Priority of Hillsborough County Commission Candidate Dr. Jim Davison: the County Budget

Dr. Jim Davison 

The Eye interviewed Republican Dr. Jim Davison who is running for the Hillsborough County Commission District 6 seat. District 6 is a countywide open race being vacated by Democrat Pat Kemp who is term limited this year.

Dr. Davison, an ER doctor, explains to the Eye why he is running and that his focus will be on the County budget. Hillsborough County's budget has ballooned to over $10 BILLION - double digit Billions for the first time - for FY25.

Dr. Davison, who filed to run last June, is a tireless champion for county taxpayers. He is well known by the Republican base. 

Passing a County budget and providing proper Oversight of that budget are primary responsibilities of county commissioners. 

Dr. Davison's knowledge and understanding of the Hillsborough County budget is unsurpassed. He is the only candidate in his race ready on day one to start driving needed county budgeting and spending reform. 

Dr. Davison stated last year after he filed to run, that Hillsborough County spending has skyrocketed, the size of the County bureaucracy has skyrocketed, County fees keep rising and property owners have gotten no tax relief.  

Dr. Davison also pointed out last year that spending by the County Administrator departments - the Bureaucracy - increased 61% from FY20 thru FY23. That is a whopping annual spending growth rate of 17.2% per year, which is way over population growth plus inflation.

Hillsborough County has a spending problem not a revenue problem. Dr. Davison's focus is to change that spending trajectory so ALL taxpayers can receive tax relief not higher tax burdens and rising county fees.

Dr. Davison is an outsider, like Donald Trump and JD Vance, who can effectuate real change. He is not beholden to those who prefer and benefit from the County's status quo upward spending spiral.

Dr. Davison's Republican opponent, Chris Boles, is a Hillsborough County firefighter and Treasurer of the Hillsborough County firefighter's union. 

We respect all firefighters. But the fact is Boles is a long time insider, like Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell, who has been on the receiving end of your County tax dollars for almost 30 years. 

The firefighter's union always ask for more tax dollars. That is why the firefighter's union is very political. They use their regiment of taxpayer funded County employees to campaign for their selected candidates.

Boles has been in leadership with the firefighter's union's since 2011. In 2015, we reported about the firefighter union's scandal related to firefighter's taking leaves to campaign costing the taxpayers burdensome overtime costs. 

Channel 10's Investigative Reporter Mike Deeson recently reported about fire rescue workers campaigning for politicians on the taxpayer dime:

While a six-page county policy says "no county employee shall take any active part in political activity while on duty," it's happening. 

And the firefighters not only spending your money to campaign, but also they're all backing candidates they believe will be generous on new contracts. 

And to cover these firefighters' shifts while they're campaigning, the fire department brings in another firefighter who then is paid time and half leading to the big overtime issue.

In 2022 Florida Politics reported the Hillsborough County firefighter's union endorsed Democrat Harry Cohen for county commission. Boles, now running in a 2024 Republican Primary, made the endorsement announcement for Democrat Harry Cohen:

“The men and women of Hillsborough County Firefighters serve as the guardians and caretakers of our community. We are public servants and believe our community needs individuals who think of others before themselves and who also inspire others to give of themselves. We see this in Commissioner Cohen and encourage the citizens of Hillsborough County to join us in supporting his campaign and successful election to another term,” said the union’s treasurer Chris Boles in a statement.

The Hillsborough County firefighter's union donated to Democrat Cohen in 2020 and 2022. Cohen barely won those races against Republican Scott Levinson. 

Democrat Cohen likes to spend, raise taxes and has bad judgment, none of which should be "inspiring" to the residents or taxpayers of Hillsborough County:

• In 2017, Harry Cohen introduced the concept of tearing down I-275 north of Tampa to the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization. 
• In 2019 Cohen clearly stated "I oppose widening 275".
• In 2018 and 2022, Harry Cohen, a lawyer, supported the illegal All for Transportation transit tax boondoggles. He helped create the $700M 2018 AFT refund mess. 
• In 2020 Cohen, who supports road diets, said “We must reduce congestion by getting single occupancy vehicles off the road."

Opposing the widening of I-275 and considering tearing down 10 miles of I-275 is ludicrous. That would cause gridlock in the Tampa Bay region. Still Boles and the firefighter's union endorsed Democrat Cohen.

The Hillsborough County firefighter's union also endorsed the illegal and egregious $23B All for Transportation (AFT) transit tax in 2022. Ironically, the AFT transit tax would have made traffic congestion much worse. 

The 2022 AFT tax was allowed to remain on the ballot after being thrown out as illegal by a Circuit Court while the County used your tax dollar to appeal it. Thankfully, voters, with good judgment, defeated the AFT tax hike at the ballot box.

Dr. Davison exercised good judgment on this issue and publicly opposed the illegal AFT transit tax. He not only fought to defeat it but offered a viable alternative transportation funding solution that did not require a sales tax hike. 

Public safety is the #1 priority of local governance and all first responders must be properly funded. But the funding must be appropriated responsibly and transparently within the County's budget. 

As reported here, the latest firefighter union's contract approved by the County in September 2022 included a 29% salary increase. This huge contract was passed by the county commission in September 2022 thru its Consent Agenda. There is no total cost of the contract over its three year term included in the brief Consent Agenda item description. 

The Consent Agenda allows commissioners to approve a laundry list of items without discussion and little transparency. Consent Agendas are supposed to be used for "routine" items not approving major county contracts.

Coincidentally, the firefighter's union contracts are approved by the County during election years. Their latest contract is up in September 2024 at the same time a leader within the firefighter's union is running for county commission. 

And there will be one or perhaps even two firefighter's union contracts that will come up for renewal in the next four years.

Republican voters have a choice in the August Primary election:

• Do you want to keep the County's spiraling spending status quo or do you want a change? 
• Do you want tax hikes or prefer some tax relief with a properly prioritized budget? 
• Do you want the County bureaucracy to be challenged or rubber stamped? 
• Do you want the County bureaucracy to keep growing exponentially or do you prefer action to begin reducing that trajectory?
• Do you want major County contracts to be approved through a transparent process that provides opportunity for public input or be rubber stamped thru the Consent Agenda?  
• Do you think an outsider or a long time taxpayer funded insider can effectuate real change? 

Dr. Davison believes now is the time for real change to how the county budget is created and managed. He believes County growth must be addressed now or County spending will continue rising faster than population growth and inflation.  

Dr. Davison's goal is for Hillsborough County to be good stewards of your tax dollars.

Go here to learn more and/or donate to Dr. Davison's campaign.