During the Feb. 4, 2026 Board of County Commissioners meeting:
The Board recognized Hillsborough County Veterans Helping Veterans Inc. for its unwavering commitment to serving veterans in need and their families. Founded more than 10 years ago by U.S. Navy veteran Mike O'Dell, Hillsborough County Veterans Helping Veterans has been instrumental in providing timely, temporary, and emergency assistance when no other resources are available, while also working to bridge the gap with federal, state, and County veteran programs.
The nonprofit organization is managed and operated entirely by veteran volunteers, whose donated time and service enables the organization to return 96% of every dollar received directly to benefiting veterans. In 2025, Veterans Helping Veterans assisted 179 veterans and their families, and expended $95,205 in direct aid, marking a record year of service and impact.
Commissioners voted to award up to $249,500 to Timberly Trust, Inc. to ensure long-term preservation, structural stability, and responsible public use of the Moseley Homestead land site, which is located at 1820 W. Brandon Blvd. This would also include matching funds for a $249,500 Special Category Grant from the State of Florida. The Moseley Homestead and site is a Hillsborough County designated landmark.
The funds will be used for structural stabilization, accessibility improvements, environmental remediation, window restoration, and historic preservation/conservation.
Commissioners also approved funding of up to $25,000 for targeted capital improvements such as HVAC upgrades, fencing repairs, and cleaning and conservation of historic materials. The Homestead will be preserved as an educational, cultural, environmental, and historical community asset.
The Board directed County staff to research and come back with recommendations of how to expand the County's Swim Initiative and Drowning Prevention Program. Currently, the program offers free swimming lessons to students who participate in Head Start programs in the county. The board is looking to reach more students. Since its inception, about 12,000 children have participated in the program with a 90% progress rate.
Commissioners adopted an amendment to the 2027 Hillsborough County Federal Legislative Agenda by adding an item that opposes federal pre-emption of local authority that would limit the ability of counties to play a role in telecommunications infrastructure decisions, including the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025 (H.R. 2289).
The Board agreed to continue talks with the Tampa Bay Rays' new ownership for the possibility of relocating the team to Tampa. The selected site for a new ballpark would be the Hillsborough College campus on the west side of Dale Mabry Highway in the City of Tampa.
The property is owned by the State, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed support for a new Rays ballpark as the centerpiece of an overall redevelopment strategy for that campus. There have been no negotiations with the Rays' new ownership, but they have requested information about potential funding sources as part of research and evaluating options for a ballpark site and ballpark financing options.
The purpose of that request is to determine whether a feasible framework exists for future negotiations of business terms. Any future framework of funding options would be presented to the Board of County Commissioners, the City of Tampa, and the Tampa Sports Authority.
The next BOCC regular meeting is at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18. You can watch the meeting live on YouTube on the Hillsborough County Meetings channel.
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