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:
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- Support the Florida Competitive Workforce Act which provides that sexual orientation and gender identity are impermissible grounds for discrimination
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- 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