Janelle Irwin Taylor
Hillsborough County Community College has secured $2.5 million in the proposed budget, according to the education capital outlay projects funded list released Monday evening.
The request is half of what the school had requested for the project.
Sen. Danny Burgess and Rep. Daniel Alvarez each filed appropriations requests (HF 2546 and SF 2159) seeking $5 million to establish a Workforce Education Center in Plant City, providing education and economic development opportunities through comprehensive training for high-wage careers in health care, business, and technology.
The requested funds were for planning, design and engineering for the workforce center, which is being developed to meet workforce needs by filling instructional space gaps in eastern Hillsborough County.
In addition to training opportunities, the facility will also provide professional development for local industries and offer student services, including academic advising, financial aid, veterans’ services, counseling, and career resources, according to the appropriations requests.
While it’s not the complete ask, the $2.5 million included in the budget comes after the House included that amount in its proposed budget. The Senate had initially not included any funding for the project.
Not funded in the latest list is $7.3 million, which the House had included in its budget for Hillsborough Community College’s renovation project of its technology building at the school’s Dale Mabry campus in Tampa.
Elsewhere in the budget, negotiations continue in Tallahassee, with offers going back and forth between the chambers as they iron out the remaining differences. Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez expect to finalize a budget and send it to Gov. Ron DeSantis by June 16, which would require them to reach consensus on all necessary items by June 13 to accommodate the required 72-hour cooling-off period.
