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Tampa's Byrd Institute Seeks $2 Million 'Survival Funding'

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI

cdolinski@tampatrib.com

Published: March 10, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - The Byrd Institute in Tampa is lobbying state leaders for "survival" funding to keep its lights on and research efforts going.

Last spring, state lawmakers eliminated a $13.5 million earmark for the Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute amid controversy over the center's governance and spending decisions. Before a budget-cutting session in fall 2007, the center was receiving $15 million a year.

Since last spring, the center merged with the University of South Florida, with USF Medical School Dean Stephen Klasko doubling as chief executive officer of the Byrd Institute. Byrd and USF officials are asking lawmakers this session to codify their merger in state statute.

That's not expected to brook much opposition, but the Byrd Institute's request for renewed state funding, as much as $8 million, may be a tough sell as lawmakers bear the weight of unprecedented budget pressure.

Stripped of its state appropriation, the Byrd Institute has survived this fiscal year on its own roughly $16 million in savings, of which about $7 million is expected to remain by year's end. In a meeting Monday, USF and Byrd lobbyists told House Speaker Larry Cretul that the center needs nearly $2 million next year to maintain its building and operation.

"This is a survival package," said Klasko, who was not in the meeting but visited the Capitol on Monday with USF President Judy Genshaft. "We can't continue to operate with no funding."

To maintain its research staff and preserve its prestigious federal designation as an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, the Byrd Institute will need more.

The National Institute on Aging awarded Alzheimer's Disease Research Center designationand a $7.3 million grant to a statewide research consortium led by the Byrd Institute in 2005. Organizations with the research designation must reapply every five years, and there are no guarantees of renewal.

Klasko said USF and the Byrd Institute will have to apply for the Alzheimer's research designation renewal this spring. If it cannot show a solid financial commitment from the state, he said, that federal support will be all but impossible to win again.

Lack of stable revenue also makes it hard for the Byrd Institute to recruit researchers, said John "Mac" Stipanovich, lobbyist for the University Medical Association. "People want to see some sort of commitment from the state."

Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz, who oversees health care appropriations in the House, said funding for the Byrd Institute is a priority - although how much, and from what source, remains uncertain.

"We're going to work very hard to make sure the Byrd Center keeps its doors open," he said. "We certainly don't want to lose that investment we've made."

Ambler said Tampa Bay-area lawmakers may tweak the USF-Byrd merger as they look for ways to stabilize the funding.

Cretul, who made no commitments, stressed the budget uncertainty looming at the Capitol. Lawmakers are expecting state analysts on Friday to confirm a budget shortfall upward of $6 billion or more for the current year and coming fiscal year.

"We're all holding our breath," Cretul said.

Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at (850) 222-8382.

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