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Tallahassee lobbying firm briefs Oldsmar council on state funding push for wastewater project
Summary
Shoemaker Advisors updated the council on the state appropriations process and said the firm is pursuing a $2.1 million state request for Oldsmar’s water-reclamation facility, stressing the importance of agency relationships and the conference/committee process in Tallahassee.
John David “JD” White of Shoemaker Advisors told the Oldsmar City Council on Feb. 4 that his firm is actively pursuing state appropriations and agency engagement for the city’s capital priorities, including a $2,100,000 request for the city’s water-reclamation facility.
White, introduced by City Manager Felicia Donnelly, described Shoemaker as a bipartisan lobbying and law firm with offices in Tampa, Tallahassee and Sarasota and said the firm represents Oldsmar in Tallahassee. He said Senator Ed Hooper and Representative Adam Anderson are sponsors for the city’s WRF appropriation request; Hooper is the Senate appropriations chair, which White said generally makes sponsorship less common but advantageous in this case.
White outlined the appropriations path: project nomination and sponsor identification, subcommittee and committee hearings, conference committee negotiations and, finally, sustaining or responding to any governor’s veto. He said disaster-relief and resiliency funding are major themes this year, that agencies (for example DEP) may receive larger pools of emergency money, and that agency-level outreach is increasingly important. White also warned that legislative priorities can shift in special-session and committee week complexities and that nothing is guaranteed even with sponsorship.
Council members asked about progress on the WRF request and legislative permitting reforms that could affect local permit backlogs after storms. White said he is optimistic about the WRF request given the sponsorship and noted permitting-reform proposals may focus on streamlining approvals after declared emergencies. White also described national- and federal-level monitoring the firm offers and said Shoemaker will continue to advise city staff on legislative strategy.
No formal action or vote was taken; the presentation was recorded as an information update.
