HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Tampa city leaders are set to vote on increasing funding for the Hillsborough County NAACP. The money would go to a program that helps small and minority-owned businesses.
If the council votes yes, the funding would increase from $7,000 to $100,000.
Ocea Wynn, the City Administrator of Neighborhood and Community Affairs, said that is much needed.
“It is a benefit for small businesses, specifically those minority multicultural businesses,” Wynn said.
She said the increase in funding is needed because Tampa is growing, and it's a desirable place for people to open a business.
The $100,000 would allow the program to expand. Through its empowerment center, the NAACP would provide employment training sessions and business assistance programs.
Wynn said this would set small businesses up for success and, in turn, boost our local economy.
“This allows businesses to be prepared to upscale and uplevel their business,” she said.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
