TAMPA, Fla. – A sweeping coverage change by Hillsborough County Commissioners may depart dozens of native non-profits with none county funding by the top of the last decade.
What we all know:
In a 5-2 vote Tuesday, the Board of County Commissioners accepted a measure that may section out monetary help to greater than 100 non-profit organizations beginning in 2026. The change, proposed by Commissioner Chris Boles, features a 25% funding minimize within the first yr, with extra reductions annually till funding drops to zero.
Boles stated the transfer is a matter of fiscal accountability.
“It’s mainly simply holding individuals accountable for the cash that we’re asking our taxpayers to provide us,” he stated. “And that we’re utilizing these monies responsibly.”
The coverage won’t have an effect on 10 non-profits deemed to both function on county-owned property or complement important authorities companies. These teams embody Tampa’s Museum of Science & Business (MOSI), the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and the Disaster Heart.
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What they’re saying:
Among the many organizations not noted of that exemption checklist is The Spring of Tampa Bay, which has offered refuge for home violence victims for practically 50 years. CEO Mindy Murphy stated the group is dependent upon its roughly $200,000 annual county allocation.
“Yearly we’re sheltering near a thousand individuals,” Murphy stated. “That cash is vital. We spend each penny of it.”
The Spring’s exclusion stunned Murphy, who counseled the county for years of funding however added she believes her group immediately helps important public security efforts.
“Offering companies to individuals fleeing home violence is mission-critical for county authorities. This isn’t simply charity — it’s public security,” she stated.
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Whereas some officers view the four-year funding taper as beneficiant, others have considerations.
“The necessity just isn’t going away anytime quickly,” Murphy stated. “And our want for cash is vital.”
The Spring is now hoping county leaders will rethink the exemption standards and broaden the checklist to incorporate organizations like theirs that serve weak populations.
The opposite facet:
Commissioners Gwen Myers and Harry Cohen voted in opposition to the proposal. Myers raised considerations in the course of the assembly, questioning whether or not all non-profits have the capability to soak up a 25% minimize in simply two years.
“Do all our non-profits have the income to offset a 25% minimize?” she requested.
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What we do not know:
Commissioners indicated they imagine there are some organizations that ought to proceed to obtain full funding, even when they didn’t make the checklist of 10 exempt from funding cuts. However, commissioners left it unclear how these organizations may attempt to ask for continued funding.
What’s subsequent:
Until coverage adjustments are made, the funding cuts will start in 2026 and attain zero inside 4 years.
The Supply: Data for this story got here from reporting by FOX 13’s Aaron Mesmer, interviews with Hillsborough County Commissioners, and statements from non-profit leaders, together with The Spring of Tampa Bay CEO Mindy Murphy.
