After two decades in South Florida politics, including three separate stints as the Mayor of Surfside, Charles Burkett is setting his sights higher.

He’s gearing up to run for Governor, and he says he plans to put policy — not political posturing — at the forefront of his campaign.

“The Governor’s race is going to come down to ideas, (each candidate’s) platform and what their backgrounds are,” he told Florida Politics. “I think we each have a story to tell.”

Burkett, a 64-year-old real estate investment and management executive, was born and raised in Miami Beach and worked as a construction laborer until he attained a degree in finance from the University of Miami. He bought his first property in 1983. Today, he owns and operates the Burkett Companies, which does business in multiple Florida counties and several states.

While in Miami Beach, Burkett served on several local boards, including the Noise Abatement Board, Code Enforcement Board and Miami Beach Housing Authority, which he chaired.

He moved to Surfside in 1996 and was first elected Mayor a decade later, serving until 2010. He won the office again a decade after that and served from 2020 to 2022, during which he led the small, beachside municipality of fewer than 5,500 residents through the COVID pandemic and saw national exposure following the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo.

He lost his re-election bid in 2022 by just 35 votes, placing third in a three-way contest. Some cited unrest at Town Hall as the reason for his ouster. But two years later, voters liked his anti-overdevelopment platform more than the incumbent Mayor’s and sent him back to the town’s top office.

Burkett has been mulling a gubernatorial run since. He said as much on one of his websites, TeamSurfside.com: “(Like) all red-blooded, patriotic Americans, I love our Country, and want the best for it and our citizens. When my service to Surfside is complete one day, I plan to run for Governor and hope that I can bring the passion and love I have dedicated to our beautiful hamlet on the beach, to all the citizens of Florida.”

On another website of his (AmericaWantsBetter.org), Burkett outlines Florida-specific priorities likely to be part of his campaign platform. Among them: enforcing immigration laws, cutting taxes, limiting gambling to what’s currently allowed in the state, limiting housing development until more public transportation is available and supporting environmental stewardship.

State records show Burkett, who hasn’t yet filed to run, is registered to vote without party affiliation. He was previously registered with the Independent Party and Republican Party. But he thinks he “might be forced to pick a side” between Democrat and Republican to have a chance at winning, and he doesn’t sound keen on choosing the former.

“I don’t think I could go Democrat because the road they’ve been going down these days isn’t the John Kennedy party my family used to root for,” he said.

Burkett added that he doesn’t think Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who officially entered Governor’s race last month, is “a bad guy.” And Burkett said the Congressman likely has an advantage over First Lady Casey DeSantis, who hasn’t filed but is rumored to considering a run, because President Donald Trump has endorsed Donalds.

“My (campaign) is not going to be hostile,” Burkett said. “I’m going to put my positions out there, and if voters think that’s something they want, that’s fine. If not, that’s OK too.”

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Proposed funding in the state’s 2025-26 fiscal year budget could reach at least $955 million in Hillsborough County, according to the House budget from Speaker Daniel Perez.

Top funding recipients include the University of South Florida (USF) and Moffitt Cancer Center, which is affiliated with USF. Among other allocations, USF is poised to receive $324 million for its operating budget, while Moffitt stands ready to receive more than $38 million for general expenditures and another nearly $21 million for things like matching grants and reimbursements.

The proposed budget as it impacts Hillsborough County is, like other areas, heavy on education spending, including $77 million for the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County; $53.2 million for workforce education programs and initiatives; and $31.9 million for voluntary pre-K.

Other funding emphasizes everything from mental health research and treatment to hurricane resiliency and mitigation.

Here are some of the proposed funding items in the proposed House budget impacting Hillsborough County: 

— $118.5 million: USF/Florida Medical Center, including for the Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research, a veteran PTSD study, a traumatic brain injury study and a veteran service center.

— $87.6 million: Hillsborough Community College operating budget.

— $75.7 million: Children’s Network of Hillsborough for community-based care.

— $25 million: USF for research and applied science leading to the creation of new technology.

— $12.7 million: USF medical center.

— $10 million: USF AI, cybersecurity and computing facility.

— $10 million: Florida Center for Cybersecurity at USF to position Florida as a leader in cybersecurity.

— Part of $6.5 million: Agency for Persons with Disabilities to create a pilot program supporting those diagnosed with mental health and developmental disabilities in Hillsborough County, as well as in Broward, Orange and Leon counties.

— $6.3 million: USF for Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE).

— $5.5 million: USF’s Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation.

— $5 million: USF/Florida Center for Nursing for nursing recruitment and retention.

— $4.3 million: Moffitt Cancer Center for the digitization of cancer pathology.

— $4 million: Washington Street improvement from South Tamiami Trail to South 56th Street in Tampa.

— $3.9 million: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.

— Part of $2.6 million: Funding for lawyers and paralegals dedicated to the prosecution of insurance fraud cases in Hillsborough County, as well as Duval, Orange, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Lee and Broward counties.

— $2.5 million: Hillsborough Community College for its Workforce Center on the Plant City Campus.

— $2.5 million: Hillsborough Community College Regional Transportation Training Center.

— $2.5 million: Plant City Lakeside Station Park.

— $2.5 million: Tampa Bay pilot station restoration and reconstruction.

— $1.7 million: USF/Florida Mental Health Institute for autism support.

— $1.6 million: Mental Health Care/Gracepoint in Hillsborough County.

— $1.54 million: The inspHire program (formerly Reentry Plus) for pre-release risk assessment, plan of care, professional development, life management skills training, and referrals for certain incarcerated people, including post-release services such as professional development, job and skills training, family reunification, financial assistance and job placement assistance for qualifying people within Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco or Polk counties.

— $1.5 million: USF College of Nursing MoBull Health Unit for rural and underserved areas.

— $1.5 million: Hillsborough County Clerk Records Center.

— $1.5 million: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Section Hangar.

— $1.5 million: Hillsborough County critical utility infrastructure generators.

— $1.45 million: USF for a multidisciplinary educational service center.

— $880,000: Cuban Civic Club of Tampa interior renovations.

— $859,000: Hillsborough Community College for PIPELINE.

— $850,000: Hillsborough Community College AI program.

— $801,000: USF for need-based financial aid.

— $786,000: Hillsborough Community College for the 2+2 Student Success Incentive Fund supporting student success for associate degree-seeking students and those transferring to bachelor’s programs.

— $750,000: Tampa West River District multimodal network and safety improvements project.

— $750,000: Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay housing recovery project.

— $750,000: Tampa Museum of Art for expanding classical education for all.

— $726,000: Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services’ Noncustodial Parent Employment Program.

— $724,000: Hillsborough Community College for Work Florida Student Success Incentive Fund to support career education programs that meet state and regional demands and high paying job opportunities.

— $724,000: AMIkids gender-specific crime prevention programs in Hillsborough County.

— $600,000: Cove Behavioral Health.

— $525,000: Live Tampa Bay for systems of support for seniors and reducing overdose facilities.

— $500,000: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay for hurricane recovery, mitigation and resilience.

— $500,000: Lowry Park Zoological Society of Tampa for its manatee rescue center.

— $500,000: Tampa Museum of Art centennial expansion project.

— $500,000: USF’s UMatter program expansion.

— $442,000: City of Temple Terrace for enhancing disaster preparedness operations.

— $400,000: Children’s Network of Hillsborough for an emergency infrastructure and response program.

— $393,000: USF’s Tampa referral center.

— $375,000: PIPELINE for performance rewards for postsecondary technical career centers that offer a licensed practical nurse program.

— $375,000: Pinellas & Hillsborough County Youth Advocate Program.

— $375,000: Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough County Youth Advocate Program.

— $375,000: Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County for Resilient Homes for Heroes.

— $325,000: Camelot Community Care for the Hillsborough County High Risk Adoption Support Program.

— $325,000: Hillel Jewish Student Center of Tampa for Jewish Life on College Campuses: Physical and Cultural Safety.

— $297,000: USF for HIV/AIDS issues.

— $250,000: USF occupational safety grant match.

— $225,000: USF for the Comprehensive Children’s Kidney Failure Center.

— $200,000: Tampa Firefighters Museum enhancements.

— $194,000: Student Success in Career and Technical Education Incentive Fund for high performing school district technical centers to establish new programs in high demand areas.

— $153,000: USF behavioral health.

— $152,000: USF disease management.

— $150,000: Lowry Park Zoological Society of Tampa.

— $132,000: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue air boats and trailers.

— $125,000: Cuban Civic Club of Tampa renovations.

— $81,000: USF policy exchange.

— $50,000: Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association building feasibility study.

— $45,000: USF regional perinatal intensive care.

— $40,000: Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra.

The House proposed budget also authorizes $5,000 in pay additives for sworn law enforcement officers and for certain non-sworn Florida Highway Patrol personnel.

At $112.95 billion, the House budget is $4.4 million less than the Senate’s proposed budget and $2.7 billion less than Gov. Ron DeSantis’. It includes a historic slash to state sales tax, from 6% currently to 5.25%, which House leadership says would save Floridians about $5 billion a year on taxable goods and services.

That proposal is at odds with DeSantis, who has instead proposed eliminating property taxes, and from Senate President Ben Albritton who hasn’t elaborated on tax cuts, saying only that he’s open to structural tax changes at some point.

The House plan also directs $12 billion into the state’s reserves, and it includes $100 million for veteran teachers, a move meant to provide a pay bump to experienced educators after DeSantis’ priority increase to starting pay cleared to help the state recruit new teachers.

Other highlights include increasing per student funding by $60, fully funding the state’s Bright Futures scholarship program and directing $765 million for maintenance and capital programs in public education through undergraduate programs.

The budget would also allocate $285 million for affordable housing programs, including the state’s Hometown Hero program that assists first-time homebuyers with startup costs.

On the environment, the House budget would set aside $300 million for rural and family land conservation and $200 million for the Resilient Florida Conservation grant program, while allocating $600 million to clean drinking water initiatives.

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The House has released its proposed budget for 2025, and it contains a relatively small earmark to ensure that when Miami-Dade hosts seven World Cup events in 2026, there won’t be a repeat of last year’s Copa América debacle.

House lawmakers plan to send $500,000 to the county Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) for extra security during large-scale events of global importance.

That’s half the sum freshman Miami Republican Rep. Omar Blanco sought in a Feb. 13 appropriations request, which doesn’t appear to have a Senate companion.

The inspiration for the request and the House budget line item is what happened last July in Miami Gardens, where a throng of soccer fans without event tickets overpowered security forced their way into Hard Rock Stadium to watch the Copa América finale.

Footage showed fans scaling the stadium’s walls, climbing into windows and the structure’s ventilation system to gain access, and getting arrested. A police officer told USA Today at least 10-15 people were taken into custody.

Many others, including journalists, were detained or forcibly removed from the stadium. By then, some fans had significantly damaged the stadium, including the escalator and entrance at the 72 Club. A handful of people could be seen receiving medical treatment and asking for water in the sweltering South Florida heat.

International criticism of the event’s insufficient security swiftly followed. The Argentine newspaper, Ole, called the event a “party (that) almost became a tragedy.” Radio New Zealand described it as “a stunning scene from the home of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins, which is used to welcoming massive crowds at sport’s biggest events, including the Super Bowl four years ago.”

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s Office said the Miami-Dade Police Department, since replaced by the MDSO, had assigned “over 500 officers” to handle the sellout crowd of more than 65,000 ticket holders and other non-ticketed people who amassed outside the stadium. But the Office also noted that security responsibilities for the event also fell to Copa América organization CONMEBOL and “other law enforcement agencies.”

Blanco, a career first responder, believes more needs to be done.

“The legislative funding will bolster law enforcement prevention and response while enforcing trespass into mass ticketed events in Hard Rock Stadium, LoanDepot Park (home of the Marlins), and many other large-scale venues across Miami-Dade County,” his funding request says. “MDSO expects increased costs for global events with enhanced safety/anti-terrorism needs.”

It also references “Multiple lawsuits filed regarding public safety concerns.”

The proposed House budget lists Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz as the funding requester and the funding as nonrecurring. It also shows that Miami-Dade planned to provide a 100% match to the requested funding.

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