Tampa Bay was set for millions of people to repair storms. The council then voted.

Last year, US Rep. Anna Paulina Luna fought for Congress and sent millions of dollars back to Pinellas County.

Fresh from two devastating hurricanes, the city of St. Petersburg was set to win $9 million for the project to prevent residents from flooding. Clearwater Beach was scheduled with nearly $1.8 million improvements to keep rainwater at bay.

Such assigned community projects allow council-elected officials to directly support the community. Five US representatives from the Tampa Bay area have secured at least $155.5 million for the combined special projects for this fiscal year. They got federal funding for projects ranging from cancer research to improving local police stations and fixing local bridges and sewerage systems.

Then earlier this month, Congressional Republicans voted to cancel funds for all projects.

As is common in Washington, local dollars were a collateral loss in a broader political struggle. Federal funds were scheduled to expire on March 14th. Republican leaders have written spending bills to keep the government running. President Donald Trump pushed Congress to pass it. The bill did not include local projects. Almost every Republican voted.

Many Republicans didn’t like to see the community lose, but they tolerated cuts in the name of what they characterized as a good government.

“Rep. Buchanan was disappointed that the government’s latest funding bill failed to include community project funding nationwide, but he believes that the alternative (allowing the government to be shut down) was far worse,” Vern Buchanan spokesman Josh Gregory wrote in an email.

Buchanan, a Republican who represents parts of Manatee and Hillsboro counties, lost more local money than anyone else. He had secured over $28 million, but only to see it all as a colleague’s bill. $3 million for the Longboat Keystorm Resiliency Project in the sacrifice.

All but one House Democrat voted against the bill. They argued that this implied approval of Trump and his top vice-president Elon Musk by Trump and his top vice-president, billionaire Elon Musk, to continue withholding congressional approved spending.

Democrats now say the local cuts are blamed on Republicans who were desperate to find cost savings that could be used to fund massive tax credits.

The House Republican budget framework has room for a tax cut of around $4.5 trillion. Most of them benefit the wealthiest Americans who pay the highest marginal tax rate.

“It’s all about backing up government services and making sure the community is sufficient to make sure it’s a billionaire tax gift,” U.S. Rep. Kathy Caster said.

The Democrat caster, who represents parts of Hillsboro and Pinellas, lost over $20 million. In an interview, she said she was particularly upset about losing $3 million in affordable housing for seniors in St. Petersburg.

Local projects are debate. They are sometimes called “pork” or “earmarks.” Congress essentially banned such local spending in 2011, but only to get it back in 2021 with different rules. Representatives must sign a form indicating that they are not making financial benefits from the project. The funds are administered by federal agencies at the direction of Congress.

These projects can show how effective an elected official is in the work of the DC system. US Congressmen can file up to 15 local requests. The proposal is moving towards one of several funding bills through the Budget Committee. Once the final numbers are negotiated, representatives coordinate with the entities standing to win funding and update them on the progress of the internal talk.

Earlier this month, Caster sent an apology letter to those seeking fundraising.

“We are frustrated that Republicans are not enough to raise partisan laws, including billions of dollars in cuts in critical services, supporting and reducing costs for their neighbors,” Castor wrote.

Republicans and Democrats, who represent Tampa Bay, have proven proficient in securing local funding in recent years. Rep. Laurel Lee, who represents parts of Pasco, Hillsboro and Polk Counties, won $13 million in his first year. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who represents parts of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco, brings millions of people on a daily basis. He had secured $19 million this year before voting for a bill that cuts funding for local projects.

The only exception during the 2024 budget discussions was Luna. She secured just $2.5 million. This is the lowest number of Florida’s first-term US representatives seeking local funding.

But this year’s treasurer saw a reversal of the fortunes of Republicans in Pinellas County. Luna fought over six projects, seeing each being at least partially funded.

She then voted to keep the government open and abolish the funds.

With hurricane season approaching, a St. Petersburg city spokesman said he will look for flood mitigation funds elsewhere. The $9 million protected by Luna would have gone to install a pump station in the Salt Creek Basin. The machine drains Salt Creek and Lake Maggiore faster, drying nearby homes higher and higher.

The project could be funded by increased utilities from elsewhere in the city’s budget, city bonds or money, a spokesperson said. But it will be funded, spokesman Samantha Becker wrote in an email.

A city spokesperson said the Clearwater Beach stormwater mitigation project could soon continue without providing federal funding.

However, many other projects remain in scope. Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike are not sure if funding for local projects will be part of next year’s budget talks.