Budget conference: House snubs Hillsborough Sheriff, while Senate all but stiffs Pasco Sheriff
Stock image via Adobe.

helicopter dropping money in sky
Aviation projects in Hillsborough and storm response in Pasco are on the line.

As the House and Senate enter Day 2 of budget conferences to iron out details in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget, big differences remain on appropriations projects requests for Sheriff’s Offices in the Tampa Bay area.

According to the Senate’s first offer in the criminal justice budget silo, the Senate seems to be snubbing the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) while the House isn’t showing much love to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO).

The House has included in its budget a $7 million appropriation for HCSO for a new hangar facility to house the agency’s “growing fleet of aircraft,” according to the appropriations request from Republican Rep. Danny Alvarez.

That’s just half of what was requested in fixed capital outlay dollars for the new facility, but it’s a lot better than the $0 the Senate has included in its offer.

HCSO is requesting the hangar, which would be larger than its existing one, to “provide HCSO’s aircraft, personnel, and equipment better protection from dangerous storms such as hurricanes,” and it “would allow HCSO to provide space for partner agencies to store their aircraft temporarily when required.”

The appropriations request argues the funding is needed “to support the growing population” of Hillsborough County through adequate aviation support for patrol operations and investigations, as well as to respond to wildfires, requests for post-hurricane supplies, and search and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the Senate has offered significantly less to HCSO for the acquisition of a new helicopter. Republican Rep. Traci Koster in her appropriations request for a new helicopter, asked for $7.75 million, funding that would add to the “unexpected balance of funding” in the agency’s current budget to cover the cost of an Airbus H145. The House budget includes about half that, at $3.875 million, but the Senate offer includes just $350,000.

The twin-engine helicopter would help the agency with “wildfire cessation, post-hurricane relief, and rescue operations,” according to the appropriations request.  It would also allow the agency to expand its specialty law enforcement personnel, including adding SWAT and bomb technicians.

The new helicopter would allow HCSO to transport specialty officers and their equipment “directly to locations where they are needed to respond throughout the state of Florida.” The appropriations request says the “aircraft’s safety features, reliability, and maintenance cost make it both (a) practical and effective addition to HCSO’s fleet.”

Roles are reversed for PCSO, where the Senate has included $15.7 million in its budget to expand the agency’s Trinity substation.

The House has so far not included any funding for the project.

Sponsored by Republican Rep. Brad Yeager, the project is aimed at improving PCSO’s hurricane response and recovery by building out the Trinity substation, “which is much closer to the impacted areas west of US 19 should we have another storm surge event than our existing storage location in Land O’Lakes,” according to the appropriations request.

The facility “would provide for secure storage for water rescue vehicles, to include boats and high-water rescue vehicles, and would significantly reduce transit time to affected areas.” 

The Senate included the total amount requested.

None of the three line items are finalized, meaning funding offers could change as lawmakers continue the budget negotiation process. Conferences will continue Wednesday and Thursday.

Janelle Irwin Taylor

Janelle Irwin Taylor has been a professional journalist covering local news and politics in Tampa Bay since 2003. Most recently, Janelle reported for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She formerly served as senior reporter for WMNF News. Janelle has a lust for politics and policy. When she’s not bringing you the day’s news, you might find Janelle enjoying nature with her husband, children and two dogs. You can reach Janelle at [email protected].


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, Liam Fineout, A.G. Gancarski, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Andrew Powell, Jesse Scheckner, Janelle Taylor, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704