Gabrielle Russon
Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith is celebrating 13 local projects — including one to address a water emergency in east Orange County — that were awarded nearly $11 million in the state budget.
Lawmakers approved a $115 billion budget after a marathon 105-day Legislative Session. The spending plan is now before Gov. Ron DeSantis to approve or make line-item vetoes.
“I’m proud of the work we did this session to successfully secure funding for 13 local projects to improve the lives of hardworking families in Central Florida,” Smith said in a press release. “We are grateful to Senate leadership for their support of these community initiatives that will have a major impact on the people of Senate District 17.”
The biggest project championed by Smith, an Orlando Democrat, is $7.5 million for infrastructure improvements and water treatment upgrades to address the situation in the Wedgefield subdivision.
Earlier this year, the Orlando Sentinel reported that residents were paying high rates to a private company for bad water in the Wedgefield subdivision.
“This is a major problem that we have,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said, according to the newspaper. “I’m concerned for the people who live in Wedgefield, those now and in the future, and I’m concerned about our county taxpayers.”
Smith said that with the proposed state funding, the county — which had been considering buying the aging facility — can now make capital improvements to the existing water reclamation facility, water treatment facility, wastewater collection system, and water distribution system to deal with deferred maintenance issues and residents’ concerns.
“Negotiations are still ongoing and the issue is scheduled for the Orange County Board of County Commissioners’ agenda July 15, 2025. We are grateful and have expressed thanks to Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Rep. Erika Booth for their support of Orange County and our residents. We will continue to check on what gets approved by the Governor,” Tim Armstrong, Deputy Director with Orange County Utilities, said in a statement to Florida Politics.
Smith’s other local funding requests that made it into the state budget include $800,000 to help construct Belle Isle’s City Hall, which will also house the Police Department and public works, as well as $394,000 for the Orlando Pulse National Memorial.
Smith also highlighted $500,000 for HIV/STI screenings and other services through the 26Health’s Street Medicine Initiative; $300,000 for six-week one-on-one swimming lessons for children in underserved communities; $150,000 for a milk bank program that helps mothers with medically fragile babies; and $75,000 for Mustard Seed of Central Florida, which helps the homeless and people facing disasters get back on their feet.
“From workforce development for the homeless, to essential furniture for displaced families, and swimming lessons to prevent child drowning, we prioritized the needs of local underserved communities,” Smith said. “We secured resources for stormwater infrastructure, HIV prevention, and child nutrition.”
Smith previously told Florida Politics he plans to continue fighting for tourist development tax reform after his proposal made it into the Senate tax bill but died late in budget talks.
