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Pinellas commissioners review 2026 state legislative priorities; delegation deadlines looming
Summary
New intergovernmental liaison Tristan Summer and lobbyist Anita Berry presented a draft 2026 legislative program that includes disaster recovery, beach nourishment, Resilient Florida funding, E‑911 fee adjustment and appropriation requests such as East Lake Road corridor improvements; commissioners debated items to monitor versus pursue next year.
Pinellas County’s new intergovernmental liaison, Tristan Summer, and lobbyist Anita Berry briefed the Board of County Commissioners on the county’s proposed 2026 state legislative program and timeline on Oct. 16, highlighting priorities and a list of appropriation requests ahead of bill‑filing deadlines in January.
The timeline Summer presented notes the Pinellas County delegation’s first public meeting already occurred and the next delegation meeting is Nov. 12; bill filing and appropriation publication are due Jan. 9, 2026, and the 60‑day legislative session begins Jan. 13, 2026.
Top guiding principles and priorities in the draft platform include support for adequate state funding for constitutional officers; full funding of the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund; dedicated recurring funding for beach renourishment and Resilient Florida grants; assistance for disaster recovery and emergency management; and strategies to address declining transportation revenue including consideration of electric‑vehicle fees and local indexing of gas taxes.
Program highlights and requests: Summer summarized several operational and appropriation requests submitted…
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