BELLEAIR BLUFFS — The city has secured $750,000 in state money toward a new public works facility designed to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds, the city’s first state appropriations project in roughly two decades.
State Rep. Kimberly Berfield presented the check to Mayor Chris Arbutine and other city officials at the Sept. 14 City Commission meeting. The money is part of a $3 million project to replace the city’s Quonset hut-style public works building.
It was Berfield’s second such stop in the area in a matter of weeks. Earlier this month, she delivered an $8.5 million check to neighboring Belleair for three major infrastructure projects.
“On behalf of the Florida Legislature, I am proud to be here tonight to present a $750,000 check in state funding that has been secured for the city of Belleair Bluffs’ public works facility,” Berfield said, calling the money “an important investment in the city’s infrastructure, safety and long-term future.”
With the two-year anniversaries of hurricanes Helene and Milton approaching, Berfield said public works “is essential to the everyday functions of the community,” from maintaining streets, sidewalks and stormwater systems to assisting police, fire and EMS crews during severe storms.
“This department plays a critical role in keeping Belleair Bluffs safe and prepared,” she said.
Berfield said she was “especially honored” to have submitted and supported the project, and she singled out City Administrator Debra Sullivan for much of the credit.
“Debra’s leadership, persistence and her work in developing this project and helping communicate the city’s needs played a critical role in helping us secure these funds,” Berfield said.
“One of the most important parts of my job is making sure our communities’ voices are strongly heard in Tallahassee,” she added. “And that begins here at the local level, with city elected officials and staff.
“Today is about more than just presenting this check. It is about recognizing what can truly be accomplished when local and state leaders actually work together.”
Under the funding plan Sullivan outlined, the state will provide $750,000 and the city will contribute $350,000 a year for the next three years toward construction.
“So, this is the first piece of that,” Sullivan said of the state money.
Commission approves 2026-27 budget, tax rate
With so much attention on the Amendment 3 property tax vote in November, local budgets have gotten somewhat lost in the shuffle.
But whatever the proposed property tax cut might mean for municipal services, cities still must adopt balanced budgets and tax rates before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Belleair Bluffs commissioners approved both Sept. 14.
Before the regular meeting, Finance Committee Chair Pete Fisher summarized the committee’s months of work, noting that commissioners had approved the $7,635,663 budget and a tax rate of 5.35 mills by consensus on first reading Sept. 3.
The rate is 1.19% higher than the rolled-back rate of 5.2872 mills, the rate that would generate the same property tax revenue as last year, excluding new construction. At 5.35 mills, property owners pay $5.35 for every $1,000 of taxable value.
“I am really impressed on how we have trimmed this budget,” Sofer said. “I know we cut a lot of things out as far as staff looking toward the future, which is a really difficult thing because we don’t know how this Amendment 3 vote is going to go.”
Arbutine agreed and contrasted the city’s finances with the federal government’s.
“The federal budget costs every American $3,300 a year for just the interest, and it’s another $10,000 or $12,000 a year just for the budget itself,” he said. “This budget that we have here is 100% balanced. We have money in the bank, all of our projects are paid for, we have no endless money being spent. Everything we do is transparent, and we really squeeze every nickel that we get out of it.”
Arbutine, a vocal opponent of Amendment 3 for more than a year, said that when it comes to balancing budgets, state officials “should be looking up” at Tallahassee rather than “down at us.”