Votes at a glance: Hillsborough County approves resurfacing funding, Cuban Civic Club grant, DOGE cooperation; several reports accepted

Hillsborough County commissioners on April 2 approved multiple items including agreements to return state-collected transportation surtax funds for road resurfacing, a $250,000 funding agreement for the Cuban Civic Club’s fire-safety upgrades, acceptance of staff reports on two major road-widening projects, formal participation with the state executive office's review team (the EOG/DOGE team), and a donated public service announcement campaign from iHeartMedia.

Why it matters: The measures move large transportation and community projects forward, obligating county staff to coordinate with state agencies, municipalities, outside grantees and private media partners. The actions also create a citizen advisory structure tied to the governor's review of county operations, a step that drew sustained debate.

Board actions and outcomes

- Transportation resurfacing agreement with Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT): The board approved an agreement with FDOT to accept $208,591,836 in previously collected state surtax funds to resurface state-selected roads in Hillsborough County. Motion by Commissioner Gwen Myers; second Commissioner Harry Cohen. Vote: 7-0. (See provenance: Kim Beyer presentation.)

- Tri-party agreements with FDOT, City of Tampa and Temple Terrace: The board approved two tri-party agreements returning $30,679,255 in state surtax funds to those municipalities for state-selected resurfacing projects. Motion by Commissioner Harry Cohen; second Commissioner Gwen Myers. Vote: 7-0. (See provenance: staff presentation.)

- Cuban Civic Club funding agreement: The board adopted a resolution to provide up to $250,000 to the Cuban Civic Club for fire-sprinkler upgrades and related facility renovations, with a staged invoice-and-payment process and proof-of-payment requirement. Motion by Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda; second Commissioner Harry Cohen. Vote: 7-0. (See provenance: Facilities Management presentation.)

- iHeartMedia donated public-service campaign: The board authorized the county administrator to work with iHeartMedia on a donated public-service announcement program to run on iHeart's local stations promoting county services and events. Motion and referral to the county administrator by Chair Ken Hagan. Vote: 7-0. (See provenance: Chair and iHeart representative remarks.)

- Hillsborough participation with EOG/DOGE team and creation of liaison advisory committee: The board approved a resolution committing the county to fully and transparently participate in the Executive Office of the Governor (EOG) Doge team process, and approved formation of a citizen liaison advisory committee to provide technical review and monthly written updates. Motion by Commissioner Christine Miller; second Commissioner Gwen Myers. Vote: 6-1 (Commissioner Harry Cohen voted no). An amendment offered during debate to limit the commitment to the current executive order language and to expand committee membership selection failed 1-6. (See provenance: Commissioner Miller motion and debate.)

- Acceptance of staff reports on Van Dyke Road and Lithia Pinecrest Road projects: The board received and accepted staff funding plans and near-term steps for the Van Dyke Road widening project and the Lithia Pinecrest widening project. Motions to accept the reports were carried by 7-0 votes. (See provenance: Engineering presentations.)

Procedural and minor votes: The agenda and consent agenda were approved earlier in the meeting (both recorded as 7-0 votes). The board also accepted the ELAP subcommittee's selection of the Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award recipient. Vote: 7-0.

What the votes require next

- FDOT resurfacing funds: County staff must execute the FDOT agreement, amend the FY25-FY29 CIP, and appropriate $208,591,836 into the new road-repaving surtax CIP as described by staff. The county noted the state selected which roads would be resurfaced and that the county's legal and project teams worked with FDOT to clarify scope and tiers of obligation.

- Cuban Civic Club payments: Work will be completed in four stages; invoices will be verified on site and county payments issued to contractors with documentation requiring contractor payment within seven days.

- EOG/DOGE liaison committee: The board directed staff to work with the county administrator to establish the committee as described in the adopted resolution; details on appointment timing and exact member selection process will be developed by staff and brought forward as required.

Quotable

"This funding represents the return of a previously collected transportation surtax dollars from the 2018 citizen approved referendum," Kim Beyer said during the FDOT presentation.

"We just thought it would be a good way and a good step towards our goal of better serving our community," Jeff List of iHeartMedia said, describing the donated public service campaign.

What the board did not change

- Commissioners clarified the county has no discretion over FDOT's selection of state roads for resurfacing; the county's obligation is to accept and administer the returned surtax funds under the terms of the FDOT agreements.

Next steps and calendar notes

- Staff will return with ordinance or budget amendments needed to appropriate the FDOT funds into the FY25 budget and CIP. - Project-specific public meetings and PD&E milestones for Van Dyke and Lithia Pinecrest are expected later in 2025; staff cited a June target for a final Van Dyke PD&E public meeting.

Sources: Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners meeting transcript, April 2, 2025. All votes and motion language are taken from the meeting record.