Peter Schorsch
The University of South Florida is set to get millions in supplemental funding for operational enhancements, as well as money for a new nursing facility at its Sarasota-Manatee campus, according to line items on the House and Senate “sprinkle lists.”
The House included $14 million in nonrecurring operational enhancement funding on its sprinkle list, while the Senate provided $10 million for the same use in recurring funds, including things like attracting talent.
Allocated monies for operational support or enhancement are essentially discretionary funds that can be used for just about any aspect of campus operations.
Those sprinkles are in addition to the $20 million “bump offer” the House provided Saturday for operational support, a $10 million boost from what the Senate had offered. Time is winding down on finalizing the budget before the state-mandated “cooling-off period” takes effect before a final vote.
The Senate’s sprinkle list also includes $16.25 million in nonrecurring funds for USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Academic STEM Nursing facility.
That’s more than the school requested. Rep. Will Robinson, a Bradenton Republican, is carrying the appropriations request, which asked for about $11.2 million.
The school is also seeking $2 million in federal funding, according to the request.
The funding would help pay for “planning, design and construction” for a new academic facility that will “enable the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to create new and expand current Nursing/STEM-related academic programs, provide new research capabilities and increase research productive, host academic conferences and community events, attract and retain excellent faculty and students, and support national, state, regional and local demands for graduates with STEM-related degrees.”
Several groups indicated support for the funding, including the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation, the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, the Manasota Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Venice Chamber of Commerce, according to the appropriations request.
The sprinkle list is a set of supplemental funding items tacked onto the budget at the end of the negotiations. They are often member projects, but they can also be used to add money to a program that one chamber sought to fund at a higher level.
