Relief may finally be coming for drivers frustrated by Tampa’s rough roads. The city is budgeting millions of dollars to fix them; something many say is long overdue. One of those people is Jace Des, who lives near New Tampa Boulevard and drives the road daily. “It’s horrible,” Des said. “There’s some ones I have to literally go around in another lane so I don’t hit potholes.” At a budget workshop on Monday, Tampa city leaders discussed how to fund road repairs. The mayor’s proposed budget includes $10.5 million for paving projects. City Council members pushed to add another $5 million in leftover funds from 2024. Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak expressed concern about delays in spending money that’s already been allocated. “What people really want to know—they’ve seen some paving—but the fact is that we still have money left over,” she said during the workshop. In fact, about $4.5 million from the current 2025 budget will roll over into next year because the city hasn’t spent it yet. “What can we do to ensure all $20 million gets spent this year so we don’t have any overage?” Hurtak asked city officials. The city’s transportation department says it’s working to speed up project design and bring in outside contractors, but offered no guarantees. “I don’t know that I can guarantee every bit of that will be spent by the end of this fiscal year,” said Brandon Campbell with Tampa’s Mobility Department. To improve accountability, Councilwoman Hurtak plans to introduce a motion at Thursday’s council meeting that would require city officials to provide quarterly updates on paving progress, budget status, and timelines “There’s a lot of ways tax dollars can be used,” said Des. “Obviously roads in disrepair is one that you say, ‘Great, it’s about time.’” The next budget workshops are scheduled for Monday and will focus on stormwater projects. The city’s full budget is expected to go to a final vote next month.