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
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Local Government
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.
Local Government
Tampa Bay Water reports several tunneling crossings are complete on the $505.7 million South Hillsborough Pipeline, with additional work underway at State Road 60 and the Alafia River ahead of a late 2028 service deadline.
Local Government
South Hillsborough Pipeline crews will close the exterior southbound lane of South Kings Avenue in Ruskin from Sept. 8 through early October for Buckhorn Creek bridge wall repairs, with a 24-hour closure Sept. 15–18.
Local Government
The USDA announced a Data Modernization Plan on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to cut survey burdens and improve crop estimates using satellite technology, with the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District distributing the news to Ruskin-area farmers.
Local Government
Woodberry and Limona roads have reopened at Lakewood Drive after South Hillsborough Pipeline microtunnel work finished, but open-trench construction on Woodberry Road is scheduled to begin in mid-2027 and last about a year.
Local Government
Tampa settled with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for $584,734 after treated water released into Hillsborough Bay failed to meet water-quality standards more than 80 times between 2022 and 2025, and millions of gallons of untreated and partially treated wastewater entered the bay during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, raising concerns for Apollo Beach and Ruskin waterfront communities.
Local Government
Twenty-six GIS professionals and floodplain managers from across Tampa Bay, including Hillsborough County staff, completed a two-day NOAA inundation mapping course on Aug. 19-20, strengthening the region's ability to model flood risks in fast-growing coastal areas like Apollo Beach and Ruskin.
Local Government
Hillsborough County Public Schools regional supervisor James Lykins was named one of five 2026 Summer Hunger Heroes by No Kid Hungry Florida after the district distributed more than 650,000 free meals at over 150 sites, including grab-and-go locations serving Apollo Beach and Ruskin families.
Local Government
Hillsborough County's three-person Marine Safety Unit, based at E.G. Simmons Conservation Park in Ruskin, maintains more than 1,000 waterway signs and has removed over 100 derelict vessels from local rivers and Tampa Bay in six years.
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