St. Pete loses $45.66 million in federal funding requests 

St. Petersburg’s congressional representatives requested $45.66 million for several community projects in the city. Nearly half would have supported storm recovery and mitigation efforts after two catastrophic hurricanes. 

That money evaporated March 13 when Republicans, at the presidential administration’s behest, rallied around a stopgap funding extension to avert a government shutdown. 

All but one House Democrat voted against a measure most party members say finance tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. St. Petersburg and communities nationwide were caught in the crossfire. 

“Some of these were pretty modest congressional appropriations, but they fill huge needs back home,” Congresswoman Kathy Castor told the Catalyst. “I take my constitutional responsibility, the power of the purse, very seriously.”

Castor, a Democrat, represents Tampa and St. Petersburg. She requested $20.28 million in community project funding for the former city and $31.76 million for the latter. 

Those earmarks, now known as community project funding in the House, do not necessarily add to the budget. The program, called congressionally directed spending in the Senate, allows congress members to guide money appropriated to federal agencies to pertinent projects in their districts. 

Castor said elected representatives often have “a better understanding of a community’s needs.” Article I of the Constitution grants Congress its spending power, which she believes Republicans have ceded to the president and his advisor, billionaire businessman Elon Musk. 

“We have three branches of government, and I believe the founders put Congress in as Article I for a reason,” Castor said. “You’d have to ask them (Republicans) why they don’t take their responsibility seriously.” 

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who represents west St. Petersburg and coastal Pinellas County, could not be reached for comment. 

From left: Congresswoman Kathy Castor, Mayor Ken Welch and Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders tour a hurricane debris site in November 2024. Photo: City of St. Petersburg.

Republicans also lamented the funding loss. “I’m sorry everybody didn’t get their projects,” Rep. Tom Cole, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, told his colleagues. “I think most are worthy. I support them.” 

However, most Republicans thought the roughly $13 billion – a drop in the federal spending bucket – in cuts was necessary to avoid a government shutdown. The House budget resolution leaves room for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. 

Representatives must sign financial disclosure forms and meet transparency requirements when submitting up to 15 funding requests. The appropriations committee considers proposals and negotiates awards. 

For example, Castor requested $5.34 million to help transform St. Petersburg’s former Ed White Hospital into affordable housing for low-income seniors. She expected to receive $3 million. 

“I thought that was a great use of dollars,” Castor said. “Same with everything for flooding.”

Here are Castor’s other community project funding requests for St. Petersburg:

•  MLK Street South Flooding Alleviation – $5 million to elevate and improve a major thoroughfare in South St. Petersburg to mitigate persistent flooding. 
• Research Vessel Modernization and Equipment Upgrades – $8.12 million for the Florida Institute of Oceanography at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus to help protect ocean resources and address coastal issues.
• Seagrass Mitigation Bank – $1.5 million to create a 179-acre marine habitat and offset coastal construction impacts throughout Tampa Bay. 
• SMART Tech Industry 4.0 Lab – $4 million for St. Petersburg College to train a high-tech manufacturing workforce in a predominantly low-income area. 
• West Side Crescent Lake Improvements – $1.5 million for the City of St. Petersburg to improve water quality, provide an enriched community space and bolster community resilience. 
• Veteran Workforce Support Center – $4 million to support a massive renovation project that would expand resources, career counseling and workforce training for student veterans at the USFSP campus. 

“If someone comes to me with a community project, they go through a lot of vetting,” Castor said. “Is it a real community need? Is it urgent?”

Lake Maggiore overflowed into several South St. Petersburg homes during Hurricane Milton. Photo: Facebook.

Here are Luna’s community project funding requests for St. Petersburg and adjacent areas: 

• Bartlett Lake/Salt Creek Pump Station – $9 million for the city to vastly improve stormwater and tidal management in a flood-prone area. 
• Treasure Island Wastewater Collection – $1.2 million to a project that will increase the system’s lifespan by 50 years and reduce the amount of wastewater sent to St. Petersburg to treat. 
• St. Petersburg Police Department – $900,000 to purchase new take-home vehicles and lower operational costs.
• SMART Tech Industry 4.0 Lab – $4 million for St. Petersburg College to train a high-tech manufacturing workforce in a predominantly low-income area. 
• Gulfport Sanitary Sewer Repairs – $2.55 million for the City of Gulfport to improve its wastewater system and mitigate sewage overflows into Boca Ciega Bay. 

St. Petersburg officials briefly discussed the loss of funding at a March 27 committee meeting. Robert Diamond, a municipal lobbyist with Washington, D.C.-based Capitol Counsel, told council members, “We need to have that conversation on how we want to address those projects. Do we want to roll those into FY (fiscal year) 26 requests, et cetera?” 

Like many colleagues from both parties, Castor is unsure if community project funding will reenter the budgetary process next year. She said many of this year’s requests must go to St. Petersburg’s storm-lengthened “to-do list.” 

“It’s very opaque right now – it’s difficult to see that,” Castor said of future funding. “They are really setting everything up for their major tax package. That’s the primary focus of Republicans in Washington.”