Leon County Commission hears updates on Trump's executive orders, impact
Leon County commissioners had questions aplenty as their high-powered lobbyist gave them state and federal government updates following the slew of executive orders that President Donald Trump signed.
But many of those questions, on things like federal grants and disaster funding, were as yet unanswerable because of the rapid-fire and sometimes chaotic changes coming out of Trump's nascent second administration.
As part of Tuesday night's meeting, Caren Street of Squire Patton Boggs provided an update on all the happenings to come out of Washington, D.C. That includes items such as the federal funding freeze and the possibility of dissolving the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
She highlighted that the new Trump administration has "hit the ground running" in terms of the amount of executive orders signed, which currently sits at 62, and that the administration is "really trying to push the envelope and kind of stretch presidential power as much as possible."
Despite this, she reminded the board that it is not unusual for executive action to be challenged legally, which has already taken place for Trump's efforts to freeze spending and end automatic citizenship for children born on U.S. soil, among others. In total Trump's first weeks in office have generated more than thirty lawsuits.
"What is very certain is that these executive actions are a very clear demonstration of the administration's priorities and what cannot be done strictly through executive action is certainly fair game for congressional action, particularly as Republicans control both chambers of Congress," Street said.
And coming up soon is the state's annual 60-day legislative session, during which lawmakers will craft a multi-billion dollar budget. While that spending plan has yet to come into resolution, what is known is the governor's proposal, but the only Leon County specific item is $225,000 for the Leon Adults with Disabilities Program.
It'll be up to the county's legislative delegation of state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, and state Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, to bring home the bacon for local projects.
In other business, commissioners unanimously voted to ratify actions taken at their annual retreat on Jan. 27 which includes some new additions to the strategic plan:
Engage an engineering consultant to complete the Miccosukee Road Greenway Trail Flood Study to identify solutions to flooding along Miccosukee Road.
Explore opportunities to attract Top 100 Billboard artists for concerts and performances at various local venues throughout the year.
Explore innovative strategies to enhance pedestrian safety, including traffic safety studies and utilizing automated speed detection technology in school zones.
Initiate a feasibility study as a component of Phase II Implementation of the Apalachee Regional Park Masterplan.
Expand effort to reduce graffiti and roadside littering by coordinating with the Leon County Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney's Office to explore the development of a new anti-graffiti/anti-littering program that would install Capital Region Real-Time Crime Center (CRRTCC) cameras in selected areas, on a rotating basis, where graffiti and roadside littering are severe.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
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