Hollywood previews 2025 state legislative priorities, seeks state aid for stormwater and adult day care

The Hollywood City Commission reviewed draft 2025 state legislative priorities and funding requests at a Dec. 10 workshop where staff and the city's lobbyists outlined strategy for committee weeks and the 60-day session beginning March 4.

Assistant City Manager Adam Reichbach told commissioners the city will formally ask the commission to adopt the priorities at its Jan. 15, 2025 meeting and noted the city's delegation includes Senator Jason Pizzo and representatives Marie Woodson and Hillary Cassell; he said newly elected Senator Barbara Sharif also represents part of the city.

Joseph Salazar of Grey Robinson, the city's contracted lobbying firm, urged commissioners to prioritize shovel-ready projects with strong local matches to improve chances in the appropriation process: "If it's not shovel ready, don't bring it because these folks think in 2, 4, 8 year cycles," he said. Salazar described two staff-proposed state appropriation requests: a stormwater project adjacent to Rotary Park (total project budget roughly $1,000,000; staff plans to request about half) and an adult day-care center at Oak Lake Park (estimated start-up and capital costs of $300,000'$400,000).

Staff listed three additional grants awaiting state action (a concert series at Arts Park, the Hammerstein House restoration, and a Sunset Park project) and reiterated continuing support for senior programming at the Fred Lippman Center.

Commissioners emphasized five top priorities they want highlighted to lobbyists and the delegation: septic-to-sewer authority and funding, affordable housing, condominium recertification/assessment relief, property insurance and resiliency measures, and protections for home-rule zoning under the Live Local Act. Mayor (unnamed in the transcript) asked staff to present a tiered list of priorities so lobbyists know which items deserve the closest attention during committee weeks and in Tallahassee.

Staff and Grey Robinson also reviewed distinctions between appropriations and grants. Salazar said appropriations are generally reserved for shovel-ready local projects that do not fit an existing state grant program, while many larger resiliency and infrastructure grants have separate application windows. He recommended that commissioners gather local data showing how prior state recruitment/bonus programs aided Hollywood as part of funding requests.

The commission closed the workshop by directing staff to refine and prioritize the list for the January meeting and to continue coordination with the lobbying team and the local delegation; the mayor adjourned the meeting.