Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Hillsborough County commissioners voted Tuesday to advance roughly $353 million in public funding for the proposed Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, including $263 million in tourist-tax bonds and a $90 million sales-tax appropriation, even as Amendment 3 raises questions about the county's long-term finances.
Local Government
Local Government
Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter.
Your newsletter subscriptions are subject to our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
Local Government
Local Government
Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $10 million to Tampa Bay Water to help expand its regional surface water treatment plant in Brandon, adding 12.5 million gallons per day of drinking water capacity for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties by 2028.
Local Government
The intersection of John Moore Road and Ronele Drive will close as early as Nov. 12 for about a month of open-trench pipe installation as part of the South Hillsborough Pipeline project.
Local Government
The Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission will vote Thursday, Oct. 22, on $929,125.66 in pollution recovery grants, including a $33,500 Ruskin Inlet mangrove restoration project at Commongood Park and a $99,000 seagrass planting effort near Apollo Beach.
Local Government
Hillsborough County Public Schools will host its final virtual town hall on the Half-Penny Promise referendum Wednesday, Oct. 14, giving Apollo Beach and Ruskin voters a last chance to hear from district officials before the November ballot on extending the half-cent sales tax for another decade.
Local Government
A bipartisan fix to Florida's hurricane recovery law died in the state House, leaving Hillsborough County and South Shore communities under state-imposed limits on local growth management until at least 2027.
Local Government
The Hillsborough TPO Board reviewed a draft plan to merge with Pasco and Pinellas county transportation agencies into one regional MPO, a move backed by the state that would channel roughly $10 million a year in federal and state grants through a single body.
Local Government
Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged state grants to offset property tax losses from Amendment 3, but the offer covers only rural counties, leaving Hillsborough County and its Apollo Beach and Ruskin communities without promised state help as the Nov. 3 vote approaches.
Local Government
A Fifth Circuit ruling that the Constitution does not guarantee clean drinking water arrives as Apollo Beach and Ruskin residents face rising water rates Oct. 1 and billions in construction for Hillsborough County's One Water Program and South Hillsborough Pipeline.
Local Government
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice closed Hillsborough County's only juvenile detention center in late August, scattering 34 children to facilities in four other counties and creating courtroom chaos with no replacement plan in sight.
Local Government
Florida Realtors launched a $10 million "Yes on 3" campaign to raise the homestead exemption to $250,000, while Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers urges a "no" vote, citing a $367 million annual revenue loss that could cut services in Apollo Beach, Ruskin and across the county.
Local Government
Hillsborough County students in kindergarten through 12th grade can enter statewide Hispanic Heritage Month art and essay contests, with entries due by 5 p.m. on Sept. 21 and prizes including scholarships and gift cards.
Local Government
A petition with more than 2,000 signatures is pressing Hillsborough County commissioners to protect roughly $30 million in Community Investment Tax funding for a new Pet Resource Center, as advocates worry the $796 million Rays stadium deal could crowd out the long-promised shelter replacement before a Sept. 24 budget meeting.
©2026 Apollo Beach-Ruskin Tribune
Powered by Surround Sound Media