During the Nov. 5, 2025, Board of County Commissioners meeting:
The Board declared Dec. 7 as Gamma Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha 85th Anniversary Day Celebration. Since its founding in 1940, the organization has worked to provide impactful programs to children and young adults in the Tampa Bay community.
Commissioners declared November as Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Month.
Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States, Hillsborough County is committed to supporting research and the elimination of this cancer and encourages early detection through screenings and efforts to provide funding for lung cancer research.
Commissioners approved two change orders for on-going and as needed stormwater culvert and construction related services in eastern and western Hillsborough County. The Culvert Renewal and Replacement Program is a construction contract for repairing and proactively replacing old and failing stormwater infrastructure to protect people and property.
Due to storms during recent hurricane seasons, the number of emergency projects has increased significantly.
Commissioners selected and authorized negotiations with the top two firms deemed by the Board to be best qualified to implement the County's federally funded Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program.
In response to federally declared disasters nationwide after hurricanes Helene and Milton, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated $709,324,000 in CDBG-DR funding to support long-term recovery and address unmet needs in Hillsborough County.
These funds are intended to support low- to moderate-income residents in the most impacted and distressed areas of the County.
Commissioners received a report on the African American Arts & Cultural Center. The center was approved in 2021 to be built on North Rome Avenue in West Tampa. As of Nov. 5, $16.25 million in public funding has been acquired for the proposed $44.5 million two-story, 55,000-square-foot facility.
A majority of the Board approved a naming-rights agreement with the center to allow the nonprofit to enter donor agreements to raise an additional $16 million in private funds for construction and facility- related costs. The naming-rights spaces include gallery and exhibit areas, meeting rooms, classrooms, event halls, outdoor gathering spaces, and the Heritage walking trail.
The Board received a report on the establishment of a Fire Rescue Peak Unit Section.
The division would meet and improve the emergency transport of basic life support for residents by reducing response times and increasing capacity and availability in high demand areas.
For more than a year, HCFR has been implementing a pilot program for the peak unit and reported a drastic improvement in response times that help save lives.
Commissioners then approved funding for 48 new paramedic and staff positions for the new 10-unit Peak Rescue Division that will support an increased capacity in managing medical calls and transports.
The Board also approved funding for several nonprofits:
$37,500, will be allocated to the 2026 Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival, to be held April 18 and April 19, 2026, at Perry Harvey Sr. Park in Tampa.
$40,000 of unspent FY 25 nonprofit budget funds will be allocated to Veterans Helping Veterans, Ministerio Mujeres Restauradas por Dios Inc., and the Lotus Coalition.
The new amounts would be considered as one-time funding to be included in the FY 26 Budget.
The next BOCC regular meeting is at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. You can watch the meeting live on YouTube on the Hillsborough County Meetings channel.
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