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As Hillsborough PTC winds down, one board member asks about job opportunities for staffers

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

With less than six months to go before the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission is officially dissolved, one board member wants to know if the County Commission is doing enough to find jobs for staffers facing unemployment. County officials are still working with PTC interim executive director Kevin Jackson on how the agency’s workload will be transitioned into other county departments after the Legislature passed a bill ordering the agency’s demise. As it stands, the Sheriff’s Office will pick up the enforcement…

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Hillsborough won’t officially recognize Pulse shooting anniversary, disappointing some

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Monday, June 12, will be one year since the mass shooting of 49 people at the popular Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando. Less than 48 hours after that horrific night, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, County Administrator Mike Merrill, and a handful of Hillsborough County sheriff deputies participated in an event in Ybor City honoring the victims. At their next meeting, Commissioners supported Beckner’s motion to raise an LGBT Pride flag at the County Center for the remainder of June, also in honor of the victims.…

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Ken Hagan doesn’t understand why Tallahassee Republicans seemingly ‘loathe’ local government’

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Republicans in Tallahassee have left Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan scratching his head. Plenty of city and county government officials have recently disparaged members of the Florida Legislature for passing a measure to expand the homestead exemption, which could ultimately deprive them of millions of dollars of revenues in the coming years. As for Hagan, a lifelong Hillsborough County Republican, he doesn’t have that big of an issue with his fellow GOP state lawmakers over that matter. But Hagan certainly does have a problem with…

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Tampa to face new financial challenges even before potential 2018 ballot measure hits

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The Florida Legislature’s approval of a constitutional amendment for the 2018 ballot that could severely reduce the level of revenue coming to local governments is just the latest challenge to Tampa’s fiscal health, Chief Financial Officer Sonya Little told the City Council Thursday. If passed by voters, the measure would expand the state homestead property tax exemption to $75,000. Over 4 million Floridians currently receive the current homestead exemption, which lowers the taxable value on a primary residence by $50,000. “We’re projecting a roughly $6 million…

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Tampa City Council wants lawmakers to explain bill that would have gutted CRA’s

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A proposal by Lithia Republican Jake Raburn (HB 13) calling for an end to all community redevelopment agencies (CRA’s) died in a legislative committee in the Florida House last month. And members of the Tampa City Council are happy about that. Raburn’s bill didn’t go as far as a related proposal by Brandon Republican Tom Lee in the Senate (SB 1770). That bill would have placed much stricter requirements on CRA’s, but it also stalled in a committee as well. At Thursday’s Tampa…

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Hillsborough Commission expresses caution about fully investing in Cross-Bay Ferry for second year

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Hillsborough County Commissioners sounded impressed by the relative success of the Cross-Bay Ferry pilot project between Tampa and St. Petersburg that concludes at the end of this month, but whether they are prepared to spend another $350,000 to fund a repeat performance later this year remains uncertain. After hearing a presentation from St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, whose leadership led to the project happening, the board passed a motion to have County Administrator Mike Merrill review whether the board can find the funds…

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The end for SaintPetersBlog

Ever since I acquired the rights to the perfect domain for my efforts — FloridaPolitics.com — I knew that one

Pat Kemp wants public to put pressure on Hillsborough County Commissioners to fund transit now

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Pat Kemp lost her battle this week to redirect approximately half of the $812 million in public funds toward transit and not just roads in the next decade. But Kemp says she will continue to advocate for the county to directly fund transit projects over the course of the next four years. During the debate about the Go Hillsborough half-cent sales tax proposal last year (which a majority of County Commissioners ultimately deemed unworthy of inclusion on the ballot), County Administrator…

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