2026 budget – House and Senate budget negotiators in Florida weigh Tampa Bay transportation, housing, culture, and storm-hardening projects as amounts diverge.

A late-stage budget showdown is putting Tampa Bay’s local priorities in limbo, as House and Senate negotiators begin work to finalize Florida’s 2026 spending plan.

Lawmakers opened a Special Session aimed at completing the budget, and both chambers have now released details on the negotiations.. While the House and Senate appear aligned on certain Hillsborough and Pinellas County projects—especially transportation and economic development requests—many items are either funded at different levels or not included in one chamber’s proposal at all.. The result is a sprawling list of Tampa Bay initiatives awaiting their fate as budget talks narrow the gap.

In Hillsborough County. lawmakers are considering multiple projects that appear in both versions of the budget. though often with different price tags.. The Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics Center (AMRoC) Fab Lab. for example. is included in both chambers: the House funds it at $500. 000 and the Senate at $1 million.. Another shared priority. Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Hillsborough’s Resilient Homes for Heroes. is funded at $475. 000 in the House plan but at $350. 000 in the Senate plan.

The two chambers diverge sharply on several other Hillsborough projects.. The House’s proposal includes funding for initiatives that do not show up in the Senate’s plan. including $2.5 million for the Hillsborough County African American Arts and Cultural Center; $1.5 million for Embarc Collective; $500. 000 for Tampa Theatre’s centennial restoration and expansion; $160. 000 for Tampa Firefighters Museum enhancements; and $250. 000 for intersection improvements in the Tampa 30th Street and Sligh Avenue area.

Meanwhile. the Senate is backing at least one Hillsborough item that the House did not fund in its proposal or in the House’s latest offer: $3.9 million for Hillsborough County East 26th Avenue Road Improvements.. That difference underscores how the negotiations are less about whether projects will be discussed and more about which chamber’s priorities carry through as the final plan takes shape.

Pinellas County’s picture is even more crowded. with a mix of shared agreements. competing amounts. and proposals funded only by one chamber.. Several projects reflect partial agreement—both chambers support the effort, but the amounts vary.. Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside’s Century Drive project is a clear example. with the House proposing $250. 000 and the Senate offering $500. 000.

Madeira Beach’s Area 6 Roadway Improvement Project is another case of the chambers meeting on purpose but not on funding level. with the House at $500. 000 and the Senate at $350. 000.. Safety Harbor’s City Hall Security Improvements similarly split between $80,000 in the House plan and $160,000 in the Senate plan.

The budget gap is larger on some of the transportation and infrastructure items.. Belleair’s Barbara Circle reconstruction is funded at $2.1 million by the House and $4.2 million by the Senate.. A Clearwater project to elevate Bayshore Drive is also split, with the House listing $500,000 and the Senate listing $650,000.

Beyond roads and facilities, the chambers are also negotiating money for security and community-focused initiatives.. Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services is included in both plans for security and technology enhancements. with $250. 000 from the House and $500. 000 from the Senate.. St.. Petersburg’s Menorah Life has a similar split for a combined security and safety initiative. with $245. 000 in the House proposal and $490. 000 in the Senate plan.

Funding for collaboration among institutions appears in both chambers as well. The YMCA of the Suncoast and Pinellas County Schools co-located facility is included in both proposals, but at different levels: $1 million in the House plan and $650,000 in the Senate plan.

Even where both chambers show support in some form, the final outcome may still hinge on the bargaining over amounts and which version ultimately survives. Several Pinellas projects remain further apart, with one chamber funding what the other does not.

The House is backing a set of Pinellas proposals that do not appear in Senate funding at this time. including $2 million for Pinellas County Seminole Junior Warhawks Youth Sports Field Improvements and $1.25 million for Duke Energy Center for the Arts Mahaffey Theater renovations.. It also includes hurricane shelter hardening and related resiliency requests. with $2 million for Pinellas County Hurricane Shelter Hardening through special needs emergency generators and $1 million for hurricane hardening at the Lealman Exchange.

Cultural and education requests are also part of the House list in this category, including $350,000 for The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Advancing Holocaust Museum Education and Research project and $62,500 for Holocaust Museum Safety and Security.

The Senate, for its part, is seeking funding for multiple Pinellas projects not included in the House plan.. Those proposals include $7.5 million for Pinellas County East Lake Road Phase I Capacity Improvements; $3 million for the City of Oldsmar’s Patty/Country Club Drive project; $400. 000 for Belleair’s scour critical bridge project; and $750. 000 for Belleair Bluffs Public Works Facility planning.

Public safety and resilience are also reflected in the Senate’s list. with nearly $378. 000 for Gulfport’s police and fire rapid response roadway reconstruction; $350. 000 for South Pasadena City Hall hardening and resiliency; and $350. 000 for St.. Pete Beach’s Boca Ciega Drive Reconstruction.. The Senate also includes $350,000 for the Pinellas County Housing Authority’s Mills Affordable Housing Development Project.

Some items appear only in the Senate plan. adding to the uncertainty over what will ultimately make it into the final budget.. Those Senate-only proposals include $2.5 million for The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Elie Wiesel Exhibition and Learning Center; $350. 000 for The Dali Museum; $350. 000 for the St.. Petersburg Science Center; $350. 000 for The Florida Orchestra’s home facility; about $485. 000 for Ruth Eckerd Hall emergency upgrades; $350. 000 for Clearwater Marine Aquarium renovations; $350. 000 for YMCA of Greater St.. Petersburg’s Gills renovation; and $484,500 for SPCA Tampa Bay shelter safety and preparedness.

With negotiations still underway. the list of projects—and the amounts attached to them—could still change as House and Senate budget negotiators work through transportation and economic development differences.. Any agreement on a final spending plan would still require approval from both chambers before moving to the Governor’s desk. meaning Tampa Bay’s priorities are not yet locked in.

Florida 2026 budget Tampa Bay projects Hillsborough County funding Pinellas County priorities storm hardening transportation and economic development