Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Southwest Florida’s members of the Florida House can hold their own when it comes to requests for funding in next year’s state budget.
The House released its proposed $79.9 billion spending plan on Friday, with a list of requests for money from individual lawmakers.
Here’s a selection of submissions from the southwest part of the state:
Rep. Matt Caldwell, a North Fort Myers Republican, is asking for $8 million to remove the external foam insulation system building envelope on the original structures at Florida Southwestern State College — Collier Campus, to replace it with a more suitable building envelope.
School officials said the project would extend the service life of not only affected buildings, but other buildings with deferred maintenance. Caldwell has also asked for $536,949 to do standard renovations and updates on the Collier Campus.
Caldwell is also showing some love for Florida SouthWestern State College’s Lee County campus. He requested more than $4.47 million for capital projects. The money would be used to reduce the backlog of critical deferred maintenance on the Fort Myers campus.
He’s also asking for $1.5 million for the Lovers Key State Park environmental education center. The one-time funding request would go toward the construction of an education center at Lovers Key State Park. The Southwest Florida park is second-most visited park, but does not have a visitors center.
Caldwell also put in a request for $2 million to renovate McCullum Hall, a 2,500-square-foot former dance hall and historical building in Fort Myers. The money will be put toward interior and exterior renovations to create a retail and mixed use space.
Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican, asked state lawmakers for $109,740 for Collier County Veterans Court.
The program is designed to divert veterans with mental health or substance abuse problems. The funding would go toward a veteran’s justice outreach coordinator, a case manager and a veterans-helping-veterans mentor program.
Passidomo also is asking for $5 million for Destination Graduation on behalf of the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board.
The program is a collaborative effort among five school districts in Southwest Florida: Collier, Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Charlotte counties. Destination is a mentoring and intervention program designed for high school students, and mentors work with students to help them graduate with a standard high school diploma.
And she’s asking for $5.5 million for a business accelerator in Southwest Florida. The request includes $3.5 million for the Immokalee business accelerator to construct a 5,000-square-oot facility, with a commercial kitchen, packaging, shipment, and business offices; a University of Florida/IFAS managed food safety testing analytics laboratory and a University of Florida/IFAS-managed proof of concept.
It also calls for $2 million toward the Naples accelerator. Gov. Rick Scott in 2015 vetoed a request to roll over $1.76 million from the previous year into the 2015-16 budget.
Passidomo is also leading the charge to get state funding for the Identity Fraud Institute at Hodges University. She requested $600,000, which the university plans to put toward expanding educational opportunities at the newly created Identity Fraud Institute at the private Naples university.
Rep. Matt Hudson, a Naples Republican, is asking $750,000 for repairs and renovations at the Hendry County Fairgrounds and Rodeo Complex. The money would allow the county to enclose the pavilion and make it climate controlled. It also would be used to upgrade electrical hook ups to allow RVs and trailer connections to accommodate visitors during multi-day events.
Hudson also asked for $5 million for the Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida’s Golden Gate Center. The one-time request, according to the funding request, would be put toward a capital construction project.
Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, a Fort Myers Republican, is asking for $1 million for the Quality of Life Center of Southwest Florida. The one-time funding request will be put toward a teen center for at-risk youth in Fort Myers. The $1 million will be put toward capital expenses, as well as staffing for the first year of the program.
