Commissioner Cameron Tepeda asked the Hillsborough County Board on July 30 to authorize $300,000 in permanently recurring county funding for the Hillsborough County Commission on Human Trafficking, saying the commission needs stable support as nonprofit funding has decreased.

Tepeda described the commission’s work and proposed that the funding be included in the county’s annual budget rather than relying on one-time flag allocations. She said the commission currently had a recurring base of $267,000 and that the request was for an additional $300,000 to avoid annual uncertainty.

Board members asked for more detail about current spending, the exact uses of the requested funds and potential sources in the FY26 budget. Commissioner Wolstel and others recommended bringing the item back with a formal backup package so staff and the board can analyze the proposal and identify whether to fund it from reserves or reallocate other countywide dollars.

Tepeda withdrew the motion for immediate approval and agreed to refile the request with supporting information at a subsequent board meeting or budget hearing. No recurring appropriation was adopted on July 30; staff and the county administrator were asked to work with the commissioner and present a formal request with programmatic detail and recommended funding sources.

Ending: Commissioner Tepeda said she would resend the motion with the requested budget backup; the board will consider the item at a later meeting when the administrator and staff can present analysis of available funding and program needs.