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Residents urge BOCC to cut county funding for Florida Israel Business Accelerator; speakers cite priority for local businesses
Summary
A cluster of public commenters urged commissioners to suspend or remove county funding for the Florida Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA), arguing taxpayer dollars should be redirected to local small businesses, veterans and housing; speakers alleged FIBA-backed companies have defense ties (claims not adjudicated at the meeting).
Several Hillsborough County residents used the public comment period on June 17 to press the Board of County Commissioners to end or reconsider county funding tied to the Florida Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA).
Omar Sobo (S10) and Ahmad Elkoni (S19) urged the board to prioritize local entrepreneurs, workforce development and small businesses rather than foreign accelerators. "I just urge you to reconsider your use of Hillsborough County taxpayer dollars for foreign business accelerators in general," Elkoni said. Another commenter, Evan Fretwell (S22), alleged the county'funded relationship helped bring a manufacturing facility that makes unmanned systems and said the county should suspend the annual $100,000 allocation and redirect funds to local needs such as transit and housing.
Commenters cited the cumulative amount of funds reportedly provided to the program over recent years and said even modest annual sums could be repurposed for visible local services. Several speakers suggested veteran and small business procurement preferences as alternative uses for limited county resources. The board did not take immediate formal action on the public comments; commissioners later discussed procurement scoring and directed staff to incorporate service‑disabled veteran-owned considerations into procurement policy following a separate agenda item.
The meeting record contains claims that particular FIBA‑backed companies supply defense technology; those assertions were made by public commenters and were not verified or disputed during the meeting record.
