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Tallahassee lobbyist: Charlotte County schools secured $3.25 million; eyes on welding, water projects next session
Summary
A Tallahassee lobbying firm reported recent wins for Charlotte County Public Schools — about $3.25 million for an airplane hangar and an advanced manufacturing facility — and outlined priorities and political headwinds heading into the next legislative session.
Andrew Liebert, a lobbyist for the VOGO Group in Tallahassee, told the Charlotte County School Board on Sept. 9 that his firm helped the district secure roughly $3.25 million in state funding over the last two years and is preparing two project requests for the coming session.
Liebert said, “we've had the 1,500,000.0 in the 2425 fiscal year for the airplane, hangar project… We had the, advanced manufacturing facility project last year, which was 1,750,000.00. So over the last couple of years, we've been able to bring home, a little over 3 and a quarter million dollars, to the school district.”
The lobbyist credited a cooperative local delegation — he named Representative Grama, Senator Albritton and freshman representatives he called Representative Nicks and Representative Oliver — plus the district’s “skin in the game” for helping the projects survive a difficult budget environment. He described the recent Tallahassee session as “pretty chaotic,” noting a special session called by the governor and competing proposals that delayed budget agreement until June.
Why it matters: those state appropriations funded local facilities central to Charlotte County’s CTE (career and technical education) plans, including a hangar associated with aviation training and an advanced manufacturing lab. Liebert said the district is asking two members of the legislature to carry project requests next session — “2 requests this year… 1 for each house member” — and that Senator Albritton will carry or delegate the projects in the Senate.
Liebert also flagged two program areas he expects to find favorable reception at the Capitol: a regional welding facility and a water management program tied to post-Senate Bill 64 requirements on reuse and beneficial purpose for treated water. “A couple years ago, they passed senate bill 64, which completely changes how, water treatment plants have to operate,” he said, adding that utilities he’s spoken to “leaped out of their chairs” at the prospect of state support.
Board members and staff thanked the lobbyist’s firm for its “veto protection strategy” — outreach intended to ensure projects survive to final law after the governor’s review. Board comments emphasized the district’s role in demonstrating regional economic benefit and a continuing partnership with the district’s legislative liaison and staff.
The lobbyist warned that political dynamics remain unpredictable: “session starting in the beginning of the year, I don't expect the dynamics to get any less complicated… There's a lot of talk about property taxes right now. The different approaches on how… that's gonna be discussed.”
Ending: Liebert said committee weeks would begin next month and that his team was coordinating with district staff to prepare materials and posture for the early session. He offered to answer questions from the board and to continue the district’s advocacy in Tallahassee.
