TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The Hillsborough County Commission held a public hearing Wednesday on a move to allow investment in Israeli bonds.
“The Israeli government and the Defense Forces are perpetrating this violence against a country that has almost nothing left,” Hillsborough County resident Harrison Lundy said during the public comment period. “A war-torn, bombed-out community is not what our county should be investing in.”
This comes amid heightened tensions over the war in the Gaza Strip, with police recently arresting dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of South Florida and a county commission meeting earlier this year. Several people spoke out against investing in Israel. .
“It’s almost surreal hearing it out loud,” Randy continued. “But we must remember that it was our own constituents who were tear-gassed and brutalized by police in riot gear earlier this month.”
Few public commenters supported the investment.
“We are holding public hearings just to allow the county to invest in certain countries,” said Humira Absol, a county resident. “So much time and energy could have been spent solving problems in this county.”
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Florida increased its investment in Israel. Commissioner Michael Owen asked the county attorney’s office in December if something similar could be done in Hillsborough County, but county ordinances prevented that. So in February, commissioners passed a draft amendment to change that.
Currently, Polk County is the only county in the Tampa Bay area that allows investment in countries such as Israel.
The amendment would allow the county to invest up to $25 million in Israel. County commissioners made it clear that the county would not automatically invest in or require purchases from Israel, although some said they wanted to do so to support the country.
