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Congresswoman's office and town lobbyists outline federal grants and state budget outlook for local projects
Summary
A congressional representative described federal funding opportunities and recent laws benefitting veterans and schools; the town's state lobbyists warned of shrinking project budgets and urged pursuing grant programs for water and trails.
Two separate presentations at the Jan. 7 meeting updated the council on federal and state legislative outlooks and opportunities.
Sharisma Adams, economic development director for Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick, briefed the council on federal appropriations and the representative's recent legislative successes. Adams said the congresswoman has helped secure $14,400,000 in federal funding to District 20 over the past two years for projects including water quality improvements and affordable housing; she cited $3,800,000 pledged to comprehensive crime‑reduction and affordable housing efforts and said the congresswoman supported 28 grant awards totaling more than $67,000,000 to district non‑profits in 2024. Adams also noted a recent federal allocation of $33,000,000 announced for low‑emission transportation infrastructure for Florida and encouraged the town to coordinate with the office on federal competitive grant applications. Adams offered the congresswoman's district office as a resource and gave a constituent casework phone number (954‑733‑2800).
Later the council heard from state lobbying representatives from Ronald Book, P.A., and partner firms, who outlined the state budget outlook for 2025. The lobbyists said the loss of federal relief dollars means the state expects tighter budgets going forward and warned that individual project line items will likely shrink. They recommended the town focus on established grant programs such as Florida Community Trust, Florida Recreation Development programs and other grant streams for water, stormwater, trails and resiliency rather than seeking single line‑item appropriations. The lobbyists also flagged several statewide issues that could matter to local governments: property‑casualty insurance turmoil, potential changes to condo‑association statutes, and possible discussions about sovereign‑immunity limits. They advised submitting a limited set of well‑developed projects rather than a long list, and urged early coordination with state staff and legislative offices.
