Nearly $3 Million in State Funding Lands for Saint Leo, Fueling Nursing, Cybersecurity and a New Town Center

Three state budget projects worth nearly $3 million survived Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto pen in the $117.6 billion budget signed this week, delivering a major hometown investment just minutes from Dade City — money that will expand Saint Leo University's fast-growing nursing and cybersecurity programs and help clear the way for a new walkable town center in the neighboring Town of St. Leo, according to local media reports.

For east Pasco families, the package is more than a line item in a Tallahassee spreadsheet. It funds new career pipelines for local students in two of the most in-demand fields in Florida, and it moves along a mixed-use gathering place with restaurants, trails and gardens that residents across the region will actually be able to use.

Where the money is going

The three appropriations tackle different needs — two on campus and one in the town itself. Here is how the nearly $3 million breaks down:

A bigger nursing pipeline

The largest slice — $1.2 million — targets a shortage that hits close to home. Florida faces a projected shortfall of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035, according to figures cited in local reporting from the Florida Hospital Association. Saint Leo's program has been growing quickly to help meet that demand.

Incoming pre-nursing enrollment jumped from 77 students in Fall 2024 to 124 in Fall 2025, and the university expects that number to top 150 this Fall, reports said. To keep up, the project will reconfigure existing campus space to add three classrooms, a nursing lab and faculty offices, plus simulation equipment and upgraded classroom technology.

Building cyber defenders

The $602,000 cybersecurity award will fund construction of a Security Operations Center and a cyberforensics laboratory, giving students hands-on training in digital defense, network monitoring and forensics. According to local reports, the money will also support recruiting additional faculty for the university's undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity programs.

The investment is aimed squarely at a national talent gap: the university has pointed to a shortage of cybersecurity professionals that could exceed 1 million by 2027. Saint Leo has been recognized as a National Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, per the university's own materials.

The Town Center takes shape

The final piece — $995,000 — is for stormwater infrastructure supporting the proposed St. Leo Town Center, a mixed-use development envisioned as a central gathering place for residents, visitors and the university. Stormwater work is the kind of unglamorous groundwork that has to happen before the fun parts can be built.

And there are plenty of fun parts planned. Beyond a new History Center that officials say is opening this summer, the vision calls for restaurants, retail and market space, walking trails, a pavilion, botanical gardens and shaded public gathering areas, according to local reports.

Who made it happen

The budget requests were sponsored by Dade City Republican Rep. Randy Maggard and Zephyrhills Republican Sen. Danny Burgess. Saint Leo University President Jim Burkee thanked the governor, the two lawmakers and the Legislature, saying the funding would help prepare the next generation of nurses and cybersecurity professionals while strengthening Florida's workforce pipeline, according to statements reported by local outlets.

St. Leo Mayor Mike D'Ambrosio said the state's investment would improve residents' quality of life, support the university's continued growth and strengthen the community for years to come, reports noted.

Why it matters for east Pasco

Founded in 1889 by the Order of Saint Benedict, Saint Leo is the oldest Catholic university in Florida and one of the largest in the Southeast. For families in and around Dade City, the appeal is practical: more local seats in nursing and cybersecurity programs mean more paths to stable, well-paying careers close to home — and a town center just up State Road 52 promises somewhere new to eat, walk and gather.

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