TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican Rep. Berny Jacques announced Wednesday that he has secured $6.8 million in state funding for his district, including major infrastructural investments aimed at addressing chronic flooding in Pinellas County following the devastating 2024 hurricane season.
Speaking in an interview on Florida’s Voice Radio, Jacques confirmed the funding package is locked in between the House and Senate ahead of an official budget vote scheduled for Friday.
The state representative noted that a primary focus of his funding push is mitigating heavy flood zones in House District 59, which bore the brunt of back-to-back hits from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. Jacques highlighted two specific stormwater drainage line items: $750,000 for a lift station in Pinellas Park to help alleviate persistent flooding, and $500,000 to overhaul drainage failures along 60th Street.
Jacques used the funding announcement to challenge local authorities, urging municipal governments statewide to become more aggressive and preventative with baseline public works infrastructure.
“Pinellas saw it front and center when we got hit with back-to-back storms with Helene and Milton in 2024 where neighborhoods were completely underwater,” Jacques said, adding that some severely flooded neighborhoods weren’t even located within mandatory evacuation zones. “It takes two to tango. I also want to bring back additional funding, so there’s no excuses […] You don’t have to wait for the big one to hit to figure it out.”
Jacques also detailed public safety funding within the $6.8 million package, confirming that state dollars were approved for the St. Petersburg College law enforcement training facility. The funding will upgrade facilities utilized by approximately 12 regional agencies to provide cutting-edge training for law enforcement officers.
Beyond the state budget, Jacques threw his weight behind Gov. Ron DeSantis’ newly announced special legislative session on property tax reform, scheduled to begin next week. Jacques, who serves on the Select Committee on Property Taxes, noted that escalating tax burdens have become a top concern for constituents across his district.
“People are getting crushed by our property taxes,” Jacques said. “People who have lived in our state for quite some time are considering moving because government, and local government in particular, keeps raising the bill on them for a home that they supposedly own.”
The $6.8 million state budget package is expected to pass the legislature on Friday before heading to the governor’s desk for final approval.
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