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Votes at a glance: housing bonds, FEMA advance, internal-auditor contract, and other actions
Summary
At its Feb. 5, 2025 meeting the Hillsborough County Board approved Housing Finance Authority bond issuances, an $81.75 million FEMA advance payment appropriation for hurricane debris, contract negotiation authorizations for the county administrator and internal auditor, and several other items; key votes and tallies are summarized below.
Hillsborough County commissioners handled a series of formal actions on Feb. 5, 2025, approving Housing Finance Authority issuances, FEMA debris-collection appropriations and several contracts and administrative directions. Below is a concise summary of each formal vote recorded in the meeting and the board’s immediate next steps.
Votes at a glance
- B1 — Housing Finance Authority: single-family mortgage revenue bonds (up to $200,000,000). Purpose: to fund income-eligible first-time homebuyer mortgages; no county funds involved according to staff. Motion to approve carried (transcript: “Motion carried. Five-two-one.”); mover Commissioner Harry Cohen; second Commissioner Chris Bowles. Record notes one or more dissenting votes; staff said the HFA issuance involves multiple counties for economies of scale.
- B2 — Housing Finance Authority: multifamily mortgage revenue bonds (up to $16,000,000) to finance a 77-unit multifamily project at 5920 Robert Toll Drive in Riverview. The board noted a previously approved county investment of $7,634,900 on March 1, 2023 that remains allocated to the project. Motion carried (transcript: “Motion carried five-two-two.”); mover Commissioner Gwen Myers; second Commissioner Harry Cohen. Commissioners Christine Miller and Joshua Wostel voted no.
- B3 — Amendments to 2025 State Legislative Agenda. Motion to approve staff-recommended amendments and additions carried (transcript: “Motion carried, six–zero”). Staff will return with a clarified list separating boardwide priorities from individual commissioner items.
- F3 — Authorize chair to negotiate a contract extension for the county administrator (chair to negotiate and return recommended contract for board approval). Motion carried (transcript: “Motion carried 5 to 0” when recorded); mover Commissioner Harry Cohen; second Commissioner Chris Bowles.
- F4 — Authorize chair to negotiate a contract for county internal auditor (Melinda Ginzarley) and return recommended contract to the board for approval. Motion carried (transcript: recorded as carried 6 to 0); mover Commissioner Harry Cohen; second Commissioner Chris Bowles. Commissioners discussed the internal auditor office’s role and the upcoming Charter Review Board review; staff will return with contract details.
- B4 — FEMA advance payments for Hurricane Milton debris removal appropriation: staff requested and the board approved a budget amendment to appropriate $81,750,000 to the board’s FEMA Hurricane Milton disaster fund. The request included an anticipated FEMA advance of approximately $80,670,000 and $1,075,000 in interest earnings to be remitted to the state. Motion carried 6–0; mover Commissioner Joshua Wostel.
- F1 — Regional Resiliency Summit (Commissioner Cohen’s item) — motion to approve carried 6–0.
- Van Dyke Road / Lithia Pinecrest Road — Commissioners directed staff to present timelines and next steps for widening each road at a future meeting; the board later substituted and approved separate presentations for each project. Motion to separate the presentations carried 6–0.
- F5 — Remove fluoride additives from Water Resources process (Commissioner Joshua Wostel motion). Motion failed on a 3–3 tie (Commissioners Bowles, Cohen and Hagan voted no); the board did not adopt an immediate change.
Notes and clarifications
- B2 contains county investment previously approved on March 1, 2023 of $7,634,900; the HFA issuance portion is separate and does not use county funding per staff.
- Several recorded vote tallies in the meeting transcript are transcribed as the board recorded them on the dais; where the packet or minutes show discrepancies, staff minutes and the official clerk’s record should be consulted for the certified roll call.
Ending: Staff will return with contract recommendations (F3, F4), project timelines for Van Dyke and Lithia Pinecrest roads, and a clarified legislative priority list. The fluoride motion failed; commissioners indicated they will pursue expert testimony and technical analysis before further action.
