DiCeglie speaks on new funding for education, research efforts in Pinellas County

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks, spoke with Florida’s Voice about his district’s budgetary allocations, including millions in funding for the Florida Holocaust Museum, LiFT Academy, and the Parc center for Disabilities.

DiCeglie spoke about the additional $1 million for the Holocaust Museum and called it “critical” in making sure society does not forget or repeat the genocide conducted in the 1930s and 1940s.

“Their testimony is critical in ensuring that we, as a society, never forget the experiences that they went through,” DiCeglie said. “And so that testimony is put in a digital format, so that it can be saved forever.”

The senator also detailed how $750,000 in new funding for LiFT Academy, a school for disabled children, is going to be spent.

“They’re building a new campus in Clearwater area, they’re going to quadruple the size of their campus, which means they’re going to be able to serve more students,” DiCeglie said

He also highlighted the Parc Center for Disabilities which will receive another $1.5 million this year.

DiCeglie outlined additional funding for workforce development in high schools aimed at helping students who “want to learn a skill set.”

“We have workplace programs in place in high schools, so when those kids get out of school, they have skills, or they can even go into apprenticeship programs,” DiCeglie said. “And then in a very short period of time, they’re hitting the ground. They’re making a living with salary and 401k.”

The senator also boasted about $2 million in funding aimed at expanding the occupancy limit of mental health facilities and the amount of beds available for patients.

He also spoke about the University of South Florida St. Pete and the $24 million they received from university appropriations for their Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences Research and Teaching Facility.

“I think this is really going to be not only a game changer for downtown St. Petersburg, but really the the entire, you know, west central part of Florida,” DiCeglie said. “Because that research is so important.”

He also spoke about the importance of researching red tide and its effects on marine life.

“Constituents I have today were extremely concerned about whether or not the legislature was going to adequately fund research and mitigation efforts for red tide,” DiCeglie said. “And so thankfully, you know, starting in 2019, with the leadership of our Governor Ron DeSantis, you know, we have invested hundreds of million dollars towards red tide research.”

DeCiglie congratulated not only the university but the Pinellas delegation for advocating for those dollars.