Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1816
By Senator Burgess
23-02646-26 20261816__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing CyberBay as a designated
3 cybersecurity and artificial intelligence innovation
4 region within the Tampa Bay area, acknowledging
5 Florida’s national leadership in cybersecurity
6 readiness and digital defense, and affirming the
7 importance of coordinated public-private partnerships
8 to protect this state’s economic and digital security.
9
10 WHEREAS, Florida is nationally recognized as a leader in
11 cybersecurity preparedness, resilience, and digital defense,
12 committed to strengthening its ability to protect government,
13 industry, and citizens from evolving cyber threats, and
14 WHEREAS, the Tampa Bay region is home to one of the
15 nation’s most significant concentrations of military, defense,
16 intelligence, and security operations, anchored by MacDill Air
17 Force Base, a cornerstone of United States digital and national
18 defense, and
19 WHEREAS, this unique concentration of military assets,
20 government institutions, research universities, and private
21 sector technology companies has established Tampa Bay as a
22 nationally recognized center of excellence for cybersecurity,
23 technology innovation, and digital defense, and
24 WHEREAS, this convergence has given rise to CyberBay, a
25 cybersecurity and artificial intelligence ecosystem centered in
26 the Tampa Bay area and built upon collaboration among the
27 military, government, academia, and the private sector, and
28 WHEREAS, CyberBay represents a coordinated regional
29 initiative to advance cybersecurity readiness, artificial
30 intelligence innovation, workforce development, and the defense
31 of the United States’ digital infrastructure, and
32 WHEREAS, the University of South Florida serves as a
33 central anchor institution within CyberBay, including through
34 the establishment of the Bellini College of Artificial
35 Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, one of the nation’s
36 first colleges dedicated to the integrated study of these
37 disciplines, and
38 WHEREAS, the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence,
39 Cybersecurity and Computing plays a critical role in educating
40 and preparing the next generation of cybersecurity and
41 artificial intelligence professionals through degree programs,
42 applied research, industry partnerships, internships, and
43 experiential learning aligned with national and state workforce
44 needs, and
45 WHEREAS, the University of South Florida has articulated a
46 mission to support cybersecurity readiness across Florida,
47 including the long-term objective of extending cybersecurity
48 services, expertise, and workforce support to municipalities
49 throughout this state, and
50 WHEREAS, CyberBay is further strengthened through strategic
51 collaboration with Cyber Florida, this state’s designated
52 cybersecurity planning and coordination organization, which
53 advances statewide cyber resilience, workforce development,
54 applied research, and public-private partnerships, and
55 WHEREAS, CyberBay serves as a convening platform for
56 collaboration and innovation, including through the CyberBay
57 Conference, which brings together leaders from the technology,
58 academic, government, and military sectors to address emerging
59 cyber threats, workforce challenges, and technological
60 advancements, and
61 WHEREAS, public-private initiatives associated with
62 CyberBay have supported cybersecurity improvements within
63 regional municipalities, including the Cities of Tampa, St.
64 Petersburg, and Clearwater, strengthening cyber readiness at the
65 local level, and
66 WHEREAS, private individuals have played a catalytic role
67 in establishing and advancing the CyberBay ecosystem, including
68 Lauren and Arnie Bellini, who have contributed and pledged more
69 than $55 million to the University of South Florida to support
70 education, research, workforce development, and the completion
71 of a fully integrated cybersecurity and artificial intelligence
72 ecosystem, and
73 WHEREAS, such private investment was made with the stated
74 objective of helping create and sustain up to 70,000 high
75 paying, high-technology jobs in the Tampa Bay region by
76 leveraging Florida’s existing strengths in national defense,
77 cybersecurity, and innovation, and
78 WHEREAS, CyberBay supports Florida’s economic
79 competitiveness by attracting high-value employers, retaining
80 talent within this state, strengthening workforce pipelines, and
81 reinforcing this state’s leadership in cybersecurity, artificial
82 intelligence, and digital defense, and
83 WHEREAS, this state has a compelling interest in protecting
84 its digital infrastructure, securing its economic future, and
85 defending against rapidly evolving cyber threats that affect the
86 government, industry, and citizens alike, NOW, THEREFORE,
87
88 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
89
90 That the Florida Senate recognizes CyberBay as a
91 cybersecurity and artificial intelligence innovation region
92 within the Tampa Bay area.
93 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature acknowledges
94 Florida’s national leadership in cybersecurity preparedness and
95 recognizes CyberBay’s role in advancing statewide cybersecurity
96 readiness and digital defense.
97 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature acknowledges
98 the collaborative roles of the University of South Florida, the
99 Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and
100 Computing, Cyber Florida, municipal partners, and private sector
101 stakeholders in advancing workforce development, technological
102 innovation, and cybersecurity resilience.
103 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature affirms the
104 importance of continued public-private collaboration to
105 strengthen Florida’s cyber readiness, economic resilience, and
106 leadership in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.