

Using data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the University of Florida, these maps show that many of our remaining agricultural lands overlap with priority habitat and movement corridors for Florida Black Bears and the endangered Florida Panther.

The same lands that support our farmers also protect clean water and make our county more resilient.

Conservation science didn't just identify wildlife habitat, it helped preserve our family farm by demonstrating its importance as part of a connected landscape.

Strategic farmland preservation keeps family farms economically viable while protecting the natural systems that benefit every resident of Hillsborough County.

As conservation programs evolve, new opportunities are emerging to reward measurable conservation outcomes on working lands through payments for ecosystem services.

We know Hillsborough County will continue to grow.

The question is whether we protect the natural infrastructure that makes that growth sustainable.

The science is clear, the opportunity is here, and the leadership is yours.

Together, we can make Hillsboro County a model for how agriculture and conservation work together to protect clean water, strengthen our economy, and preserve Florida's heritage.

We work better together.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ms.

Hope.

Terry Park.

It's Terry here, followed by Connie Rose.

And then Matthew Levine.

Good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Terry Park, and I'm the chair of the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District, and I represent Parksdale Farms in Plant City, where we grow strawberries, vegetables, have a retail market, a UPIC operation, a packing house, and a cow calf operation.

When most people think of Hillsboro County, they think of Tampa, Bush Gardens, or sports teams, but there's an industry that doesn't get much thought, despite the fact that most people eat at least three times a day.

Farming and ranching have long been an integral part of Hillsborough County.

Not only is Hillsborough County at the epicenter of the production of winter strawberries with over 14,000 acres, but also another 67,000 acres and various other commodities and pasture land.

Hillsborough County is ranked third in the state and is a major agriculture player with nearly 2,000 farms, which account for over $704 million, according to the USDA's 2022 Ag Census.

15% of the land in the county is used for agricultural production.

Farming is an expensive endeavor and is difficult for a young person looking to start a farm without a generational family connection.

According to the Ag Census, there are 90 family farms in this county.

If a farm becomes rooftops or pavement, it is not coming back.

In 2025, Florida ranked number three with the potential to become number one with conversion of acres to development.

Ag lands require very little infrastructure, but they give back much more.

These agricultural lands not only provide biodiversity, fresh food, and preserved land, but they are also the water recharge lands for our county's precious water and aquifer, which is a critical lifeline for every resident in Hillsborough County.

Our county needs to protect the agricultural infrastructure, which protects our recharge capabilities.

The Soil and Water Conservation District is the only agency that is dedicated solely to agriculture.

The ratio of the proposed 2027 fiscal year district budget to Greenbelt Acres equals 14 cents per acre.

So it's a great return on investment.

This funding is not an expenditure, but it's an investment.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your comments.

Connie Rose.

Followed by Matthew Levine and then Lynn Gray.

Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Connie Rose.

Good morning, Chair and Commissioners.

I'm honored to serve my second year as chair on the Commission of Human Trafficking, alongside my dear friend and colleague, Dottie Grover Skipper, who unfortunately is sick today and is not able to join us.

I bring decades of executive leadership advocacy training and community collaboration to this role, and together with lived experience of surviving human sex trafficking and working in this field since 1988.

But before I understood what happened to me was trafficking, and before human trafficking was widely recognized or even had a name, that combination of professional experience and lived experience reinforces why the commission's work is so important.

Hillsboro County is number two in Florida and number three in the nation.

We are fortunate to have dedicated law enforcement professionals who work every day to identify victims, investigate trafficking network, recover survivors, and hold offenders accountable.

Their work is essential, but law enforcement cannot address human trafficking alone.

Prevention, public awareness, and strong community partnerships are equally essential to reducing exploitation before it even happens.

The commission works collaboratively with our community partners to stay in Florida, our federal partners to strengthen existing efforts, avoid duplication, and make the best use of available resources.

One of the examples that is the Don't Buy It Tampa Bay campaign.

Human trafficking is sustained by demand.

As long as individuals are willing to purchase sex, traffickers are willing to exploit the vulnerable people for profit.

That's why demand reduction must be central to prevention.

By educating residents, visitors about the indicators of trafficking, reporting mechanisms, and the realities of both labor and sex trafficking, they can campaign challenges buyer behavior, increases community awareness and health disrupt exploitation at its source.

This aligns with the commission's prevention awareness efforts described in the SEMILA annual report.

It is crucial that the Commission on Human Trafficking stays funded to better protect the public safety of our beloved community.

Thank you for your continued support of the Commission on Human Trafficking for your commitment to strengthening Hillsborough County's response to human trafficking.

Thank you so much for everything that you do.

Thank you, Ms.

Rose.

Matthew Levine, followed by Lynn Gray and then Denise Herndon.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning.

I live in Carrollwood.

I have been a resident of this county for almost my entire life, about 39 years.

And I'm here to talk about nonprofit funding and the Florida Israel Business Accelerator.

And I think I also need to mention that I'm Jewish because anyone who says anything who, you know, anyone who opposes genocide or says anything against Israel is according to Zionist propaganda smeared as an anti-Semite.

So just uh putting that out there.

I can't be an anti-Semite because I'm Jewish.

Uh we need to uh use county tax dollars to fund local services for the people of this county.

Uh social services and nonprofits that actually help people.

Um there are people starving on the streets here.

Uh there are people going without health care.

Our transportation system is uh really inadequate.

Um these are our tax dollars.

Um the purpose of general funds as defined by the county is to fund services for all Hillsborough County residents.

Uh rather than doing that, the Florida Israel Business Accelerator is uh helping for-profit companies from a foreign country, a country that is committing genocide.

There are over a hundred local nonprofits that are planned to receive less funding than FIBA in 2027.

Um the commissioners are elected to represent the people of the county, not campaign contributors and genocidal foreign governments.

Uh most people in this county do not support Israel.

Most people in this country do not support Israel.

Um last year, the Florida Israel Business Accelerator brought a company here called Extend that makes weaponized killer drones that uh are sent over to Israel to murder babies, elderly people, and uh adult civilians.

Uh anyone involved in bringing that company here belongs in the Hague.

Uh you guys, if you funded FIBA, then you are also responsible for that.

So uh we need to use the money in ways that help people.

Thank you, Mr.

Levine.

Appreciate your comments.

Uh Lynn Gray.

Followed by Denise Herndon and then Megan Amir, who's virtual.

Good morning.

Good morning, Board of County Commissioners.

Um, it has been our Hillsborough County Public School District pleasure to work alongside of the Commission of Human Trafficking.

Your support is keeping 218,000 students safe from this growing business of trafficking, and is clearly revealed through your financial commitment and your words of support by you as a board and notably Commissioner Cepeda.

And is clearly revealed through your financial commitment and your words of support by you as a board and notably Commissioner Cepeda.

On behalf of our Hillsborough County Public School District and our Human Trafficking Committee, we stand firm and supportive of the work the Commission of Human Trafficking is doing.

Thank you for everything that you're doing to keep our students safe.

Ms.

Great, thank you for your comments and for your uh service on the school board.

And if you could just state your name for the record also.

Uh Lynn Gray, Hillsborough County Public School Board Member.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Denise Herndon, followed by Megan Amir, who's virtual, and then Chloe Royal.

Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Denise Herndon.

This is a picture.

This red line T is a right-of-way that Sharon Kenny supposedly bought in 2004-2005.

I live on the star property.

As you see, most of my property is in the water.

And Jean Munger, who lives right on the West side of me, he signed supposedly this part to the um in the clerk of the courts book three, five, five, nine pages 11 to uh um 87 to 1588.

The funny thing about that particular document is that this is what I had gotten yesterday at the um clerk of the courts in Brandon.

It looks like it's cut and pasted on here.

Oh, that was back in the time.

Back in 1979, shouldn't show this.

It looks like three different documents.

This one here is certified by the clerk of the courts also from yesterday.

Sharon Kenny supposedly signed this, and she has passed away.

I spoke to Joel Brown from Tico.

Tico came and trimmed the West side of this tea that Sharon Kenny owns, but to do the um tree trimming that my electric and only my electric supports on the east side of this tea.

The owner would have to pay for it themselves.

But Kenny's Sharon Kenny passed away.

And Tico did the West side, didn't have to drop the line and get a private person to do it.

Something's wrong here.

I know that Jean's wife that supposedly signed this, it may have this right-of-way when I first saw it, only went to here.

Something's wrong.

And every time this meeting starts, one nation under God, please change the plaque in your glass cage out in the hallway here that says, May Gob bless you, not God bless you.

And somebody needs to make sure they're watching what they're doing here.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Herndon.

Uh Megan Amir virtual, followed by Chloe Royal, and then Bianca Melendez is um Megan on the line.

I am uh I hope you can hear me, but good morning, everybody.

Um, I am Megan Imer and uh member here of the community.

I'm out here at soccer practice with my son, but I felt it was important enough to call in and listen to this meeting.

Uh to put on the record that the community did not support funding for the Florida Israeli business accelerator.

Now I know that my one three-minute speeches is not going to change your final decision, but I do think it's important to put this on the record.

Because even with all those great technologies that another speaker kind of outlined that have been brought apparently here to Hillsborough County.

Look at the number of jobs that they created, and where does that technology reside?

Unfortunately, the technology uh will always reside with a tour in the company, not with a US-based company.

And the speaker so eloquently left out the how FIBA has helped extent here, which another colleague had uh spoken up against extended.

And who's extended?

They are a drone company, and they're a drone company that was created from the war in Gaza or the genocide in Gaza.

It's very clear it's all publicly available information that this company was uh startup during the Gaza genocide.

And unfortunately, it's equipment has been tried and tested, you know, in the Gaza genocide.

So that company was brought here by uh FIBA and was supported by FIBA.

So even though FIBA doesn't give direct funding to foreign companies, FIBA does help bring foreign companies here to Hillboro County.

And they also support an annual kind of day at the capital to help a foreign company get state government contracts.

So I would much rather see my Hillboro County tax dollars go to an accelerator that helps local companies help local companies get their state contracts.

We should not be funding any type of forcing companies to come here over our local based companies.

I mean, as James Fischback said, I don't agree with most of his stuff.

I agree with this.

I don't care if it's a Florida Israeli business accelerator or Florida Italian accelerator, a Florida English accelerator.

We should be supporting, we should be Hillsborough first, we should be Florida first, we should be America for us.

So I really hope you'll consider not giving the 100,000 or 50,000, whichever it is going to be this year.

It might sound like a drop in the bucket with your huge budget, but over time we've been funding them for the last at least five or six years, 100,000 a year.

That adds up.

Soon we're going to get to one million of Hillsborough County tax dollars going to a foreign businesses.

Not directly, but time is money.

We're still supporting foreign businesses when we should be supporting local startups here and helping local startups here get toward a state government contract.

So I really hope you will reconsider, maybe just once doing what's right and fix the potholes.

Um, because I would appreciate that.

But thank you so much and thank you for your time.

Thank you, Mr.

Mirror.

Uh, Chlory Royal, followed by Bianca Melendez and then Pam Miniati.

Good morning.

Good morning, commissioners.

My name is Chloe Royal, and I want to sincerely thank you for your continued commitment to addressing human trafficking in Hillsborough County.

Human trafficking is not an issue that only happens somewhere else.

It affects our neighborhood, schools, businesses, and families.

Behind every statistic is a person who has an experienced unimaginable trauma and deserves an opportunity to rebuild their life.

I have seen firsthand the impact of collaboration between the county, law enforcement, service providers, healthcare professions, and community partners can have.

When we work together, survivors have a great chance of finding safety, stability, and hope.

The investment this commission has made in prevention, victim services, and public awareness and coordinated responses are making a meaningful difference.

The work is far from over.

Survivors continue to face significant barriers to safe housing, employment, mental health services, and long-term support.

Your continued leadership and commitment can ensure that these individuals are not only rescued but are given the resources they need to thrive.

Thank you for recognizing and combating human trafficking requires a sustained commitment-wide effort.

Your willingness to invest in this work sends a powerful message that Hillsboro County values the dignity, safety, and freedom of every person.

Thank you for your service and continuing to stand with survivors and working every day to end human trafficking in our community.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Moral.

Bianca Melendez, who's virtual, followed by Pam Miniati and then Diasis Minnick is Ms.

Melinda is on the phone.

Hi, my name is Bianca Melendez, and I'm a longtime resident of Caroline and Hillsborough County.

FIBA is a perilous initiative.

Not only does it invest in more AI jobs, but invest in weapons manufacturers here at home, like Extend and Tampa to be used on civilians and other countries and have been already used in what has been called by the International Criminal Courts and United Nations among other organizations and experts in genocide.

These weapons have been used in serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in a ways that are inconsistent with U.S.

policy and law.

I don't see how this can have a positive impact for people in the world or here in Hillsborough County.

Many residents here are facing rising costs from housing to increasing transportation expenses in addition to other financial instabilities.

There are many other initiatives that can use the funding for emergency management to affordable housing and more.

The general funds are defined by the county as to fund services for all Hillsborough County residents.

And 16 nonprofits are planned to receive less Hillsborough County funding than FIBA in 2027.

As the county creates a budget, I believe public funds should work for the people who live and work here in Hillsborough County.

I hope that you can see and agree that we can advance with a budget that works for our community and invest in the people and the needs in Hillsboro County.

Thank you so much for listening and taking the time to consider my request and that of many.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Melendez.

Pam Miniati, followed by Diaz's Minnik and then Ferris Shaheen.

Good morning.

Good morning, Chair and Commissioners.

My name is Pam Miniati, and I'm the coexecutive director of the Florida Israel Business Accelerator, known as FIBA.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today and for your continued support of FIBA.

Because our program is included in the upcoming budget, I'd like to briefly share the measurable impact the county's investment in FIBA has had in Hillsborough County.

Before I share those results, I'd like to clarify one important point, which my colleague brought up earlier this morning.

Hillsboro County does not provide funding directly to Israeli companies through FIBA, not one dollar.

County funding supports FIBA's economic development work, and every county dollar invested in FIBA is reinvested right back into Hillsboro County.

Those funds are used to provide business development services that help companies establish and grow operations in here and become Hillsborough County companies.

That investment has produced measurable results.

Since 2016, FIBA has worked with more than 105 Israeli technology companies.

Those companies have already created more than 60 high skilled high-wage jobs with many more on the way.

These positions include engineers, software developers, advanced manufacturing specialists, and other highly skilled professionals and Hillsborough County residents.

Extend defense chose Tampa for its U.S.

headquarters.

Today the company is valued at more than 1.5 billion dollars.

They employ more than 20 people in Hillsborough County.

They pay an average salary of more than 125,000 a year.

They lease office space for 27,000 a month, and they expect to grow to more than 100 employees over the next three years.

Extend is just one example of the results FIBA delivers for Hillsborough County.

FIBA also engages more than 1,000 local county businesses and civic leaders each year through programs and showcase new technologies and create business connections.

Looking ahead, FIBA will continue focusing on companies and advanced manufacturing and autonomous technologies that are strong fit for Hillsborough County's exceptional talent and expertise.

Together, we've helped attract companies and strengthen Hillbo Hillsboro County's economy.

Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Miniati.

Appreciate your comments.

No.

Ferris Shaheen.

Good.

Good morning.

I apologize.

I was not uh prepared to stand up over there.

Um I'm a resident of Hillsborough County.

My family has been for nearly 30 years.

I'm here to share a concern around the allocation of public funding towards the Florida Israel Business Accelerator or FIBA in the upcoming planned budget for 2027.

As you guys are aware already of what FIBA has been doing in our county and the kind of support we've created for them, I'd like to actually directly respond a bit to some of the claims that have been brought before the board here this morning.

Um firstly, I'd like to address the claim that uh FIBA is creating uh an investment opportunity for Hillsborough County taxpayers by creating jobs here within Hillsborough County.

You've heard it here first from some of the staff that are responsible for bringing uh FIBA and working with FIBA to Hillsborough and Florida.

Um, less than I believe a hundred jobs total have been brought to Hillsborough County over the past seven, six or seven years.

We've been funding uh the Florida Israel business accelerator.

Um we've given them nearly a million dollars of our taxpayer funds, and we are seeing that instead of creating jobs that are mainly accessible to the majority of citizens and residents of Hillsborough, we are seeing that they create high skill professional jobs that are inaccessible to most workers, and furthermore, assessments of the employees of these companies will show that they mostly hire foreign nationals, namely Israeli citizens, and that is not in the priority or immediate benefits of any Hillsborough County residents.

I'd like to also directly um address the fact that FIBA may not give money directly to Israel, but it is taking our taxpayer funds away from critical needs of local citizens instead of aiding developing local innovators and business initiatives of Florida citizens.

It was mentioned that 20 companies have been brought to Hillsborough, yet we know that only 11 of them have opened their doors here.

So, what kind of support is FIBA providing these companies with taxpayer funds if they are not helping them find locations to open their business like they are claiming?

This is a confusing perspective to our residents, and it's confusing for us to continue allocating our funds to this because it really puts into question who are these decisions being made for.

Are these truly being made in the best interest of our local citizens?

Is it really fair to say that we've given a million dollars of our own hard paid, hard-earned taxpayer money, and we're very very few and far between from seeing many of the um results for our community?

I don't think so.

I also want to bring up a 2024 uh residence survey of Hillsborough County residents, um, rating uh various aspects of their community and what is importance to them for their taxpayer funds to be allocated towards things are supportive, um, things from supportive services for aging populations, fire safety, parks and recreation, public housing, storm drainage, parking availability.

These are the kinds of things that we are pulled on.

Um do you know what has zero interest from Hillsborough County residents?

Giving any money to FIBA or Israeli entrepreneurs.

So thank you.

I thank you.

Is Diasis Minute here?

Try that one more time.

How about Nadia Askar, virtual?

Is she on the line?

Hi there, my name is Nadia Oscar.

I'm a resident of Hillsborough County.

I'm here to speak about the county budget and to ensure the people's needs are met and to also reiterate the point that many of the constituents um today have been making, which is that we truly do want the county to stop and end all funding to the Florida Israeli business accelerator.

Um, we want to ensure that our budget reflects, you know, putting our people first.

Um, you know, the purpose of general funds as defined by the county is to fund services for all Hillsborough County residents, right?

But FIBA priorizes the needs of foreign citizens over Hillsborough County residents.

There are a lot of other initiatives in our county that could use that funding.

You know, fire rescue, emergency management, facility maintenance, human services, debt services, affordable housing.

There's so many different programs.

So talking on the programs that my our my constituents have mentioned beforehand that can help the community rather than putting into a company that is creating creating a that is putting into the genocide, correct?

FIBA has not also created any substantial number of jobs for the Hillsboro County residents as we've mentioned before.

Um I also want to mention we started this meeting with a prayer that brought up, you know, first responder and the disabled, and the company that FIBA is accelerating do not support that prayer in their mission.

And make no mistake, the genocide that they have been supporting is on children.

And remove the extended if it's not if they're not dead by bonds, they're disabled and they're traumatized beyond function.

So I just want to kind of circle back to the prayer that Ms.

Myers brought into the, you know, in the morning in the beginning of this um meeting.

Um we spoke about agriculture, you know, a lot of the secret report spoke about agriculture and and whatnot, but you know, I don't see them, you know, accelerating any businesses that help, you know, food not bombs, you know, or any organizations that go into something like that.

Um, we demand that our county's budget reflect the needs of all people by removing self-funding to Israeli companies, and instead invest in life-saving services for Hillsborough County residents today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Haskar.

Okay, that closes public comment.

Uh, can we have a motion to approve consent?

Move to approve.

Motion, Commissioner Myers and Commissioner Cohen.

Please record your vote on the consent agenda.

Motion carried.

Six zero.

Okay, Bonnie, want to introduce first time certain.

Our first time certain item is item E1.

This is our 10 o'clock item.

This is to receive a special appearance by the Commission on Human Trafficking to present their semi-annual report.

And Chair Connie Rose is here to present this item.

Good morning.

Good morning.

How are you?

Good morning, Chair, Commissioners.

Thank you for the opportunity to be here today and for your continued commitment to address human trafficking in Hillsborough County.

For the record, my name is Connie Rose, and I am honored to say to serve as the chair of Hillsborough County Commission on Human Trafficking alongside our vice chair Dottie Groover Skipper.

Before I begin, I would like to recognize my fellow members of the Commission on Human Trafficking.

It is truly an honor to serve alongside a dedicated and diverse group of professionals, community leaders, and survivor leaders.

Each member brings unique knowledge, experience, and perspective, and together we continue to build a collaborative commission committed to awareness, prevention, and strengthening Hillsborough County's response to human trafficking.

Excuse me.

Wonderful allergies this time of year.

Sorry.

We are grateful for your leadership, your continued engagement, and your unwavering commitment to strengthening the Hillsborough County's response to human trafficking.

Their participation brings valuable insight to the commission and helps ensure strong alignment between the Commission on Human Trafficking and the Board of County Commissioners.

And again, thank you so much.

I would like to also extend my sincere appreciation to our county liaison, Lisa Montleon, and to Brandon Wagner, the Director of Government Relations and Strategic Services, and to the many county staff across departments who support the commission because your guidance, collaboration, and partnership has been instrumental in helping move our strategic initiatives forward.

Chair and Commissioners, it is my pleasure to present the Commission on Human Trafficking semi-annual report.

At the board's direction, the commission continue to provide semi-annual reports highlighting our initiatives, activities, progress, and the strengthening of Hillsborough County's response to human trafficking.

And during this period, we continued implementing strategic priorities focused on prevention, protection, intervention, survivor support, public awareness, and other initiatives that were designed to strengthen Hillsboro County's coordinated response to human trafficking.

Our key operations and outcomes is the commission continues to support law enforcement service providers, community partners, and working to identifying victims to investigate trafficking networks and provide survivor-centered services.

The significant operations that were highlighted in our January annual report, including the Operation Dragon Eye and Operation Unmasking Predators, reinforced the importance of emergency housing, trauma-informed care, specialized foster placement, prevention programming, and long-term stabilization services for survivors.

And throughout their reporting period, the commission continued advancing initiatives designed to address those needs.

The commission continues to monitor bright and TIPLAD data to better understand human trafficking trends, identify service gaps, and support informed decision making.

Updated metrics and findings are will be available following their release.

Current statistics from the Hillborough County Sheriff's Office and the Tampa Police Department continue to demonstrate the scope of human trafficking activity and the importance of maintaining a coordinated community response.

I want to reiterate Florida is number two.

Hillsboro County is number three.

Through the week of June 22nd, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office did report nine tips received from various sources, 148 arrests to prostitution related offenses, 10 human trafficking arrests, and service provided to 10 adult victims and four juvenile victims recoveries or services provided.

And during that same reported period, the Tampa Police Report, excuse me, the Tampa Police Department reported three tips, 10 of which were human trafficking cases involving both sex and labor trafficking, four arrest and one juvenile recovery, and for our survivor support.

Strengthening support for victims, survivors remains a core priority of the commission.

Imagine if that was you.

That was your child, if that was your grandchild.

Because we continue bringing together non-governmental organizations, law enforcement, health care professionals, judicial partners, educational institutions, community stakeholders to identify service gaps and to strengthen coordinated responses throughout Hillsboro County.

Our emergency housing and counseling support service is one of the significant milestones during this reporting period.

The implementation of the emergency housing with counseling and support and services following a competitive request for qualifications process.

The Hillsboro County contracted with Survivor Adventures in April 2026 to address identified gaps in emergency housing and stabilization resources for adults, victims, and survivors of human trafficking.

And during the first two months of the award, the program provided 355 hours of direct advocacy across 51 service states, connecting survivors with employment, housing, health care, mental health, legal, social services, transportation, education, child care, and other supported resources.

And I'd like to share this with you.

One client, this is from Survivor Ventures, one client recovered during a human trafficking operation while pregnant and caring for two children, received emergency housing, food, transportation, and essential resources through this initiative.

And today, she's employed full-time.

Her children have child care and health care coverage.

And that family has moved into their own apartment, and this is exactly the type of service and survivor center outcome the commission envisioned when identifying emergency housing as a critical gap.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our hotel outreach initiative during the reporting period, the commission recommended funding for an initiative designed to increase awareness among hospitality workers in high-risk locations throughout Hillsboro County.

This initiative equips hotel staff to recognize the signs of human trafficking, understand how to respond and connect potential victims with resources, and it also strengthens early identification, referred pathways, and community awareness throughout Hillsboro County.

Our specialized training initiative, the Commission continued exploring opportunities to expand human trafficking training and education for government employees and public-facing professionals.

Current discussions include potential training opportunities for the Hillsborough County Property Appraisers Office, Code Enforcement Annual Control, Regulatory Compliance Personnel, all while also evaluating additional training topics and subject matter experts to support future training initiatives.

And by the way, we are always survivor-led in our training initiatives.

Prevention programming.

Prevention continues to be one of the commission's highest priorities.

And during this reporting period, we continued working in partnership with the Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Student Online Safety Initiative to strengthen prevention, protection, and intervention efforts for our youth throughout Hillsborough County and throughout our Hillsborough County public school system.

Commission members also participated in community meetings, parent information center sessions, educational presentation, including presentations for the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsboro County, the Student Online Safety Initiative, and educational programming with the Mayor's Youth Council, which was designed to increase awareness of trafficking risk, online safety concerns, and available community resources.

And our specialized training, our specialized foster training and survivor care.

The commission continued supporting the implementation of the Children's Network of Hillsboro County Initiative, designed especially to expand trauma-informed foster care and survivor wrapped around service to our most vulnerable children.

These efforts are designed to expand safe and stable placement, reduce runaway risk, strengthen survivor support, and increase community awareness regarding the prevalence of trafficking among the most vulnerable youth population.

And then Loft 181 Expansion Initiative.

And during the reporting period, the Commission also recommended funding to expand outreach and support services through Loft 181.

The initiative is intended to increase engagement with vulnerable youth and adults through outreach activities, resource distribution, and supported services for young people who may be at risk of exploitation.

And our anti-trafficking community education awareness.

Public awareness remains one of the commission's most effective prevention strategies.

And during this reporting period, the commission continued implementation in support of the Don't Buy It Tampa Bay campaign, generating awareness among residents and visitors regarding the indicators of trafficking, reporting mechanisms, and the realities of both labor and sex trafficking.

The campaign continues to emphasize survivor-informed messaging, community engagement and prevention.

As part of this awareness campaign, the commission, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Transportation, is supporting a series of columns, positive messaging, and human trafficking hotline numbers, and the columns will line the right of way of the East Scott Street.

Not sure if I have this exactly correct, I apologize, and a highly visible location for entering I-275 or using the Marion Street station.

The point is that we are going to have an incredible public arts display.

And then the collaboration and community outreach.

Collaboration remains at the heart of the Commission's work.

Without it, what are we all doing?

And during this reporting period, Commission members participated in a numerous awareness and outreach initiatives again throughout Hillsboro County, engaging health care professional providers, educator, business leaders, youth, law enforcement, survivor leaders, community organizations, and local government.

The written report before you indicates the complete list of community outreach and awareness activities completed during this reporting period.

Together, these efforts continue to expand public awareness, strengthen multidisciplinary partnerships, and reinforce Hillsboro County coordinated response to human trafficking.

In my closing, chair and commissioners, the commission remains committed to identifying service gaps, to strengthening resources available to victims and survivors of human trafficking, and to our community at large through emergency housing, specialized foster care, public awareness efforts, professional training, prevention programming, community partnerships.

Commission continues working to strengthen Hillsboro County's coordinated response to Hillsboro to human trafficking.

And these initiatives, they reflect our ongoing commitment to ensuring victims and survivors have access to meeting assistance, stabilization resources, and pathways to a long-term recovery, a pathway to the life that each and every one of you are blessed to enjoy every single day, the freedom that you are blessed to enjoy every single moment.

And thank you.

Thank you for your continued support.

We hope that you continue to fund us and bless us in the way that you have, and the commitment to the Commission on Human Trafficking and our shared mission, because we do know that for each and every one of you, this has touched your heart, and this is a shared mission of strengthening Hillsboro County's response to human trafficking.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Rose.

Got a couple of board comments.

Then we need to move to the next agenda.

Commissioner Cameron Topeda.

Yes, uh, thank you for the presentation.

And I've had the honor of serving alongside many of you, and I'm proud of the work that you've all been doing.

Very proud of you.

And also, as you mentioned, the awareness, the training, the survivor support, the coordination across agencies is saving lives, and um that otherwise would have been lost to darkness.

And I've seen firsthand the sacrifice and the heart behind this work.

And um, you know, the former victims, you know, that have decided to turn their pain into purpose, such as you have done, Miss Connie.

And I want to thank you again for this presentation and all that you all are doing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Wilson.

Did you talk to Visit Tampa Bay yet about them partnering with on the marketing of getting out your messaging campaign?

I see that they're on your committee.

Uh yes, yes, Commissioner Wall.

So they are an incredible partner with us in pretty much everything that we do, visit Tampa Bay is an incredible partner with us with getting our messaging out.

So on their advertising, on their advertising, they're helping fund your don't buy it campaign.

I can't really speak to that.

I don't have that direct information to speak to the funding source, but I can say that they are there partnering with us to get our messaging out.

They are there assisting us in ways with our outreach that we will be doing August 1st.

Um they are there assisting us with location.

Um, there are several different things that visit Tampa Day, excuse me, this at Tampa Bay has assisted with us without actual monetary, but it is a monetary contribution in the fact that they have opened up pathways for us to be able to have food at certain certain events or a space to us to be able to hold an event.

So those are the ways that they have been able to assist us as well as getting our messaging out.

I only bring it up again because when we have the state attorney coming here and saying that driving tourism also drives human trafficking.

Well, this at Tampa Bay should be a partner in funding the efforts to prevent the trafficking from happening.

So I'll continue to reiterate that as I hear these reports.

Thank you.

And thank you for that.

Thank you.

And I will make sure I take a note.

For your comments and uh and your service, we appreciate it.

You're welcome.

Thank you so much.

Have a great day.

Thank you.

Okay, Bonnie.

Our next time, certain.

Our next time certain is also a 10 o'clock.

This is item E2.

This has received a special appearance by Joseph Walsh, the executive director of the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District.

And this was requested by the board at its meeting on June 17th.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning, Commissioners.

Um, thank you for inviting me here.

I will admit that uh I accepted it with trepidation.

The uh conservation district has not made a report to the BOCC in an unknown number of years, possibly decades.

And so this was an overdue request.

It just really is painful to be the first guy on the diving board.

So I'll take your hard questions and do the best I can for you.

Um of the first things that I think was brought up in the original quest is why are we giving you money?

So the soil and water conservation district is an independent subdivision of the state created under Title 35 and Chapter 582 to provide technical assistance to agricultural producers and uh rural landowners at a local level.

Our board of supervisors are elected officials, which actually makes them your peers, although in a much more modest way because you guys have a very, very large purse and we don't.

Um so under the law, I don't personally exist, but you heard from two of our board officers, Chair Terry Park, Vice Chair Gretchen Hook, both of who are occupying elected as seats.

Um it's important to understand that Chapter 582 is actually Florida's first environmental law.

It was enacted in 1937 to reciprocate a federal soil conservation act, which was uh a response on a national level to the great American Dust Bowl that had basically resulted from a lack of due care for uh the actual natural resource that farmers work off of, and what we ended up with in the 1930s was practically a desert.

Um, the federal government recognized this was a national security issue because food security is a national security for every single country on the planet.

Uh, we just happen to do a better job of it than most.

Um, but the important part of this for you guys to understand when you're considering whether you want to continue to fund us or not, is that the federal law demands a local board of trustees, and when they first enacted the law, they were very explicit it couldn't be commingled funds with a local municipal or local government.

So they were demanding that a local board of trustees be created.

All 50 states have this reciprocating law.

And my understanding is that although they're not a state, Puerto Rico also has some mechanism to have local boards serve as local sponsors to the federal activity.

So we're in a 50-50 relationship for many years.

Hillsboro County is a mind-boggling county in an agricultural context.

If you're a transplant to here, Hillsboro County is one of the original five counties of the state of Florida.

And it was huge, and it was subdivided into other counties.

And so Pasco, Polk, Manatee County, Pinellas County were originally part of Hillsborough County.

Florida, one of the last pioneer states, and in the 20th century, Florida has always been a big producer of agriculture.

Hillsboro County, remarkably, despite being this incredible urban environment now, has always been a national leader in agriculture.

And today we're still in the top 20 for agricultural production in this nation.

That's just amazing to try to absorb.

In the state of Florida, we're third.

She mentioned some dollar amounts.

Her dollar amounts are actually outdated.

The agricultural impact in Florida is an order of magnitude higher now.

We're into the billions, and the county really doesn't generate that much money to support that.

You have just under 81,000 acres, according to the property appraiser this year of properties that they review for greenbelt.

This is the breakout of the types.

The top two sectors are pasture, which is a variety of cow-calf operations, goat farms, and lifestyle equestrian properties, and then strawberries, which is one of the major juggernauts.

Now, the other thing that really doesn't pop up here, but is a major producer in all of the top counties in this in the state is actually the nursery growers.

And they're kind of a silent, very powerful agricultural commodity that got hit worse than strawberries did.

They're just very quiet about it.

They took a bigger hit to the frost this past year than strawberries did, and yet they are a major powerful uh income producer for agriculture in Hillsborough County.

This presentation is long because there was a lot of detail that was originally asked of me.

When I tried to go through this presentation, it was a half an hour.

So I'm not gonna do that to you.

We have the information, hopefully it will generate questions.

I'm gonna hit the salient points.

The Florida Department of Agriculture, there's a lot going on there with different entities, and understand you have questions about how those different moving parts work.

And then there's South Florida Water Management District.

Now, an interesting thing with that last relationship, when we were created, we had our own taxing authority.

We had non-Avalorum taxing authority separate from your own, and it went away.

And the only thing that I can figure out looking at the at the years is that in all likelihood we lost our taxing authority the same time that the five water management districts were created with their own.

So there's there's been this painful readjustment over the years.

We were originally a small water infrastructure for rural lands agency.

Now we have the big one.

The state still recognized they had this reciprocating thing they needed to do it USDA, so they didn't abolish this.

And so we have been struggling with our identity now for at least 50 or 60 years.

And so there is a assigned MOU that dates back to 1989 that recognizes the unique position of the EPC and the soil and water district where we do the technical assistance for agriculture and we get those resources for them.

And when there is the potential for an infraction against the wetland rule, we call the EPC.

And we say we have an engineering project, we're seeing what we know is a wetland, but we need you to come out and delineate it and then provide any kind of permitting conditions that are necessary.

Other than that, they steer clear of agriculture.

I'm not going to get into this other than to say that one of my most I think positive relationships has actually been with the environmental management division in public utilities administration.

Just as I have said with EPC, they don't have a nexus to just walk on to private lands, but they do a great job of collecting water quality data, and they've become one of my most powerful decision support partners in the two and a half years that have been here.

Please understand, I was in Hurricane Andrew, and I have gotten my teeth kicked in by multiple hurricanes on the East Coast.

The West Coast of Florida has been very complacent, and you guys got your wake-up call in 2024 as to what a real hurricane can do.

You're trying to react to that.

We're in a position to help facilitate access to the folks that have the land for the possible future water resources projects that you may need to develop out in eastern Hillsborough County.

Kelm has become another good partner to us.

They have a lot of subject matter expertise, and if I may point out, um Kai, would you stand up, please?

So one of the things you're asking me about, I will explain why our budget has gone up.

I have finally been able to put into operation a conservation technician for the first time since at least 2018.

She came from Kelm.

She's highly qualified.

She grew up in rural Florida.

She's been working on natural areas in Hillsborough County, and she's got all the chops.

And you're going to start to see that she is putting your dollars to work now.

She's only been with us about two and a half months.

The other individual sitting next to her, Raylan Burr, is a master's student from the University of Florida.

She is part of my leadership development engine.

She also has similar chops, although she's not from Florida, so she's learning the natural areas expertise that Kai has, but she has project management experience in ecological restoration projects.

And she is pursuing her degree with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Florida.

Cooperative Extension Service, another one of my most powerful partnerships, and it is one of these weird places where they have their swim lane and we have ours.

I want you to understand that when you saw that budget change in 2025, that was a result of a direct consultation with the extension service.

I said, help me find the niche that's not covered by everybody else.

And Stephen Graham was very, very kind, and he said, the one thing that nobody can cover is what you ought to be doing, and that is conservation planning.

So that's where we're going with the budget we've asked you for.

You asked me to explain why 2025 looks different from 2024.

2024 budget was a status quo legacy budget.

I did not arrive here until after FY24 had already started.

And management and budget, quite frankly, was helping by just pushing forward the budget we had without good expertise from our end to ask why we would change it and make those changes.

So we get into 2025 at the very beginning.

The first thing that I did was start cleaning up some audits that were overdue, and then I pivoted to the USDA and I said, I want a cooperative funding agreement for a conservation tech.

We could not agree on the financial package for that quickly enough to make this budget, and FDAX was starting to pull up their bootstraps out of Hillsborough County, which I will explain before I leave.

I went back to management and budget and I said, how can I turn this part-time position, which is unskilled labor into a full-time career track position in conservation planning?

HR and management budget helped me design that position.

I got it approved by you in 2025.

It just so happened that our board had been working with the with the BOCC at that time to also get us an office space, and so now we're in a retired fire station on the east side of uh Plant City, which was decommissioned because it couldn't keep up with the needs of the fire department.

And we have revitalized that.

We're getting street traffic, and I want you to also understand is that your neighbors there are very happy because there was a homeless camp on there before I moved in, and they're not there anymore.

And so I got two little old ladies who are no longer terrified at night.

Um looking at you know the breakout.

So when you ask, well, what did we approve?

I also want you to understand that I was very frugal with your money.

I did not hire people who were not going to be value added.

And so you could say, I recognize it, having been a career bureaucrat myself, if you don't use it, you lose it.

But I was very careful not to hire people in who could not deliver services to your agricultural constituents while I was building those jobs and building the mission again.

And so the actual is always a lot lower than the budget that you guys approved, but understand that the bulk of what you have approved has to get actual real technical people into this work and start getting them on the ground.

In 2026, as I say, we now have two one and a half.

I have one more vacancy.

That um I will be the senior leadership development position, and they're the ones that I would envision working the most closely with Kelm, particularly on the conservation easements program that you guys have.

They have recognized the need that in order to not be biased on the contracts, they want a third party to do the monitoring on the performance of those contracts, and they've said we would be ideally situated to provide that service.

Return on investment.

2023, there's a big gap in leadership.

We lost one executive director.

It took them a while to hire me back.

So the really bizarre thing is that uh we had been co-located with USDA, but with no distinct phone numbers, web page, email addresses, nothing that defined us so that people could find us on the internet, which means we were operating in the 20th century in 2023.

When you guys gave us that building, we also pivoted and got a web page set up, and remarkably started getting customer service inquiries through the web page right away.

And in particular, in the aftermath of the hurricanes, we started seeing our numbers jump.

Uh, we started getting uh referrals for service from cooperative extension service, Swift MUD, and actually even congressional members were saying, I'm getting calls from your constituents, and they would pivot them down to us, and I get out onto the farm and say, all right, let's start getting you disaster relief, and then I would start pivoting them.

USDA, FDEX, uh Swift MUD, as fast as I could help them find emergency money.

And what you see is a trend line.

I mean, I didn't give you anything more than raw data here, but even if you look at where the zeros start to disappear, you see a trend line over time.

And in 2026, that technical deliverables is actually categories of work, not individual projects.

So, for example, one of the categories is now actually working on the cost share contracts.

She's working on 21 contracts, and that's just in the last two months since she's gotten here.

So the trend line is going up, and I hope you'll continue to support that.

Um, it's very important also to understand that in 2023, we had a major leadership overhaul.

In 2022, the state legislature really started going after all the three categories of rural service districts that was uh rural fire, mosquito, and conservation districts.

They uh mandated uh that the conservation district boards of supervisors needed to be run by qualified agricultural producers, which really means agricultural business leaders.

And in 2022, there was not one single member of our board who was qualified when that law passed.

And so we had a complete gutting of our leadership, which meant total loss of institutional knowledge.

We ended up getting uh agricultural producers who were very, very assertive about turning this around.

It took them a little while to find me.

I onboarded in December of 2023.

So really was only here in 2024 to start cleaning things up and turning things around.

But if you don't realize the difference, agriculture is very assertive now about this board, which is why you have a very prestigious family walked up here and spoke to you serving on this board.

So I just hope you recognize that agriculture is taking this conservation district back and that you guys are gonna continue to support what they're trying to squeeze out of this limit.

Uh parting thoughts.

Um, I was last year's this 2026 budget looks a lot bigger because our vehicle is getting to the point where it doesn't start some mornings, and it's been in the shop multiple times.

So we asked for a replacement vehicle.

So there's a 44,000 dollar tag on there for a one-time purchase of a four by four vehicle for field work, and then otherwise there was some money that was invested in getting the building up and running.

Uh, we're able to host board meetings there, and I have made it known to other folks that if they have small meetings and any broadcast and conference hub, we're available to them for that.

Uh otherwise, the budget for FY27 is actually only $563,000.

And if you look at the number of agricultural acres you still have, you're only looking at 14 cents on the acre from our service unit.

The uh most recent uh impact estimate of agriculture to the Hillsborough County uh economy is actually north of a billion dollars now.

And that's all I have, so I'll take whatever questions you folks have.

All right, thank you, Dr.

Walsh for the presentation.

Uh Commissioner Bowles.

Thank you.

Uh, before I begin, I I do want to thank everyone who came here to speak uh that's out in the audience that may still be here on the support of agriculture, and I don't think that and I share that support, absolutely.

And I don't think that anyone on this board um questions the importance of Hillsboro's County's role in our agricultural uh dominance in the state.

Um I don't think that it's whether or not we agriculture really deserves our support or not, which I think it does, absolutely.

It's whether we are providing support to the most effective and accountable way, and uh you know, whether those dollars are being used, um we're investing those with measurable results in the end, um, whenever possible that reach our ranchers and farmers directly to have those pasture lands, those nurseries, those crop fields.

So it's not necessarily are we um kind of segueing around that or not.

So that brings me to your report, and I appreciate the amount of detail that went into it, and for your preparing the report.

I have no doubt that there was a lot of uh work that went into it.

Um I asked those questions kind of centered around a theme that I was looking at, and it really has to do with the state of Tallaha, the state and Tallahassee's uh impact on how we're looking at our budgets, and I think Bonnie could attest to the fact that I looked at the EMPO, OCI, communications, and education, some of these other things within a small business enterprise, all these different things that were funding through uh through our budget, and it's not so it's not just focused on soil and water or anything else, it was more of a uh a global scheme.

Um but you in your last slide, you bring up 14 cents.

I still can't figure out how you got that.

I simply took the budget I asked for and divided that over 81,000 acres.

563 divided by 81,000 is like eight dollars, it's not 14 cents.

I just did the math again.

It's $6.69.

So I'll I'll apologize too because I don't remember now, but that was essentially what I was I was aiming for was what does what does the investment in agriculture through this one work unit look like?

The other thing I want to point out is that we're I recognize the questions that you're asking.

They're always hard.

I was with the Fish of Wildlife Commission for years.

I understand these kinds of questions.

Um try to understand that I'm not making excuses.

FDAX has pulled up roots out of Hillsborough County.

Okay.

They have shifted their agricultural cost share monies to focus on the Rural and Family Lands Protection Act and the really really big sexy programs that uh DEP and the feds are investing in.

And so they're looking for large regional aquifer projects.

They have ended up in the headwaters of the Everglades, and they're working on uh a big project up in the uh Springs area of Florida.

Everything is moving off either very south or very north.

And they made no apologies about it when they said we're not gonna be sending any more allocation to Hillsborough County beginning July 1st of 2024.

Yeah, in the that's fine.

Yeah.

But I won't go back, I want to go back to your county county.

The only point I'm trying to make.

No, no, no, I'm trying to make is that Hillsboro County is the only game in town for agriculture.

That's all I'm trying to say.

Well, that's not true because you can get grants.

You could apply for grants.

And my job is to help them do that.

Yeah.

Well, the point being that we're not the only game in town that should be diversified, I would say.

I think that was kind of the goal if you look at what this board tried to do last year.

Um, I think if you look back at what Commissioner Wistel did, uh bringing forth the one time per year for any new, and then what we as a board decided to do last year was kind of have a phasing out and looking and kind of encouraging nonprofits, for example, uh, to diversify their their funding so that we don't have to be the only game in town for that.

So I would say I would.

I'm on track with you then.

Now I'm following you.

And in fact, yeah, that's where we're trying to go.

Right.

So one of the things that I'm trying to do, for example, is create new four-fee services, which is unheard of with this conservation district for a very long time.

When I got hired, I asked them what does your trust fund look like, and they were like, they scratch, we haven't had one.

And I said, Well, that's a particularly egregious lack of responsibility considering you've been in place for 80 years, but I will do everything I can to help get you there.

So I actually am applying for grants, um, particularly to get farm equipment that we will not ask.

How many?

How many dollars?

How many grants?

How many grants?

We're just starting now.

So right now I'm working on an ACD grant.

This is due July 27th.

That you gotta start somewhere.

There's always a first.

I can't first thing I tried to do was pivot to a grant with a partner as soon as I got here in 2024.

That partner wasn't ready to commit, and we missed that deadline.

2025, the feds completely ground down under Doja.

I couldn't get any service towards applying for grants because I couldn't even get an entity ID number in 2025.

Okay.

So there's always a first, and we're there now.

So can you tell me in my June 3rd memo?

You you agreed it was pretty detailed, because nobody on this board and anyone I can remember in this building has ever remembered uh soil and water coming before the board.

Yeah, and you acknowledge that you're kind of a sovereign entity in a way.

We have no control.

I'm not comfortable with that relationship, but it is true.

But it is true.

We have no control over anything you do because you have your own board, you have your own statutes, you're you're totally regulated.

The only thing that we can control if you if you want to say it is the budget, the money.

Yeah, that portion of it.

And and would you agree or disagree that how many are left in the state?

48?

They keep a literary.

Yeah, it's covering it's in is above 40, but I don't even know if it's about 65 percent of those are have one employee or none and are volunteers that have and they're going away.

Oh, they're going away, sir.

I promise you that.

All of these districts, us included, have been on a dissolution list.

I have fought my way off of six dissolution lists.

Why would that be?

Why would the state continue to look to get rid of something that's been around a hundred years that you have a number of other organizations that do the same thing you do?

The same thing you're asking, uh Senator Trunau has said, he's the chairman of the agriculture.

Why would I not look for a better way to deliver service?

He put together a bill that did not go out of committee in the last session because they had a much bigger fish to fry, which was his homestead exemption.

But he did float to me what what the contents of that were, and he said, I'm considering floating forward, either restructuring all of the conservation districts under a version that looks very similar to a water management district, smaller, more of them, but not a huge number, so multi-county, or the alternative would be for the local government to invest and adopt the mission of the conservation district and take it from the state.

So, what I've heard in your report and what I've heard you say today is a lot of history, and the report is you know gives a lot of history, gives you a lot of detail about other organizations.

But what I feel it lacks is outcomes.

You give a lot of output.

So you've did five properties, let's just use 2025 because we have an entire year.

You did five properties, you did visits, and you did 10 consultations, but you didn't give any details what that involves.

And generally speaking, so if we did the budget on that, you know, it's 133,000 per property visit and 60,000 that could go to directly to farmers.

I'd rather give that to a farmer to dig ditches or to whatever they do for their versus add another layer of bureaucratic insulation and put it in personnel that we have a number of organizations.

So I still don't know what the recurring investment is for the $665,000 that we invested last year.

Nothing in that report tells me how many acres did you conserve, how many projects did you bring to completion?

It's all about operations definitely zero in that time frame.

That's the that is definitely the act like the answer to the question you're asking.

And the question becomes do you recognize?

I'm not trying to challenge you on this, Commissioner.

The facts are what they're doing.

The reset the reset button was hit January of 2024, and it's been a mad scramble.

So if you decide that going forward is not the direction to go with this agency, I can't argue that point.

I was hired, I told the board you've handed me a mess.

They admitted that they sandbagged me on how desperate it was when they hired me because they said I wouldn't take the job if I had known the truth.

When I got here, I said you handed me the job, I'm gonna do everything I can to get this bus back on the road.

Well, I just it just again gives me pause.

We hold our nonprofits to a benchmark 10 times higher than what we're giving you for a 25,000 dollar, and we're gonna do one here in a little bit.

$62,500 we're gonna give the Matty's movement.

What they have to do to comply to get that money is pretty inordinate, and that's changes that we did last year.

You don't have to do anything, soil and water, and because you're the director.

Don't have to do anything.

You just come here and ask, and you don't even provide any deliverables.

You there's nothing in there, and it's you're you have to accept the responsibility for it now because you are the director, yes.

But there's nothing there.

One grant being asked for to help diversify, and nothing else, and you're still asking for over 500, a half a million dollars.

Commissioner Wistel asked last year for he took his 600,000 dollars and put it at the sidewalks.

I'd rather put it that 500,000 top towards sidewalks or put another fire rescue on the road.

That's how I look at it, because when I look at it when there's no deliverables, there's no outcomes, there's no measurable, nothing to measure it against.

It really doesn't seem like there's a really good return on investment.

And that has really nothing to do with you because you inherited a mess by your own words.

It sounds like, but when we look at this, I don't know how we can get past the fact that we're holding people at a different standard than we're holding you, and we have absolutely no control.

And at the very least, if this does go through, because I'm only one of seven, we need to have some type of ILA with you that holds you to these measurable standards from this point forward, and that really puts your feet to the fire, that you have to deliver, and you have to show that our farmers and our ranchers are getting their money's worth for that because we don't fund acres, we fund people in organizations.

So that's that's how I look at it.

I want to make an offer in that direction.

Uh the law allows for an actual appointee from a local government as an advisor to this board.

And I think that there's value there, whether it's from the CFO's office or any other department that would help us work on that.

Because the state legislature said the same thing when we went through the Opaga review.

Understand, I was by myself practically in 2024, and I'm answering all these bureaucratic questions.

We went through an opaga review, and they said, get a strategic plan published.

We we spent a lot of time on stakeholder input to figure out what services would be of value to agriculture, and then get performance metrics.

And when I consult with people on it on developing a strategic plan from scratch, where they said, don't hang yourself with your tie with impossible performance metrics in the first year.

So we have a phased approach or a strategic plan, and we are meeting our performance metrics.

We are, and I can get those over to you, but they're modest, they're not going to be like these other institutions that came to you that already had well-oiled machines, and then just said, if you'll put me on contract, I'll deliver that to your community.

We're starting from zero, essentially.

But you've been around a hundred years.

I appreciate, yeah, I appreciate that, but that is what I said to the board when I got hired.

I said, how can you tell me that this board has allowed itself to get into such an egregious situation when it's been around since 1946?

They said, We're new, we're agriculture, we're wanting you to get this moving.

And so when they told me when they hired me, is 2024 is reset button year.

Okay, that's what I have to offer you, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dr.

Walsh.

A couple of the commissioners of the queue, Commissioner Miller and then Commissioner Wilson.

Thank you, Chair Hagan.

Thank you for taking the time to come and present to us.

And I know it takes a lot of effort and um to prepare a report.

Um, I also want to thank um those that came and spoke on behalf of your organization.

I appreciate you taking the time to drive down here.

Um, I want to be clear that the line of questioning that I'm about to have is my intent, isn't that there aren't people involved that are genuinely you know supportive of the organization, it's just I'm trying to understand the value.

And I think Commissioner Bowles talked to several of my questions, but I your reporting's a little bit confusing in the sense that you you refer to acreage and then report an output on farm visits.

Can you roughly tell me how many farms, you know, big producers to small family farms are in Hillsport County?

Uh it's somewhere around 2,000 farms.

2,000.

Talk to talk to me about what a site visit entails.

At this point, without having the tools that I want to develop.

I want to know what you have.

So we had five.

You were you said you were here in 24 and in 25, and you did a site visit.

You I can describe both sides.

Very briefly.

Yes, ma'am.

So I do a perimeter walk, I walk into the interior of the property, I take a look at the issues that a particular property owner is asking me to address, but then I couch my consultation with them in the context of the other things I see.

So, for example, because we didn't have a honed mission.

I visited properties that were as large as 40 to 60 acres.

I even uh went into some properties that were really roughly how long does it take?

It the size of the property and the issue they're asking.

So anywhere from a half a day down to a half an hour.

Okay.

And you see, but that's four.

Please understand that's a non-detailed site visit because we're not writing.

I'm just going by your data reporting, sir.

Just going by your data reporting.

You did four.

In that year, yes, ma'am.

Okay.

So you could do two a day if you needed to.

And we did nine in two years.

Understood.

That also that also involves it also involves customers actually calling us and asking for that.

I can't impose myself on somebody else, they have to know I exist.

Yes, I see that.

You had you had 33 phone calls in 25, and it looks like five phone calls in 24.

Okay.

Um because we're focused on outputs and and expenses and budget, I look deeply into it.

I didn't see anywhere on there, you know, somebody mentioned there was attorney's fees and different things like that.

That's not in your budget.

So the actual expense to this uh count to the county taxpayers more than your actual budget that's listed because we are outlaying other expenses.

Okay.

Um I'm really focused on measurable results, and I like things, especially with an organization this size, meaning it's um smaller machines should be more nimble.

Um, I would like to have seen greater changes in the time frame.

You know, in other words, I feel it's a little bit deflective, or that you're not owning your responsibility in that.

Like I have personally in my career taken over many small organizations and am able to adjust the sales much quicker than this.

So I'm I'm a little confused as to why we only applied for one grant.

I mean, in my first year in a small organization, I shifted um broken grants.

Like in other words, we had to repay and reapply and was able to you know shift funding from 700,000 budget to nearly two million in my first year.

So I'm just trying to understand that.

So that's my questions for now.

Um I'd like to reserve to speak if I need to again.

Thank you guys.

Was there a question, an additional question one answered?

No, I don't think so.

Um Commissioner Wolfson and Commissioner Myers, and then we need to keep moving on.

We're turns behind.

Mine will be real brief.

Um the 14 cents comes from 81,000 divided by the 563,000 number.

It's just a reverse math.

That's that's where he got 14 cents on the slide, is probably just a flip of the math.

Um, I would less like to point out that I actually called um some of the major leaders in the agricultural space um to get their opinion on whether or not they found value in it.

Um, particularly just because this is the only um branch department, subdepartment, whatever you want to call it, of the county that actually participates and tries to help agriculture.

I was really involved in the flipping um or rather the rehabilitation of soil and water when they transitioned the board before you were hired.

I listened to some of the interviews of the people.

One of your competitors was a Puerto Rican gentleman who swore up and down that it was the chemicals, it was the fluoride in the water of Puerto Rico that was torturning the Puerto Ricans homosexual.

If you didn't know that that happened, it did.

Uh, that was his answer to then Bear McAuliffe, who sat on the board.

Um so I'm glad that they chose you over him, is my point of um saying that all of the feedback to me was that the organization um did do basically absolutely nothing for a very long time.

The county was a good partner, and they retrieved one of their vehicles that had the wills essentially rotted to the ground.

The freezer was um, I guess just molded and and frozen all the way shut.

I don't know, it was a catastrophe.

And the feedback that I received now is that they do feel like there is a turning point that's been reached.

Um you are being tossed up and down by FDAX.

It's it's kind of like, are you guys going to be dissolved or not?

It's been being said to me since I got here in 2023.

Um so I I do um I do understand the difficulties that present with that.

But that being said, the feedback that I received was positive.

Um I I understand that the the budget number is large, but the actual is consistently low.

Um, so it uh lower than even when you when you got there of the actual expenditures.

So I'll commend you on that.

Um my recommendation is those farmers that I called to all said yes, that they feel like it's good.

I think that you do much more than applying for grants, um, such as the two technical experts that you just mentioned, which is what many of them said is that they used to have those folks coming out there, and even if it's not you applying for the grant, it's you either those fall farmers, maybe particularly the smaller farmers sometimes, but then more than the bigger ones who know what to do and have the resources on how to apply for those grants.

So while I have um continued to support farmers' property rights, and I catch a little grift for that because I will not use heavy-handed communist style policies to restrict a farmer's property rights.

I will also um continue to be a vocal advocate for them and the feedback that I've received, including an email from somebody that was on the Florida Beef Council and the state of Florida's cattlemen association, not the local one, is that they are positive on you and that they would um like to see us to continue to support you, and for those reasons, I will.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, Commissioner Myers, and we'll move on.

I'll make it brief.

Uh, after hearing your report, and I thank all the commissioners uh for their comments, but it appears that you're at a different standard than what we hold all of our nonprofits to when it comes to funding.

And so I'm going to move to make a motion that uh the soil and water conservation district uh add the liberables and outcomes to their F for fiscal year 26-27 in order to continue to receive funding from the fund the county.

Roger that man.

Okay.

That's my motion.

Got a motion by uh Commissioner Meyer, second by uh Commissioner Cohen.

And I just want to say, Dr.

Walsh, I want to thank you for your for your presentation um and for coming in and taking the bullets.

Um we understand you're inherited a mess, and you're doing everything that you can to try and write this ship.

Also, having known you for a long time, I appreciate your candor and being being direct here.

Um in a little while we're gonna hear we're essentially starting our budget process.

We're gonna hear the recommended budget presentation from the county administrator, and then a couple weeks we'll have a budget reconciliation workshop, and a couple public hearings, and then so we'll continue to consider the you know what needs what changes need to happen here.

But I think motion on the floor is likely um a good start, and I just appreciate your your honesty and candor.

So okay, we got a motion uh and a second.

No one else in the queue, please record your vote.

Motion carried seven to zero.

Thank you, sir.

Appreciate it again, Dr.

Walsh.

Hey, Bonnie.

Thank you.

Our next item is item B3.

This is our 1015 time certain.

This is regarding the issuance of Hillsborough County utility revenue notes, and they not to exceed amount of 650 million dollars.

Kevin Bricky will take us through this item.

We also have representatives from the financial team if needed.

Good morning, Kevin.

Good morning, Commissioners.

Kevin Ricky mentioned the budget.

Item B3 requests the board to adopt a resolution supplementing resolution 03112, adopted in June 2003.

Providing for the issuance of the subordinate utility revenue note series two 2026 and their principal amount not to exceed 650 million dollars in order to finance the cost of all or a portion of the cost of various public utility capital improvement projects, specifically the one water campus in South County, and paying the costs of issuance of the note, uh approving the form and authorizing the execution and delivery of a non-revolving credit agreement with Bank of America, appointing various uh uh paying agent and registrar for the note and authorizing certain officials to execute documents or take actions needed to uh uh be in conjunction with the note uh and authorize the clerk to pay uh costs associated.

Also to approve the related budget amendment, which has the net impact of zero on the uh adopted FY26 budget, it realigns various line items to effectuate the actual issuance.

Uh the note uh will be serviced and repaid exclusively from water and wastewater system revenues.

I don't see any questions or comments.

Can we have a motion?

To approve.

Motion adopt a resolution by Commissioner Myers and Commissioner Cohen.

Please record your vote on B3.

Motion carried seven to zero.

Thanks, Governor.

Bonnie.

Thank you.

The next two items are related.

The first one is item G1.

This is to receive a report on a plan for a phase implementation of the African American Arts and Cultural Center.

And then the related item B2 is regarding a state grant.

John Mueller will take us through first item G1, the staff report.

Good morning, Chair, good morning, board.

John Mueller, director for facilities management and real estate services.

And as Bonnie mentioned, we're here for a phased option report on the uh African American Arts and Cultural Center facility.

And also today with me is Jim Hudok.

Jim is our capital programs director.

I want to just mention him because they help prepare the phasing concepts and construction estimates presented.

In addition, Miss Nicole Travis, the nonprofit uh Tampa Bay African American Arts and Cultural Center Executive Director should be on this meeting virtually, at least she told me she was, should there be any questions for her.

Okay, so let's dive right into it.

There's a lot on these.

I'm gonna try to be brief and bright.

Uh so since our last report, um, we had the architects proposed budget reviewed by our own capital programs team, and we requested it to be reviewed and assessed based on the most recent costs of other county capital projects with any market rate adjustments.

Uh in addition, the nonprofit had their own independent GC review of the project budget budget to identify value engineering opportunities.

So let me just there's boil these numbers down for you.

So our own county staff says look, if you started sometime in 2027, late 2027, uh your we would say an overall cost as is 50.3.

That's higher than the architects, based primarily on the special costs of some of the exterior and interior special items, and also allowing for some costs into a late 2027 start.

Now the nonprofits evaluation revealed the same.

And you can see a list of those value engineering items down there when it mentions exterior panels, landscaping finishes, et cetera.

So we took we took that number and we looked at look, let's look at a three-phase and a two-phase construction approach.

Both phases would exclude the majority of the exterior items, such as an amphitheater and all those finishes.

However, a three-phase approach would leave the second story of a 53,000 square foot building unfinished.

You can really see there's not a significant difference, and it would also delay the ability for revenue through programming by not having that second floor finish.

So we we're gonna focus on a two-phase approach with this report.

So that being said, you can see that phase one.

If you break that number, that 50 50.3 down would be 42 million with no value engineering.

However, we would state that value engineering needs to be accomplished and should be done and could be done in a way to not affect programming opportunities with those specific items we listed.

So we estimated the phase one cost to be a $39 million budget.

So again, just on this slide briefly, just putting this up here to show you that a two-phase approach would still need a schedule of 28 months.

That's for some redesign of the current permit drawings, bidding, and about a 20 to 24 month construction period.

The exterior phase two items would be 13 months.

Of course, that could start should funding be achieved for that.

It could run concurrently in a best case scenario.

So let's go to funding here.

I do want to know for the record, I had a typo on on yours uh over in the notes across from total public funding, not the not the amount, but in the notes, it's actually 8.75 million for the uh in the county's contribution, not 6.75.

Um, there's a total of 28.6 million in funding.

However, please let me clarify this is not yet all hard dollars that sit in the CIP.

The 21 million in public funding includes some awarded grants or appropriations that are not not yet executed.

We won't execute them until there is approval of construction because they could expire.

And we would have listed, and we have also listed um in included in that total just under five million dollars that the state um awarded in the in the most recent uh budget.

That grant agreement we expect to come to us in the upcoming months for your consideration.

Uh we have also listed the $2 million as potential in the previous CIP for the current West Tampa Community Resource Building.

Uh that was for a uh major renovations, that building, but the functions of both the West Tampa CRC item and Head Start are being relocated to other sites.

So where does this leave the nonprofit to achieve 39 million?

Well, as a county, we must continue our state grant extended extensions, and come January we'll have to extend our city building permits.

We must also execute any outstanding grants, as I mentioned, and the nonprofit must work with the naming rights agreements, the agreement which you previously approved, and the community foundation of Tampa Bay to start to secure those pledges.

I've highlighted three potential sources of non-county funding for the nonprofit to achieve or exceed the 10.3 million to reach a 39 million dollar phase one goal.

2103 North Rome Avenue is in a qualified census track and eligible for new market tax credits.

This is a source that has a five million dollars and potentially up to a 10 million dollar source in the form of a zero to low-income seven-year loan with favorable terms, so much so that these that the new market tax credits acts much like a grant.

But they have to comply with whatever their guaranteed, whatever the grant agreements are with the terms to create that community impact.

It is complicated, and I'm not going to claim to be an expert in new market tax credits, but we do understand that the nonprofit intends to use some corporate uh funding money that they receive to actively pursue this funding.

I also need to note that if there's any delay to the nonprofit achieving their funding, as we we do project a three percent increase.

So if we go past 2027, we expect the the construction numbers to go up.

So I wanted to provide on this slide a preliminary estimate of operating costs for a 53,000 square foot cultural facility.

So our staff contacted the real estate staff contact and research local facilities, regional ones, and we also went back to the 2019 original report on the national facilities and updated all those numbers with the CPI.

Using the median and assuming an operating model similar to Mosey and Carrollwood Cultural Center, we believe the proposed AAAC could mature up to an overall two million dollar per year total budget.

I mentioned MOSE and Kerala Cultural Center because these fill facilities do receive some minor county support, mainly from major repairs.

We own the assets, so we'll do some R3M funding there.

So some of that 30% breakdown that you see there for facility site and maintenance and repairs, some of that, at least the major ones, uh, those nonprofit operating models receive that.

So, but what those nonprofit operating models do is they really control the remaining 80 or 90 percent out there that's that's part of this with particularly with labor.

Um, what we looked at, we liked some of the examples we saw where they had a core full-time staff, not a large staff, but they leveraged part-time, they leveraged volunteers, and they also leverage 1099 independent contractors to provide the programming.

So kind of pay as you go or pay as you need.

Um you can see also on the slide at the bottom that I listed some 2025 reported revenue to us and broke it down per square foot.

So we believe the the nonprofit amount model is appropriate.

It allows them to capitalize on event revenue and quite frankly, and we are in Florida, including having a liquor license if allowed by the county agreement, um, as well as they could gain uh ticket uh ticket system surcharge sales by operating their own tick ticket sales system and again not having a county run system.

You that brings in all sorts of things, such as demand pricing during peak entry times and peak event times.

So the real bottom line here is that first we recognize that this project needs a more detailed model and pro forma that accompanies a request to bid and build this facility.

We are seeking direction on that based, but based on this preliminary analysis, that direction is pointing to the nonprofit model and the specific cultural institutions we should investigate with to provide that information back to the board.

So finally, uh Bonnie mentioned we have a companion item B2 that is requesting your approval.

This item is to authorize a covenant on the 2103 North Rome Avenue property that designates the property as a cultural center for 10 years in accordance with the grant, specifically with the grant that is for the African American Arts and Cultural Center.

This requirement was presented in the 2022 agenda item, and now that we have completed uh the final spending of the 1 million in state funding towards the design of the uh African American Arts and Cultural Center, we are asking your approval so that the final funding payment is received from the state.

And we're available for questions.

All right, thank you, John, to the presentation.

Uh Commissioner Bowles.

I I'll keep it brief.

I appreciate you bringing this report back at my request.

You know, I know this was done back in November and it's taken some time to get here.

Uh but my thought and process on it was that you know there's been a lot of work and effort put into this over the years.

It seemed to be floundering.

We didn't know it was going to happen with the state.

We got money from the state.

We got a big boost for this from the state, uh, and that this would be kind of a catalyst to kind of put a fire under ones else's butt the to get on board and uh support, you know, and get that that final goal there because a $50 million ask is pretty high, you know, the $10 million with the money we have right now, I think is a better way to go about it, and then we could use you could use that to kind of get the other going.

Um the other thing, and I wasn't sure, and I couldn't recall specifically, but did we uh none of this money that we're asking is for the operational costs?

I know that Commissioner Wussel in the past has talked about long ongoing operational cost.

If we do fund this and uh you know, continue to fund this and continue to do that.

Will we be funding this forever, or is there can we put something in a plan in place to say, you know, maybe we'll get you your baby legs up and get you a walk-in, but you have to learn how to you know run on your own and within a specific period of time.

Is there something that that could be done so that we're not funding something forever?

Well, we owe you that.

You you do have a policy when you evaluate a new facility that requires us to go out at least six years and identify what it's gonna cost.

Is there any cost savings from what was there?

Um, and most importantly, where is that money coming from?

So, as I mentioned as part of the report, I'm kind of leading that direction, asking you for direction, but pointing to a direction I think we should go, which is a nonprofit operating model to actually come back once if if we get that direction, then we'll we'll we'll take a hard dive in that.

And we you need that information to approve the building of the facility.

And I think you know, as we continue to look at our cost, I mean, just earlier we were looking at 600,000, which is I want to say in budget dust in a way of speaking in a 1.2 billion dollar budget, but it still matters.

But the operational cost for things like this going on, I think we need to consider those.

Absolutely.

And so that you know, we're not being burdened or you know, encumbered by that for forever.

So I think whatever we could do to set that up to make it happen, let's make it happen.

Yeah, as I mentioned, I'll just repeat it if if you miss it.

I think one of the things about that model with the lease and management agreement is I would say in general, what we're doing most of the money in, or what we're trying to direct in is major repair of an asset that we could own one day.

I mean, the Mosy West Building is an example.

We got it back.

We could do some work to it, but we did get a you know, that things would cost several hundreds of millions to build new.

Commissioner Woolstool.

Thank you.

Um, thank you for bringing up the operating, and it's what I was gonna lead into specifically the board should turn their eyes to policy 3.02.02.08, um, which explicitly requires that no capital project shall be funded unless operating impacts have been assessed, and the necessary funds can be reasonably assumed to be available when needed.

Now, I would caution you, Commissioner Bowles.

Um, that idea is not the first time that it's been brought up, and the county's bottom line is still negatively impacted by that exact same sentiment of creating a facility for a nonprofit that made promises to operate it and then felled, and they're still on our books with an undue burden to our taxpayers, preventing critical um services that we're supposed to be providing with that money.

Um, so I don't know, whatever language we used on that one, we shouldn't use again because it didn't work.

Um, and I think that that's a problem with agreeing to add anything to the bottom line is that they're not coming off if they fell.

The emotions are gonna come out, and then we're either gonna raise people's property taxes to pay for it, or we're gonna make other existing um departments suffer on their budgets.

That's the only two outcomes.

So the last briefing was that they were originally supposed to pay for the operations, but that seems to have now changed, and that the expectation was that the county would be operating that.

Is that still the current expectation?

I expect is we're asking a direction to go investigate that model, exactly what you're talking about.

You want a cost neutral.

You're we've heard heard that from last time.

I do think we need a direction, and I'm suggesting we look heavily at the nonprofit model to achieve that objective.

But we we do need to take a deeper dive into that.

Okay, so how much money towards the capital is the nonprofit paying for?

So right now, their pledges, total pledges, they need to turn, as I mentioned, they need to secure those uh is five point five million.

Um that's what they have.

We believe they might be able to get another three.

They are the nonprofit, um, could very well if we hope they're the recipient of the new market tax credits, particularly with this model of them operating, they become from what I understand more eligible because they're providing the direct community impact.

Will you be able or are they going to provide or staff going to provide the six-year estimated?

And it's not just operating, it's maintenance.

Everything right.

That's operating.

Also their responsibility.

Labor, revenue, um, it's everything, pro forma.

And yes, we need to provide that.

Um and again, I'll just state again, not to repeat myself, but but I think this is the model we need to focus on, um, not a hundred percent county run model.

How many, how much general funds have we already spent the reason I'm asking you is because I want to know how much money we're gonna keep spending before they're even able to reasonably meet the obligations that we haven't even calculated.

Yeah, we have spent capital.

Um how some of that came from the CIT, and let me go back a slide here, Commissioner.

Well, there's there's millions of dollars of CIT depreciating in the CIP budget for this project that could be uh for shovel ready projects, right?

I don't know that I have that answer for you, but I can follow up with it.

Yeah, that's fine.

I'll follow up.

You want to know how much general funds were spending?

Because the the next item is that we're gonna approve more local funds to be used towards the match, right?

Is that the next item that's on the agenda?

Uh the next that that was already the the 250,000 dollar match was already appropriated and spent on the design.

What you're approving is just the the covenant for the final state reimbursement.

I would just think that it's fair to the board that before we spend any more local money that we understand what those full scope of operational impacts over the first six years are gonna be.

If they're struggling to get the five point five million of operating that they've um pledged to get, how are they going to possibly get the first six years of operating impacts to our bottom line to protect the taxpayers?

So that's that's my comments and extreme concerns because we have a policy in place for a reason, and that's to prevent us from not negatively impacting existing needs.

So thank you.

Commissioner Myers.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chair.

First, I'd like to thank uh John and Greg and Hordell over um I'm sorry.

I just drew a blink on your name.

Jim.

John.

No, Jim is in the corner.

Oh, Jim, hold on.

That's what I'm trying to call.

Uh, for your continuous efforts in working on this this project, this has been a labor law for all of us to try to make the African American Art and Culture Center um come to fruition in West Tampa.

I'm gonna make a motion to first accept the report.

Okay.

I got a motion by Commissioner Myers to accept the report, second by uh Commissioner Woolstool.

Please record your vote.

Motion carries seven to zero.

And we're gonna continue.

I do hear you all plead of uh the funding, and we're working extremely hard to continue to raise money um in meeting with to solicit funds from corporations and foundations in support of this project.

So now I'd like to make a second um motion, and this motion is to um direct uh the county administrator to realign the two million dollars of general revenue funding in the West Tampa Community Resource Center, a capital improvement program project for the African American Art and Culture Center, improvement program project as a part of the FY 2027 budget.

That's my motion.

All right, there's a motion by uh Commissioner Myers, second by Commissioner What's her name again?

Commissioner Miller.

Um don't see anyone in the queue.

Uh please record your vote.

Motion carries seven to zero.

And my final item, uh, Commissioner Wolster, to address what you were saying.

I was gonna make it a future item that talks about uh bringing back information regarding the performer operating costs and program revenue.

So I can either do it now or I can wait to a future item.

Just wait to the future.

Make it a future item.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

I I just got one question, John, before you finish.

Um I know there's I guess initial 10 million dollars needs to be raised.

Um when does the decision need to be made on both whether we go in a phase in process and uh on the operational side?

When do those decisions need to be?

Sooner.

Not today, obviously.

Not today, but I I think phasing um I I believe the phasing of the project is appropriate because we're we're gonna be able to do the the core of the programming, and quite frankly, the exterior portions, I'll use the word, are very attractive to donors.

I'll use the word are very attractive to donors.

I do believe there's a stronger front fundraising with the visibility of those.

So I absolutely would recommend phasing of the project, and I'm hoping that today's report emphasize that, and thanks to Commissioner Bowles.

Umperationally, we're gonna work diligently.

I I'm appreciate Commissioner Myers making that motion, but I believe we need to return back to you in short order and working with um this the stakeholder.

I'll probably need a few months, but we need to come back with an operating pro forma.

Certainly I would like to have you that information before the end of the year to you.

Okay, uh Commissioner Myers, final comment.

I'd just like to see if Nicole is online to make any comments.

She's a CEO.

Uh is she's online.

Okay, it appears staff is Nicole online.

She's there.

Nicole, you would like to share anything.

Good morning.

Good morning, Commissioner Chairman.

Um, thank you for the opportunity.

We appreciate the support.

Um, we just had our inaugural fundraising for the nonprofit.

Um, and we had a remarkable uh turnout in support of the event.

We look forward to closing the gap on the funding that's needed to get the cultural center built, and we hear all the comments from the commission, and we'll work with staff to get you those answers.

Thank you for your support.

Okay, all right.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Thanks, yeah.

Uh thank you.

Can I have a um consideration vote on item B2, please?

Move to approve item B2 as presented.

Motion by Commissioner Myers, second Commissioner Bowles.

Uh please accord your vote.

Motion carries seven to zero.

Okay, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Bonnie.

Thank you.

Um Commissioners, we did not have um item F3 set up for time certain, but we do have Chief Frank Losat in the audience.

And I'm so I'm wondering if you would like to waive your rules to hear this item out of order.

Yeah, second.

Motion by Commissioner, also second by Commissioner Myers to waive our rules.

Uh please accord your vote.

We need to vote.

Yes.

Motion carried seven to zero.

All right, that thanks, Bonnie.

And this item should be quick.

Uh board members in our back in our backup.

I've included a letter from the sheriff's office requesting approval uh to start the process to expand the speed zone enforcement camera program to all Hillsburg County schools.

Um those of you that that were not here, uh, Commissioner Owen uh championed this program back in uh 20 2023, and the board unanimously voted to um establish the program.

And today the purpose of today's item is to uh really direct staff and the stakeholders to work with the sheriff's office to uh come back with a draft ordinance that amends the existing ordinance consisting with uh state law.

Um, and so that's essentially what it is.

And like as Bonnie said, Chief Losat's in the audience if there are any any questions on that, but I'll um I'll pass the gobble and just make that motion.

And then as part of that, what'll happen is they'll come back with the draft ordinance if we approve it at that time, then we would set the public hearing uh the required public hearing in order to approve it.

So today is the first of three separate meetings if we ultimately uh approve the item.

Um and chief, did you want to make any comments?

You might want to just I know you hear and came all the way down and might want to say something.

Good morning, early afternoon.

Thank you.

Um I'm here for any questions.

Uh the sheriff's fully supports this program.

Um the sheriff's office has all been all in for the last couple of years on this as we've been moving forward.

We've been monitoring red speed, which is facilitating the program along with us.

Um so if you have any questions, I will give you the answers.

All right, thank you, sir, for being here.

Uh, Commissioner Wilson.

Well, I'm gonna first amend a second your motion that you made.

Um, and um I just appreciate you guys continuing to work on any improvements.

I know there's more improvements coming on the lighting just to make it much more clear, um, particularly on areas like Citrus Park Drive or or or rather on um Earlick Bears.

Well, it's still Ehrlich at that point.

There's some very confusing spots right there, but I'm fully supportive of of the initiative, and I I really hope that people um slow down through the school zones.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, I'm glad you mentioned just real quick, you mentioned Citrus Park Drive.

Um last year.

I mean, I don't understand why the speed speed limit there is 40.

Um last year, my uh I was sitting in the back seat.

My wife was driving, so I had to charge my phone, and it was it was easy to do it that way, and she got pulled over for uh going, I think 50.

So um, yeah, I've always been wondering why is that 40?

You get other roads that are 45 and 50, but that's not for you, not for today.

But I just sparked my memory when he said Citrus Park Drive.

So um, and I'm the one that worked on that road for so long, so I thought that was a little bit you know frustrating.

But thank you for being here, sir.

Thank you for being here.

Um we have a motion uh by Commissioner Hang and a second by Commissioner Wusnell after you please record your vote.

Motion carried seven to zero.

Thank you, sir.

Anybody?

Uh thank you.

Um we can now move to the regular agenda, and we're gonna bring John Mueller back up here.

This is for item B1.

This is for $62,500 and funding for Meacham Ag.

Set on here, thank you.

Good morning again, Board John Muller, director for facilities management and real estate services.

Also here today is Joe Delecio with Meechum, uh the urban farmer here.

He's came from work, so uh he uh to show his appreciation for this request.

So today's request is for sixty-two thousand five hundred dollars in funding to Meacham.

Can I have my presentation up, please?

While I'm talking here.

Um this is literally located just up the street from us if you haven't been there uh at 108 uh excuse me, 1108 East Scott Street in Tampa, uh, the urban farm, just right around the corner from us.

As a note of background, Meacham's uh urban farm is on uh school board property, which is leased to Tampa Housing Authority as part of the uh adjacent encore development.

I note this for two reasons.

First, Meecham Urban Farmers LLC was selected by TEA by the Tampa Housing Authority to establish and operate this farm in 2018.

As part of that agreement, they were required, not optional, required to establish and operate an urban farm learning center for Hillsborough County students.

Therefore, Meecham Ag Ed is the nonprofit entity that conducts the educational programming.

Second, I'll note that Meecham originally requested 125,000, which included an additional 62,500 for parking pavilion sidewalks.

However, in our research, there are agreements do require score school board approval of such approval improvements, which we reached out and asked, and we're told that those would not be granted.

Thus, we are limiting our request to 62,500.

In addition to keeping the greenhouses in good working order for the education tours, these improvements are expected to increase food production capacity by approximately 25 percent by improving year-round growing capacity and reducing weather-related production losses.

I'm available for any questions.

Thank you, John.

Uh Commissioner Bowles.

I appreciate that.

This is actually to be honest, this is a uh district six uh flag item that came in before I was uh elected, and um I thought it was uh I'll be perfectly honest.

I I saw the money, and I'm like, what in the world?

Why we have this farm in the middle of the city, you know.

It was a head scratcher.

Uh I went out and visited it.

Um the location, like you said, is right just north of us.

Uh and I I think it's it's pretty unique, pretty pretty cool.

Um, one of the other things I think is really nice that we have these food deserts around here.

It provides an opportunity for people who may be living uh across the street and some of the the housing there to actually come and have an opportunity to get fresh vegetables or fruits or whatever they are producing there at the time.

And uh I think that is is pretty pretty nice.

So I was helping getting it through the school board, some of the contract stuff.

We kind of helped facilitate that.

So that's kind of why I have my finger on the pulse of this, and you know, I'm glad that we were able to come to uh an agreement on that.

So thank you very much, sir.

Appreciate your work on this.

Of course.

I don't know if we can have a motion.

Motion, Commissioner Wolstell, have a second.

Second, Commissioner Miller.

Uh, please record your vote.

Motion carries seven to zero.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It may make sense then to waive your rules and take item F two now, because it is somewhat related to that extra money that was freed up from I'm going to go to the road.

Move to wave the role.

Second.

Second by Commissioner Wolstell to waive our rules.

Please record your vote.

Motion carried seven to zero.

Commissioner Bowles.

So the original request that came from the 2024 flag money was for 125,000.

As uh Mr.

Mueller just described that we're only using about half of that money.

Um since they're uh again, this has kind of been already allocated and budgeted for.

I wanted to take the opportunity to use that for uh a really um really unique organization that helps foster children.

And so I'm gonna be making a motion, sir, to reallocate 62,500 of that flag money from the Beach and Farms projects to the Matty's movement to support young adults aging out of foster care.

This investment will help provide employment opportunities and workforce development that promote long-term economic mobility and independence to those young adults coming forward.

Okay, we got a motion by Commissioner Bowles, second part Commissioner Miller.

Motion carried seven to zero.

Okay, bye.

Thank you.

So we can now move on to item C1.

This is the delivery of the county administrator's recommended fiscal year 27 budget.

And I'll just uh say a few words before we do that.

Uh the budget books were delivered to your office um yesterday, and it has a really um interesting picture of the one water project because that is uh predominant through our um our budget this year, and actually helps it it's partly what increases the size from the prior year.

But today, um this is the second year of our um two-year budget, the fiscal year 27 budget.

It is built around our community's continued growth and the responsibilities that come with that growth, and that responsibility is respect it reflected first and foremost in public safety.

And so we continue our investment and the people and infrastructure that keep our residents safe from our fire stations and related staffing to our partnership with the sheriff's office to the disaster preparedness our community increasingly relies upon, and it continues to support a bright broad range of services that enhance our residents' quality of life and keep our community strong.

We also continue to make significant investments in capital projects, transportation and other critical infrastructure that support our growing community.

At the same time, it's important to acknowledge the fiscal environment in which we are operating.

Revenue growth has been slowing.

It has not been a one-year blip, it's a trend we've been recognizing, and it shapes how this budget was developed.

For several years, we have been anticipating some form of property tax reform in Florida and have been budgeting accordingly.

Rather than locking in new recurring expenditures that could strain future budgets, we've been deliberately prioritizing one time investments that strengthen our community, including transportation infrastructure, capital improvements, and disaster preparedness.

And that discipline was intentional.

It was designed to preserve our financial flexibility.

But here's what's changed combined with slowing growth and assessed property values.

The property tax reform proposal that we'll hear on the November ballot is far more significant than what we were anticipating.

And it does represent a meaningful shift in how the county could be funded going forward and ultimately in how services are delivered.

So today's budget is our recommendation for the year ahead, one that continues to invest in our growing community, strengthen public safety, expand critical infrastructure, and position us to navigate the fiscal uncertainty ahead.

And thank you.

And I'll turn it over to Kevin Brickie, your management budget director, to walk you through the budget and the timetable.

And as a reminder, there's no action to be taken on the budget today.

And while Kevin's coming to the podium, I do want to thank you and Tom Fessler and the entire budget team for your outstanding work in developing this recommended budget.

Thank you, Bonnie, and good morning, commissioners.

Um as uh we look to build any uh recommended budget and and uh do uh the budgeting uh for the county and for our citizens.

We we remember that we have been uh receiving the government finance officers association award for now 40 years.

We receive the award uh for the FY27 budget and are pleased that we are able to continue to do that.

Also, uh we continue to maintain our triple A credit agent rating uh triple A rating from our three leading credit rating agencies who have uh noted the the county's uh economic diversification, it's it's broad tax base, uh, it's it's uh level of reserves and financial management in maintaining that triple A rating.

And as always, we look at uh the list of guiding principles that have uh we have been looking at for some time, which uh really speaks towards maintaining current assets, maintaining current service levels, uh, maintaining our employees and value in our employees uh to encourage them to grow.

Uh we continue to uh identify budget savings.

We use restricted funds first, and as Body mentioned, uh for this budget, uh we particularly uh structured the FY27 budget uh to prepare for possible tax reform.

As Bonnie mentioned, we've been anticipating this for some time and and uh have been uh proceeding accordingly.

The recommended FY27 budget is 14.1 billion dollars compared to the adopted budget, which was 12.0 billion dollars.

That's an increase of 2.1 billion dollars.

And as we break down the budget, uh the capital, that's our capital improvement program, uh, is the largest uh area of the uh FY27 budget at $3.7 billion.

Uh it is a $406 million increase.

Those yellow uh bars at the top represent a change, and that is primarily from the one water project, about $304 million.

Uh reserves are $2.9 or almost $3 billion.

There has been an increase in reserves as we look at uh reserves with uh solid waste reserves, uh some self-insurance reserves, uh, water reserves, and some sales tax reserves.

Transfers have also uh uh gone up by about uh 400 million dollars.

Transfers, as you'll remember, that's where uh within your budget we move dollars from one restricted fund to some other fund or from a general fund to some other fund.

Uh it's an accounting mechanism.

Essentially, it causes a dollar to be counted more than once.

And that increase in transfers is primarily also uh one water as we look at um the increase in uh uh debt and internal service grants of about 475 million dollars.

That's a lot uh primarily one water borrowing to support that program, and those transfers are primarily related to that.

Other restricted reserves are about one point, other restricted funds because now we're getting into operating.

It's about 1.8 billion dollars, a 221 million dollar increase, which is uh derived from the operating uh portions of the CDBG DR grant that uh uh the county has received general funds are up about uh 45 billion dollars at 1.66 billion, and that's primarily uh driven um uh by uh uh fire rescue and and uh the uh rescue uh division.

As we turn into looking at a little more detailed on the operating portion, so separating out reserves, capital, and transfers.

The operating budget is about five, a little bit less than five point one billion dollars.

Uh you see the uh sheriffs operating is the largest at 698 million dollars.

It's a 12 million dollar increase.

Debt service, that's that has uh risen to a larger uh bar on this graph compared to recent years, and again uh that uh increase of more than 440 million dollars is driven by one water uh activities.

Health care services at 640 million dollars.

There's a 100 million dollar increase there, which is driven by the the self-directed hospital direct payment program, it's a pass-through.

Uh the dollars come in from the hospitals, the money goes out.

It's not uh uh other uh it's not any other impact on the budget.

Enterprise funds uh are $600 million.

Fire rescue $347 million dollars, and again you see an increase of about $31 million across all funds.

Again, mostly that's the peak reserve division.

And you see the large blue one again, that's that CDBD GR GDR increase of $221 million.

Recommended revenues are $5.16 billion dollars, and here we see ad valorum taxes, property taxes are $1.6 billion.

That's about $32 percent, nearly a third of all our current flow of revenue.

And as Bonnie mentioned, uh tax uh revenue growth has been slowing.

A few years ago, our property taxes increased at about 15 or 12 percent and has declined since then.

We've been growing at a hair less than 7% in recent years.

Uh the June 1 numbers from the property appraiser's office show that there was a 3.4% increase.

Since then, the property appraiser has released their July 1 numbers.

It's about a 3.9% increase.

The interesting thing there is that is the lowest uh uh rate of growth in uh taxable values and in 14 years and below our recent 20 year average.

The FY27 recommended budget is uh built with a another millage swap where uh we're reducing countywide millage by 0.1 mills and increasing the unincorporated millage by 0.1 mills in support of the financial stability of the unincorporated fund, which uh receives the greatest demands from property uh from population growth.

It's where their fire rescue is primarily uh funded.

Uh this would be the third year of a village swap in order to uh enhance the financial stability of that fund.

In this case, this year, the uh.1 reduction in countywide would be result in a $15.6 million decrease in countywide revenue.

And the increase in point one unincorporated would be an $11 million increase for a net decrease of $7.5 million.

When one looks at the impact of a of a home that's uh valued at uh $350,000.

In the unincorporated area, the net impact is zero.

One millage is decreasing by 0.1, the other millage is increasing by 0.1.

For those that are located within one of our three cities, it is a decrease of 0.1, and it would be a reduction of $30 on that $350,000 house.

As we look at uh our millage rates, uh the recommended FY27 millage rate of $5.3608 is about 31% below uh the peak uh in FY99 when it was 7.75.

Looking at the unincorporated millages, uh, you do see uh a tenth uh increase in the unincorporated millage in the graph on the upper right, that still is below current millage rates for the three cities.

Uh also look at uh those triple A ratings.

We remain uh one of less than two percent of county of nationwide counties that actually have a credit rating of triple A among more than 3,000 counties or equivalents nationwide.

Looking at our general funds budget, our combined unincorporated and countywide, uh we have about a $50 million increase or a 2% increase.

Uh again, that $50 million is primarily accounted for by fire rescue, about $29 million.

Constitutional other elected officials, $11 million increase, and all others are a net at $10 million increase.

As you recall, the countywide general fund funds services that go to all county residents, uh, whether they're in the unincorporated area or in the three cities.

That includes sheriff, primarily jail operations, supervisor of elections, human services, affordable housing, medical examiner, pet resources, for example.

That operating millage is in the recommended budget, 5.3608 mills, and is about 1,608 dollars on a home assessed at 350,000.

The countywide general fund recommended is 1.6 billion dollars.

Looking at the operating portion, the sheriff and outside agencies continue to account for about 55.6% of the operating budget, the unincorporated fund that funds services that go to our unincorporated residents and unincorporated businesses, the same sort of services that a city would provide in a municipality, fire rescue, sheriff patrol operations, public works, parks, code enforcement.

That millage in the recommended budget, 4.7163, and that's about $1,415 on a home assessed at $350,000, $350,000.

And again, that remains below the three cities' current FY26 millages.

Then looking at the that unincorporated fund, $924 million, as we've seen recently in previous uh years, public safety takes about two-thirds of that, more than two thirds, 67.8% with the fire rescue and sheriff combined.

Public works is third at 125 million dollars, and then the others are relatively small.

In FY27, public safety and other constitutional officer budgets compared to our general fund property tax revenue accounts for about 80% of that revenue.

We expect about $1.4 billion.

Sheriff fire rescue and other other elected officials and agencies are about $1.14 billion.

It's $80 of that revenue.

Every year we look at our general fund revenue reserves, and as you'll recall, we do keep that between 20 and 25% as per year policy in support of financial flexibility and in support of our credit ratings.

Uh form and give us a little more flexibility.

Now turning towards certain legislative action for property tax reform.

First of all, I like to talk about the change in the maximum millage rate that taxing authority is able to do.

Now within that also is the ability for a taxing authority to levy a rate above the rolled back rate, up to 110% above the rolled back rate.

That would need to be done by a supermajority.

And currently the recommended FY27 millage would require a supermajority, primarily due to the millage swap.

And as if you look above, where if we if the board were to impose the rolled back rate for FY27, that actually would be a gain countywide of about 500 or 600,000 dollars.

Again, because the recommended millage already had that 0.1 reduction.

The unincorporated reduction, the unincorporated fund would be a reduction of about 20 million dollars, and the library would be a reduction of about 22 million dollars by simple majority going to the rolled back rate.

Again, what's in the recommended budget is that 0.1 millage swap.

Otherwise flat millage outside of the 0.1 millage swap, and that would require a two-thirds vote.

But that would need to be a unanimous vote.

And again, that the unincorporated area is where we have the impacts or where fire rescue is primarily budgeted and where law enforcement is budgeted, and a fair amount of uh transportation types of operations as well.

Then during the special session, the legislature approved a constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot on November 3rd.

It would require 60% yes vote to pass.

It would increase homestead exemptions from the current $50,000 to $150,000 that would impact us in FY28 and to $250,000, which would impact us in FY29.

Looking at FY29's impact on the right, it's about a $213 million impact to the countywide general fund, $130 million impact to the unincorporated area general fund.

Library district would have an impact as well of about $21 million, and our ELAP debt service, which is a countywide millage of about $2.4 million.

For our general funds, that's about a 23% decrease in FY29.

That to that total of $343 million.

How does that compare to the general fund personnel budgets?

This total top line of $500 almost $428 million countywide, $450 million unincorporated.

That includes fire rescue and sheriff personnel budgets.

If we were to net those out of each fund, that would leave 193 million dollars countywide and $52 million unincorporated.

So that's $103, $193 million countywide compared to the full impact in FY29 of $213 million, and for unincorporated $52 million compared to the full impact in FY29 of $130 million.

$25% of the personnel budget is outside of fire rescue and sheriff, which account for combined for 75% of the personnel budget.

So this is in this example we see that the property tax impact is greater than the non-public safety personnel budget.

Some of the rating agencies, we we talked about the comments that they've had regarding uh Hillsborough County and our management and such.

In this case, the rating agencies are recognizing the impact of the revenue loss, and they're wondering about the possibility of new revenues to replace or cut.

And they are expressing some concern that this could have a negative impact on credit rating agencies, depending on what a local area was to do.

The recommended capital budget is 3.7 million, $3.7 billion.

The largest area is water of about 2 billion.

We've talked about that.

That's one water.

From general funds in the CIT has increased uh quite a lot from FY20.

Uh in FY27 budget, we do have an uh additional funding for transportation of 117.1 million dollars.

And that's broken out in a number of different areas, bridges and guardway, guard guardrails, sidewalks, resurfacing.

Uh we resurfacing uh in that area about uh 21 million dollars plus some uh from uh gas taxes of about 5.4 billion dollars, 26 million dollars of new funding.

And it's also important to note that uh there's some carryover funding in in the uh transportation program that's about 75 million dollars of dollars that are carrying over from the previous year, including 261 million dollars carried over for uh repaving county administrator positions in the FY27 are still about 191 uh positions less than FY07, uh 2.9 percent in decrease where population is increased by 32 percent.

Fire rescue.

Uh certainly that's where we've had investments in new stations, replacement stations, rescue units, SRIP units, some land acquisition funding in FY27 in FY27 uh fire rescue positions are up about 483 compared to FY07 or a 51 percent increase.

But net of fire rescue, the county administrator positions in FY27 are still 674 positions below FY07 or about 11.9 percent reduction.

So as we move uh through this, uh the next uh meeting that we'll have for the budget will be on July 29th.

That will be the budget reconciliation public hearing, where you'll uh adopt your truth in billage rates, uh, which this process is again set in statutes.

Uh again, it's it's a little bit different this year because of how maximum billage has changed, and you'll also uh conduct your flagging process.

We've had uh uh a couple of budget workshops, uh property tax reform staff report recently.

We've had our July, uh June and July property of value property appraiser valuations today.

The budget delivery again.

We talked about July 29th for reconciliation.

Our public hearings will be September 10th and September 24th will be the final one where you adopt the budget, and there is two weeks between those two.

I appreciate your attention, and I'm here for questions.

Thank you for that very thorough presentation, Kevin.

I think uh in the future we're gonna put you on a timer.

We're gonna tighten things up a little bit.

But other than that, we appreciate all the information and Bonnie.

Again, you said this earlier, but do want to thank you and all your staff for all their hard work and putting together this budget.

It is a an enormous task, and we understand that.

Um board comments, we're not taking action today, but um two weeks of reconciliation is when we'll begin to address any changes or or flagged items.

But uh, Commissioner Wolstell.

Yeah, there's plenty of future talking, but I saw that there's a new journalist, and she took a picture of the 14 billion dollar slide, but I want to make clear though that government accounting.

I know we've gone through this exercise every year, it's very confusing and duplicative.

We do not have 14 billion dollars.

I want to make that very clear.

Um, if you could bring up slide 13, and if she would be willing to take a picture of that one, which is really what the commissioners control.

I'm just gonna provide us some cover fire before the headline says we have 14 billion dollars.

That is what we control, and the most important thing for the taxpayers to read about in your wonderful newspapers 50 million dollars only, two percent increase.

So thank you very much.

Well, well stated.

We definitely need the the cover.

Um, any other comments or questions?

Again, thank you, Kevin.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

We'll have a sure robust discussion in two weeks.

Okay, Bonnie, next item.

All right, we have one item.

This is one of your board appointments that's available for local hearing officers for red light cameras and school zone speed cameras, and Glenda's here to take you through that.

Good afternoon now, commissioners.

Okay, so we have the local hearing officers for rent-like camera and school zone speed camera hearings.

We have five positions, and the terms are for three years.

Commissioner Hagan, please select five.

One, two, three, five, and eight.

Okay.

Commissioner Miller.

One, two, three, four, and seven.

Commissioner Myers.

One, two, four, five, and eight.

Commissioner Cohen.

One, two, three, four, and eight.

Commissioner Cepeda.

One, two, three, four, and eight.

Commissioner Bowles.

One, two, three, four, and eight.

Commissioner Wastel.

Two through six.

Looks like it's one, two, three, four, and eight.

Is that unanimous?

Yes.

One, two, three, four, five, and eight.

Yes.

So we have candidates one, two, three, four, five, and eight.

Thank you.

That's six.

That's six.

Not five.

I'm sorry.

Yes, not five.

One, two, three, four, and eight.

One, two, three, four, and eight.

Yes, correct.

Can we have a motion to so move to confirm them?

Okay, I got a motion, Commissioner Cohen, send Commissioner Wilson.

Please record your vote.

Commissioner Hagen.

No.

Motion carried seven to zero.

Thanks, Linda.

Bonnie.

And now we just have future discussion items.

I think you mentioned something, Commissioner Myers earlier.

Commissioner Myers?

Yes.

Okay.

Um to direct the county staff of the facilities and parks department to develop and present to the BOCC in operating model with the performer operation operating costs and programming revenue for the proposed African American Art and Culture Center that utilize a nonprofit lease and management agreement similar to other county owned cultural facilities operated by Baba 1C3 nonprofit.

I'm gonna ask that this report come back to us between 90 and 120 days.

Okay.

Thank Commissioner Wistel.

Thank you.

Um in 1986, President Ronald Reagan created the H2A visa.

Um since then, almost 100% of farm workers have become H2AI visa employees.

They would have to be accompanied by a verified H4 visa.

I have called every single large ag producer that I can get in contact with, and they have all confirmed that a hundred percent of their employees are H2A, and zero of them have H4 company visas.

However, to date, Hillsborough County continues to collect a school impact fee for farm worker housing.

I would like to direct staff to work with um Director Gormley's office in product options to remove the school impact fees collected for farm worker housing, and prior to that to have it go through the agricultural economic development council for verification and approval.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Cohen.

Uh thank you very much, madam uh vice chair.

I have two items.

Uh the first is uh some of you may recall a few months ago uh that uh I brought up the item of bad actors related to short-term rentals and the problem of parties and and unauthorized and and in some cases illegal activities taking place in in homes that are available for short-term rental.

Uh I've been working with the county attorney's office, and they have been an uh code enforcement, they've been terrific, and we have come up with an ordinance.

We've been working with stakeholders and neighborhood groups.

Um it is not a land use regulation because under Senate Bill 180, we're not allowed.

We're we're preempted from putting any additional land use regulations uh into effect.

It is a business regulation, and it will create a structure that will allow code enforcement to actually enforce some of the rules against some of those that have been abusing the uh ability to rent out homes for seven days.

So, what I'm gonna ask for is a commissioner item to be placed on the agenda on August 5th, where we can present this ordinance to all of you, and then if it meets with your approval or you want to make any changes to it, that would be fine.

But the goal would be to set a public hearing for the first meeting in September to consider um it putting these regulations into place.

So I wanted to just alert the board and the public that this will be coming in front of us August fifth.

The second item has to do with the fact that at the airport recently, Uber and Lyft and the rideshare services have been authorized to raise their fees incrementally in order to meet some of the rising gas costs and other expenses they've incurred.

They did not have a fee increase for a number of years.

Taxis are not able to be regulated in the same way.

They have to come here because there's no public transportation commission anymore.

So I'm gonna ask the county attorney to put something on our agenda to create a resolution to deal with that.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

With that, we're adjourned, but I think that's a good question.