No state money for Tampa Italian Club after Gov. DeSantis veto

Image via Italian Club of Tampa.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed funding for the Italian Club of Tampa, which had landed $1 million in the 2023-24 budget lawmakers approved last month.

Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, who sponsored the appropriations request, had asked for just over $3 million.

The funds were intended for building restoration and a code compliance initiative.

The Italian Club’s building is a registered historic landmark and the club itself is the oldest Italian organization of its type in the U.S., according to the appropriations request.

The building is in need of preservation work, including bringing it up to current code.

“But we are also looking into the future as it pertains to modernization and energy efficiency,” the request notes.

Of the original funds requested, more than $2.7 million would have funded construction, including upgraded electrical; fire alarm and suppression systems; elevator systems; bathroom utilities for code compliance; new air conditioning air handlers; new hardwood floors; new wooden permanent structures; and sound and lighting upgrades.

The funding would have also provided $83,200 for “project management/supervision” and $163,700 for architecture and engineering services, as well as other small expenditures.

Explaining the project’s need, the appropriations request notes the Club “conducted a full review of the building” with “numerous third-party specialists” and found “numerous areas of non-compliance to current code, and emergency needs for electrical and fire code upgrades.”

The Italian Club of Tampa is open for daily tours and community and cultural events. The nonprofit organization also hosts language classes, cooking classes, culturally specific events and historical presentations.