Beulah I-10 exit, affordable housing: Here are Escambia's 2022 legislative priorities:

Escambia County's legislative delegation is looking toward 2022 as the year to get local projects done in the state Legislature.

Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, and Reps. Alex Andrade and Michelle Salzman, both R-Pensacola, held their local delegation meeting for Escambia County on Tuesday night.

The delegation heard from local government representatives about priorities for the upcoming session.

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Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender laid out the county's top priorities for the Legislature, and at the top of the list was continuing the Florida Department of Transportation's five-year plan, which includes funding to create an Interstate 10 exit at Beulah Road.

"The state has given us some money in the coming years for right-of-way acquisition and the investment that Escambia County has made in OLF 8, (the Beulah interstate exit) is a key piece to that project," Bender said.

Other funding priorities for the county include a new medical examiner's office to be built in Santa Rosa County.

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Bender said the county also is looking for the state to help with state prisoners housed in the county jail. The county often holds inmates from the state prison system, but their medical care falls on the county.

"That is a high burden that the citizens of Escambia County have to pay for in our jails," Bender said.

Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said the city was working with FDOT to find funding to increase the Pensacola International Airport's capacity and needs the Legislature's support.

"Over the last year we've gone from being traditionally the 100th to 110th busiest airport in the United States to being the 77th (busiest) airport," Robinson said. "We need expansion there."

Robinson also said the city wants the Legislature to fully fund the Sadowski Affordable Housing Act fund, which is a state fund that provides incentives for affordable housing throughout the state. For several years, the Legislature has cut the money going to the fund to pay for other projects.

"Affordable housing is one of the most significant issues in Pensacola, and this can assist with not just low-income families, but also in alleviating homelessness," Robinson said. "So, we hope you will keep the full funding there."

Pensacola affordable housing:

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The legislative delegation also unanimously voted to support a local bill that would allow widows of Pensacola firefighters to retain pension benefits even if they remarry.

Lois Benson, chairwoman of the ECUA board, asked the delegation to support funding $1 million to build a needed transfer station on Pine Forest Road.

Benson also said ECUA supported Salzman's new bill updating the statutes governing ECUA.

Last year, Salzman's proposed bill to impose term limits on the ECUA board was a source of contention among the delegation and ECUA board members.

The bill now has the support of ECUA and the delegation. It imposes term limits, cleans up outdated language in the law, allows ECUA to fill a board vacancy if the governor fails to appoint a new member after 90 days and provides ECUA with the same type of sovereign immunity other local governments are granted.

The delegation also voted unanimously to support Salzman's bill.

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Last year heading into the legislative session, there was a lot of uncertainty about how the COVID-19 pandemic was going to affect the state's revenues.

It turned out, however, that COVID-19 didn't really hurt the state's revenue and then the state got a cash injection from the federal stimulus bill.

Broxson told the News Journal the state can only use recurring revenue when budgeting, but he expects this year to be a very good year for the state.

"I believe we can at least hold our position on most of our funding," Broxson said. "We're definitely going to add some funding to education and to the university system and K-12. I believe the superintendents and school boards will be very happy with what we roll out."

Andrade said the state received a lot of federal funds that can be allocated in the coming year. More federal funding is expected to roll into the state thanks to the passage of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill last month.

"We have a lot of federal money that we didn't ask for, but a lot of it's encumbered," Andrade said. "So some folks in here who are asking for funds, they'll have a really good session. But at the end of the day, the money's not infinite."

Salzman said if there's a project out there that a local government or agency is looking to fund, 2022 is the year to get it funded.

"If the budget looks the same as it did last year, there's going to be some wiggle room for some really nice surprises for communities, and if you don't have your name in the hat, then they're not going to have an opportunity to pick it," Salzman said.

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia, Pensacola governments lay out 2022 legislative priorities