2021 State Legislative Priorities and Agenda

St. Petersburg/Pinellas Specific: 

  • Westshore Interchange:
    • Return the Westshore Interchange to FDOT 2024 Work Plan to  coincide with Howard Frankland Bridge completion 
  • USF St. Petersburg:
    • Protect “branch campus” designation for USF St. Petersburg
    • Maintain and Protect “USF St. Petersburg” nomenclature
    • Secure separate budgeting authority for USF St. Petersburg
    • Reestablish and Fund School of Education at USF St. Petersburg
    • Establish and Fund Degree Programs at USF St. Petersburg in:
      • Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences, Technology and  Sustainability
      • Business (Analytics, Finance, Insurance, Blue/Green Businesses)
      • Health Programs (including Advanced Nursing)
      • Visual and Performing Arts 
  • 2nd District Court of Appeals:
    • Relocate 2nd DCA to St. Petersburg  
  • St. Pete College/Pinellas County Schools:
    • Establish and Fund New St. Pete Collegiate High School at Downtown Campus 

 General/Statewide: 

  • Arts and Museum Funding: 
    • Fully fund the DCA Grant Program  
  • Transportation:  
    • Fully fund TBARTA operations and the 41-mile Regional Premium Transit Project  
  • Affordable Housing: 
    • Protect the State Housing Trust Fund and Local Government Trust Fund from being swept into other funds 
  • Behavioral Health Funding:
    • Increase funding for behavioral and mental health programs 

 

Additional Agenda Items:

  • Communications: 
    • Reduce the Communications Services Tax
    • Exempt Sales Taxes on Broadband Equipment 
  • Tampa Bay Innovation Center Incubator:
    • Support $1M request for funding 
  • Environment:
    • Establish a Statewide Office of Resiliency 
  • Business Rent Tax: 
    • Support further reduction of the business rent tax 
  • Cottage Kitchens:
    • Amend statute to remove prohibition on wholesale distribution from Cottage Kitchen enterprises 
  • Diversity and Inclusion: 
      • Support the Florida Competitive Workforce Act which provides that sexual orientation and gender identity are impermissible grounds for discrimination 
  • Education:
    • Support maximizing early learning investments through pay-for-performance, increased accountability and workforce development in early education
    • Support the alignment of VPK assessments to developmental standards   
  • Employment:
    • Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program ($250,000) 
  • Enterprise Florida: 
    • Support fully funding Enterprise Florida to help attract businesses to the state  
  • Film Industry: 
    • Support the reinstatement of tax credits to encourage filming in Florida as an economic development tool 
  • Urban Agriculture Amendment: 
    • Support allowing not-for-profit gardening in dense urban land areas 
  • Visit Florida: 
    • Support fully funding Visit Florida to overcome effects of COVID-19 on tourism