State representative reports millions for Hendry projects, warns funding appetite tightened

LaBelle, Fla. — State Representative Mello briefed Hendry County commissioners during the July 22 budget workshop on the recently enacted state budget and local project funding.

Mello said the Legislature produced a $115.6 billion budget that included a number of vetoes and reductions. “We, managed to get the $115,600,000,000 budget on the table, and, we had quite a few vetoes,” she told the commission. Mello said the delegation worked to bring dollars back to Hendry County and estimated roughly $40 million in project funding for the county this year, with the “lion’s share” directed to LaBelle High School (she estimated about $30 million for that project).

Mello also described broader trends in Tallahassee: she said lawmakers and executive officials were pushing for tighter scrutiny of requests and that the state may be less likely to fully fund local project asks going forward. She referenced a pattern of more public and contentious negotiations in this year’s session and warned commissioners to expect a more conservative posture in future rounds of state appropriations.

What she said

• Budget totals and vetoes: “We, managed to get the $115,600,000,000 budget on the table, and, we had quite a few vetoes,” Mello said on the record.

• Local funding returned: Mello estimated the county’s delegation brought back roughly $40 million in projects; she identified LaBelle High School as receiving the largest single allocation (about $30 million) though she said she did not have the complete list of projects at the workshop.

• Legislative climate: Mello said negotiations this session were unusually public and that House, Senate and the governor’s office publicly staked differing positions. She said she expects the state to be more fiscally constrained going forward and advised the county to plan accordingly.

Context

Mello urged commissioners to attend delegation meetings and public events to track project implementation and thanked Senator Pasadomo (as cited in her remarks) and other delegation members for support. She also noted that without federal COVID relief dollars in recent years, state funding priorities have tightened and localities should expect more competition for limited appropriations.

Next steps

Representative Mello did not present an item for board action; she offered the update and said the county would receive a project list in follow‑up. Commissioners expressed appreciation and said they would press for details and follow up with the county staff to coordinate implementation and any match or permitting requirements for the funded projects.

All quotes in this article are from Representative Mello’s remarks at the Hendry County budget workshop on July 22, 2025.