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St. Pete Beach lobbyist reports $3 million secured for fire station, outlines session calendar
Summary
Jim Taylor of Shoemaker Advisors told the St. Pete Beach City Commission that lobbyists secured $3,000,000 for a local fire station and outlined committee priorities and the legislative calendar leading into the Jan. 13 start of the 60-day session.
Jim Taylor, of Shoemaker Advisors, told the St. Pete Beach City Commission on Dec. 2 that the city’s lobbying team had won a $3,000,000 appropriation for a local fire station and is pressing to close out remaining project steps with state legislators.
Taylor, the city’s contract lobbyist in Tallahassee, told commissioners he and colleague Alan serve as the city’s “working team” in the capital and outlined the state leadership and committee posts his firm is working with. “We were successful, in getting the $3,000,000 for the fire station,” Taylor said, adding that the team will continue work with Representative Cheney and Senator DeSigli to finalize project details.
Why it matters: The appropriation is an explicit line in the state budget identified for the municipal fire station project and represents a direct funding commitment that will need follow-up steps before funds are disbursed.
Taylor described the broader legislative context: the Legislature extended its work this year, passed a budget after vetoes and produced roughly a $114.7 billion package. He identified key contacts for the city’s priorities, including Senator Jim Boyd (senate president-designate) and committee chair Hooper, who leads the Transportation and Economic Development Committee that has jurisdiction over related funding pools.
Taylor also reviewed the calendar for lawmakers: six committee weeks precede the regular session, and he said the city is entering the final committee week before the sprint: “January 13, we will start that sprint” and he expected the process to conclude around March 13. He warned commissioners the state’s current surplus is modest and cited the state chief economist, Amy Baker, saying officials are already flagging possible deficits ahead.
What’s next: Taylor said his team will continue advocacy in committee weeks and during the session to move local priorities through appropriations and related reviews. The commission did not take formal action on the fire station in this meeting; Taylor’s update was informational.
—Reporting by Jim Taylor (Shoemaker Advisors), as presented to the St. Pete Beach City Commission.
