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Lobbyist: Lantana wins $1.3M for Pine Street water main, $500K for lift stations after long Florida session
Summary
Ballard Partners lobbyist Matt Forrest told the Lantana Town Council that the 2025 Florida legislative session lasted 105 days and secured two state appropriations for the town: $1,300,000 for West Pine Street water-main improvements (Phase 2) and $500,000 for multiple lift station projects.
Matt Forrest, a government-affairs representative with Ballard Partners, told the council the 2025 Florida legislative session ran far longer than usual and yielded two successful appropriations for Lantana.
"We received $1,300,000 from the state for the West Pine Street Water-main improvements, phase 2," Forrest said, and added the town also secured "$500,000" for several lift-station projects. He described a 105-day session that began in December committee work and extended through mid‑June because of repeated extensions of the regular calendar.
Forrest framed the session around recurring themes—affordability, state spending scrutiny, and bills concerning local-government authority—and urged the town to track proposals that could limit municipal revenues (including proposals on millage caps and local business taxes). He recommended council members and staff stay engaged ahead of committee weeks that begin in October.
Why it matters: the two appropriations directly support town infrastructure projects for water reliability and wastewater lift stations. Forrest said sponsors in Tallahassee helped move the projects into the budget, and he encouraged local officials to coordinate with the town attorney and staff on implementation steps.
