Kathy Castor highlights more than $10 million from federal budget for Tampa projects

Kathy Castor says the gas is too damn high.

Rep. Kathy Castor said she helped secure more than $10 million for local appropriation projects in the federal budget.

Castor received approval for the nine funding requests she filed to help Florida’s 14th Congressional District, from affordable housing to cancer research and mental health services. All in all, Tampa Bay delegation members directed $35 million in funding from the federal budget for specific community projects — an announcement that comes as Representatives were able to submit local appropriations requests for the first time in more than a decade.

“This bipartisan bill lowers costs for our neighbors and invests in good-paying jobs here in Tampa and across the country,” Castor said in a statement. “The important community projects included address some of the most pressing needs in our community, and will have an immediate and far-reaching impact. The projects represent the diversity of needs in the Tampa area — from East Tampa to Town ‘N Country to the University Area, the entire Tampa-Hillsborough district is represented.”

Below are the approved projects funded by the budget:

— $2.13 million for Cultural Campus Warehouse Renovation and Site Work — University Area Community Development Corporation, Inc. This funding will be directed to a site in the University Area to serve as a hub connecting community residents with anchored partners, who will provide services and initiatives to improve the quality of life in the local community.

— $2 million AI/Machine Learning for Cancer Research at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. This appropriation will fund tech infrastructure at Moffitt so the center can leverage already existing data and allow scientists to translate greater understanding of the complexities of cancer into novel prevention, early detection and treatment to help improve outcomes for cancer patients throughout the U.S.

— $2 million Mariposa Women’s Neuropsychiatric Hospital — Mental Health Care. This project will fund 24 additional psychiatric beds for women in Tampa Bay to address a significant shortfall in capacity and provide critically needed psychiatric services.

— $1 million for STEM Teacher Preparation in the Tampa Bay region at the University of South Florida. The funding would be used to prepare STEM teachers and create a pipeline of STEM teachers to Hillsborough County Public Schools and other local school districts.

— $1 million for Tampa’s Fair Oaks Senior Center Redevelopment. This project will connect Tampa seniors with vital community services that help them stay healthy and independent as well as provide them with access to inclusive culture programs.

— $800,000 for Town N’ Country Septic-to-Sewer via Hillsborough County. This project will fund the replacement of legacy septic tanks to increase water quality.

— $520,000 Connectivity for Prosperity — Tampa Housing Authority. This project will increase access to high-speed internet in Tampa affordable housing communities, opening additional opportunities for education and training, employment, and communication with medical providers, cultural groups and world events.

“I’m pleased to support three projects aimed directly at lifting up and connecting our diverse Tampa communities. The Fair Oaks Senior Center Redevelopment will provide Tampa seniors with vital services to keep them healthy and independent, and the University Area Community Development Corporation, Inc. cultural campus warehouse will connect neighbors with valuable services and initiatives to improve their quality of life,” Castor said in a statement.

“The past year has underscored the importance of having access to stable and high-speed internet, and funding for the Tampa Housing Authority will increase in-home, reliable internet for residents of affordable housing in Tampa. These initiatives will drive our economy, keep our neighbors plugged-in, and modernize local infrastructure.”

— $382,000 COPS Technology Enhancements (Digital Storage of Body Cam footage) via the City of Tampa. The new technology that will be acquired by this funding will provide the tools needed to improve access to body worn camera data for Tampa Police Department staff and the public, and will ensure that critical data is uploaded and evaluated as quickly as possible at the scene of an incident.

“In Congress, I am working to reform police practices like consistent use of body cameras, and am heartened to see the City of Tampa and local law enforcement doing the same. We need funding for the technology and tools for Tampa Police Department to expand use of body-worn cameras and data retention,” Castor said in a statement. “Often the data must be evaluated as quickly as possible at the scene of an incident to ensure transparency and accountability.

— $300,000 The Hand Up Program — the Urban League of Hillsborough County, Inc. This funding will help engage students who age out of school to link them with training and paid pre-apprenticeship initiatives in the Tampa Bay area.

“The Urban League of Hillsborough County’s Hand Up program will link students with training and paid pre-apprenticeship initiatives in fields like solar energy deployment and hospitality that provide direct pathways to higher-paying, stable jobs that you can raise a family on,” Castor said in a statement.