Hillsborough County Commissioners hold public hearing over Israel investment
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners held a public hearing on Wednesday over its move to be able to invest in Israel bonds.
“The Israel government and the defense forces have been perpetrating this violence against a nation that has nearly nothing left,” said Hillsborough County resident Harrison Lundy during the public comment period. “War torn and bombed communities is not something that our county should be investing in.”
This comes as tensions over the war in Gaza have been heating up in the county, with police arresting dozens of pro-Palestinian protestors at the University of South Florida recently, and multiple people speaking against investing in Israel at a County Commission meeting earlier this year.
“It’s almost unreal how absurd that sounds out loud,” Lundy went on. “But you have to remember it was your constituents who were tear gassed earlier this month and were brutalized by police in riot gear.”
Few public commenters supported investment.
“We’re having a public hearing just so the county can invest in one specific country,” said Humira Absol, county resident. “So much time and energy that could have been spent on fixing the problems right here in this county.”
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Florida increased its investment in Israel. Commissioner Michael Owen asked the County Attorney’s office in December if Hillsborough County could do the same, but it could not, due to county ordinances. That’s why commissioners voted in February to draft an amendment to change that.
Right now, Polk is the only county in the Tampa Bay area where investment in Israel and the like is allowed.
The amendment would allow the county to invest up to $25 million in Israel. County commissioners did clarify the county would not automatically invest in Israel or require any purchases, but some commissioners did say they wanted to do this to support the nation.
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