Hillsborough County commissioners on July 30 approved a plan to convert $7.5 million of countywide budgeted dollars to unincorporated-area revenue and adopted several specific spending allocations, while retaining the remaining balance of a set-aside for affordable housing known as the HOPE fund.

The action came during the board's annual budget reconciliation public hearing, where the county also set preliminary millage rates that will appear on TRIM (truth-in-millage) notices to property owners. Kevin Brickey, director of management and budget, presented the administrator's recommended fiscal year 2026 total budget of $12,088,000,000 and said about 24 percent of the operating budget goes to public safety.

Why it matters: The approved swap and subsequent project votes shift how $10 million that had been previously encumbered in the HOPE ordinance is available for tax relief and unincorporated-area priorities, while leaving a portion available for affordable housing. The board also set the county's maximum millage rates for the TRIM notice process, a required step under Florida law.

At the start of public comment, residents urged the board to protect funding for affordable housing. Cynthia Goding, identifying herself as a Hillsborough County resident since 1992, told commissioners the county faces a persistent shortage of affordable housing and asked them to “preserve the original intent of the $10,000,000 and allocate some, if not all, toward affordable housing.” Sheila Simmons Tribble, who said she speaks for seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and working families, asked the board to “keep at least $2,000,000” dedicated to low- and very-low-income housing and warned that without local matches, state money can be forfeited.

Commissioner Boles brought forward a plan to leave $2.5 million of the previously reserved countywide dollars in countywide funds and convert the remaining $7.5 million to unincorporated-area revenue (a millage swap that reduces countywide millage and increases the unincorporated millage by the same amount). That motion — described in the meeting as a 2.5/7.5 swap — passed on a 5–2 vote (Commissioners Miller and Wolstel voted no).

After the swap passed, the board voted on several projects drawn from the list of flagged items and community projects:
- A $290,000 allocation for a turn-lane project on Gunn Highway (transportation) — approved 7–0.
- A $360,000 set-aside for a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) job-training STEP program targeting young adults at or below 80 percent of area median income — approved 7–0.
- Funding for the High 5 (HiFi) program to support public-safety and drowning-prevention activities (motion approved 7–0); the meeting record identifies the organization and its county uses but does not list a single-line amount in the transcript for that item.
- A $536,601 allocation for children’s school pantry support (explicitly drawn from countywide funds) — approved 5–2 (Commissioners Miller and Wolstel voted no).
- A county contribution toward a skill center project that requires a city of Tampa match — approved 4–3; the vote and staff remarks note the award is contingent on a city match.

Commissioners debated whether to remove the remaining HOPE fund dollars entirely from the budget. Commissioner Miller moved to remove the remaining HOPE allocation (the amount discussed on the record was approximately $1,000,417.02). That motion initially carried 4–3 but was then the subject of a successful motion to reconsider. On reconsideration the board voted 4–3 against removing the HOPE balance (Commissioners Bowles, Cohen, Hagen and Myers voted no), leaving the balance in the budget.

Kevin Brickey also presented the TRIM/millage motion required under Florida law. The board approved proposed operating and debt-service millages for the TRIM notices, including a total countywide millage of 5.5212 mills; the board set the first public budget hearing for 6 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2025 at the Frederick B. Carl County Center, Second Floor Boardroom, 601 East Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa.

The county administrator and staff will compute the final allocation math after the votes and present updated figures at subsequent hearings; commissioners noted several voted project allocations are contingent on matching funds or final accounting. The board concluded the hearing by directing staff to return remaining HOPE and project details for consideration at the scheduled public hearings in September.

Ending: The board adjourned after the reconciliation votes, with follow-up work assigned to staff to finalize the budget scenarios and ensure any projects begun have identified sufficient funding sources before they proceed.