The 2018 legislative session is underway and lawmakers will decide whether to fund projects statewide, many of which affect Tallahassee and Leon County. Proposals for the Big Bend region total more than $40 million.
Among them is a $2 million request for backup generators to Leon County and Tallahassee critical facilities. The generators will be used to power libraries and community centers in natural disasters.
“What that would do is allow us to use those facilities during a future disaster to help with community recovery efforts," says Leon County Administrator Assistant Andy Johnson. "Things like points of distribution or comfort stations which is something that we’ve done in the past few storms – Irma and Hermine.”
Other projects under consideration include a $15 million expansion to the Florida A & M and Florida State University College of Engineering, a nearly $11 million technology upgrade for FAMU’s classrooms and an effort to clean storm water and enhance drainage in the Lake Jackson Aquatic preserve.