Sprinkle list: Tampa Bay lands big bucks for Sheriff’s training facility, African American cultural center

The Tampa Bay area is poised to enjoy about $13 million in supplemental funding, according to House “sprinkle lists” released over the weekend.

The largest regional expense is $4 million for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to build a regional training and leadership center.

Although this is the largest item on this year’s “sprinkle list,” it is only 40% of the $10 million requested by Sen. Danny Burgess and Rep. Traci Koster.

The funding will help create a new training center for the HCSO and serve as a regional facility for other agencies as well.

“This project will support basic, advanced, and specialized law enforcement and leadership training.” It will include “traditional classroom, physical fitness, and scenario-based training to provide the highest quality law enforcement training for both new recruits and experienced personnel,” according to Koster’s request.

The House has also included $2.5 million for an African American Arts and Cultural Center in Hillsborough County, which is half of what Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Michele Rayner requested.

The money will be used to build a new 50,000 square-foot cultural center. According to the House request, it will include “a range of public experience spaces, meeting spaces, galleries, labs, studios, educational classrooms, cafe, administrative support offices, interior and exterior special event spaces, and parking.”

Burgess and Rep. Michael Owen secured the full $2 million requested for an advanced metering program in Hillsborough County.

The funds will be used to upgrade and modernize water meters for about 15,000 Hillsborough County residents. New technology will let residents see real-time usage data, improve billing accuracy, lower meter-reading costs, and help detect outages and leaks more easily.

Moffitt Cancer Center is also set to receive funding, with $1.5 million allocated for its cancer pathology digitization project, according to the House supplemental spending list. Rouson and Rep. Adam Anderson had requested $3.7 million to support the development of new artificial intelligence algorithms and to buy equipment and software that would improve pathology by creating high-resolution digital images, making remote analysis possible, and integrating data to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Tampa Bay Thrives youth mental wellness initiative will receive $1 million, which fully funds the request from Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Koster. The money will help improve youth mental health services, giving young people better access to resources, support, and education, and encouraging stronger mental wellness and resilience.

Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough received a total of $750,000 in extra funding. Of this, $500,000 will go toward building 28 affordable homes in Hernando County, with the county providing the land. Sen. Ralph Massullo and Anderson requested this funding.

The remaining $250,000 is for the local Habitat for Humanity’s Resilient Homes for Heroes program. This is much less than the $950,000 requested by Burgess and Rep. Danny Alvarez. Full funding would have covered the cost of building six homes for families earning at or below 80% of the area median income, with priority given to veterans, first responders, healthcare workers, education workers, or those affected by recent hurricanes.

The sprinkle list also provides $500,000 for the centennial restoration and expansion project at the Tampa Theater. This is half of what Burgess and Rep. Kimberly Berfield requested to help restore the historic Tampa Theater in downtown Tampa for its 100th anniversary this October. Planned upgrades include new infrastructure, updated production and presentation technology, decorative paint, plaster restoration, and a new two-floor education wing.

The state has tentatively allocated $439,000, half of what Sen. Jim Boyd and Koster requested, to help fund Hillsborough County Schools’ Bright Futures eligibility and readiness pilot program. The program aims to give real-time insight into students’ GPAs, test scores, coursework, and service hours to help them stay on track for scholarships.

The House has also set aside $400,000 for the Children’s Network of Hillsborough’s CHANCE Program, which supports victims of human trafficking.

Rouson and Rep. Fentrice Driskell received half of the funding they requested. The program provides trauma-informed, community-based services for children affected by sexual exploitation. A Community Response Team offers an alternative to out-of-home care by supporting youth in any home setting.

Supplemental funding is added to the budget at the end of negotiations. Money on the sprinkle list can still be vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.