Senate spending plan $10M better for Pinellas County

Pinellas County stands to land about $10 million more in state funding under the Senate spending plan than it would under the House proposed budget, according to a cursory search of Pinellas County cities, towns, organizations, and programs in both budgets.

That’s despite nearly $12.2 million in projects included in the House budget that aren’t in the Senate plan. But there are nearly $18.7 million in projects included in the Senate spending plan that the House has not contemplated.

Included in the Senate proposed budget, but not the House are:

— $7.5 million for East Lake Rd. Phase I capacity improvements.

— $5 million for St. Petersburg College’s (SPC) Applied Health and Student Success Center.

— $2.2 million for Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services (PEMHS).

— $1.5 million for hurricane damage repair and restoration in Dunedin.

— $1 million for storm damage improvements on Denver St. in Shore Acres.

— $880,000 for youth athletics and water safety access.

— $350,000 for Clearwater Marine Aquarium renovations.

— $256,000 for Goodwill Pathways of Pinellas.

Items included in the House proposed budget that are not contemplated in the Senate plan include:

— $2M for Seminole Jr. Warhawks’ youth sports field improvements.

— $2M for special needs emergency generators for county hurricane shelters.

— $1.5M St. Pete Beach Fire Station No. 22 improvements.

— $1M Lealman Exchange hurricane hardening.

— $1M Pass-a-Grille Beach wastewater inflow and infiltration project.

— $600K Largo Allen’s Creek flood mitigation.

— $560,000 for McGough Nature Park boardwalk replacement in Largo.

— $500,000 for Pinellas Park 60th Street drainage and safe routes to school.

— $500,000 for Pinellas Park rehabilitation of lift station 30.

— $500,000 for Area 6 roadway improvements in Madeira Beach.

— $500,000 for a Redington Beaches fire suppression unit.

— $400,000 for St. Pete Free Clinic for food cost mitigation.

— $400,000 for backup generators at Clearwater lift stations.

— $300,000 for a Tarpon Springs water main renewal project.

— $250,000 for an Applied Mental Health Certificate for First Responders at St. Petersburg College.

— $100,000 for a high-water rescue vehicle for Dunedin.

— $70,000 for AMPLIFY Clearwater Chamber Foundation’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy.

In other areas, the chambers are either in alignment, or include funding levels at different amounts. The biggest line item for which their is a funding discrepancy is for school readiness program reimbursement. There, the Senate has proposed $33.8 million, while the House came in about $1.7 million less, at $32.1 million.

The House is proposing slightly more, $13.4 million compared to $13.3 million, for voluntary pre-Kindergarten programs.

The chambers are also close to agreement on funding for Pinellas County school district workforce education programming, with $28.9 million included in the Senate budget and $28 million in the House plan.

Both chambers propose spending for electrical improvements to Pinellas County sanitary sewer pump stations, a necessary function to keep water flowing during hurricanes or other extreme weather events, but the Senate has more than doubled its commitment, with $3.9 million in its budget compared to just $1.9 million in the House.

The chambers are near parity for PIPELINE (Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education) funds meant to reward performance and excellence within state university nursing education programs. The House proposed $2 million in funding, while the Senate has pitched $1.8 million.

Under current plans, the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas is poised to get more than $1 million regardless of which chamber’s funding levels land, with the Senate proposing $1.2 million and the House $1.5 million.

The House and Senate are aligned on funding for the Clearwater lift station water rehabilitation program, at $1.5 million.

Both chambers propose $1 million in recurring funds for various reentry programs for people who are under community supervision post-release or have served time at a Department of Corrections facility, participated in pretrial intervention programs or served time in a juvenile justice facility. But the chambers differ slightly on nonrecurring funds, with the Senate proposing $200,000 and the House $635,000. The money would help those transitioning back into the communities and workforce within Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco or Polk counties.

The chambers are also aligned on $918,000 in spending for SPC’s program helping students transition from associate programs to baccalaureate programs.

Likewise, both chambers propose $690,000 for the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services’ noncustodial parent employment program.

The House and Senate also both include $562,000 for SPC’s student success initiative to align career education programs with state and regional workforce needs, and on $150,000 for veterans treatment intervention programs either pre-trial or post-adjudicatory.

Differences remain in spending related to co-location of YMCA of the Suncoast and Pinellas County Schools, which would allow the YMCA to locate within an underutilized space on public school property. The House has proposed $1 million, which is already just   half of what was requested. The Senate has gone even lower, with $650,000 included in its proposed budget.

The Senate, meanwhile, is proposing $150,000 more than the House for the Elevate Bayshore program in Clearwater, with $650,000 included in its budget compared to just $500,000 in the House.

The Senate plan also includes double the amount as the House for safety initiative funding for Menorah Life St. Pete, with $490,000 in the Senate budget in just $245 proposed in the House.

Other funding disparities between the two budgets include:

— $350,000 proposed in the Senate for pond dredging of Autumn Run in Pinellas Park, compared to $375,000 in the House.

— $350,000 for ARK Innovation Center at Pinellas County Schools is proposed in the Senate, while the House plan includes $400,000.

— $350,000 in the Senate plan for the Keep Seniors Off of the Meals on Wheels and Dining initiative, compared to $500,000 in the House.

— $350,000 proposed in the Senate for a youth advocate program in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, compared to $375,000 in the House.

— $350,000 proposed in the Senate for reconstruction of Boca Ciega Dr. in St. Pete Beach, compared to a whopping $912,000 proposed in the House.

— $300,000 proposed in the Senate for Pinellas Preserve for land acquisition, compared to just half that in the House.

— $176,000 for a Pinellas Trail culvert project in Tarpon Springs, compared to just $88,000 in the House.

With both chambers having now released their initial budget proposals, the process of reconciliation can now begin before sending a finalized budget to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his review.