HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla.—Reps. Kathy Castor (FL-14), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) and Darren Soto (D-FL-09) introduced H.R.10898, the Locality Pay Adjustment Act—bipartisan legislation to direct the President’s Pay Agent to establish pay localities for the Orlando and Tampa metropolitan areas.

 “The cost of living in the Tampa Bay area has escalated rapidly and is pricing out the civilian federal workforce. From our air traffic controllers and TSA agents at Tampa International Airport to our Social Security Administration employees and the more than 8,000 civilians working in critical missions at MacDill Air Force Base, these individuals make an incredible commitment to service every day,” said Rep. Castor. “Tampa’s current lack of a unique locality pay designation—which determines compensation—fails to acknowledge the high cost of living and is harming the ability to hire and retain talent in the public and private sectors. Congress can help fix this, so I am introducing bipartisan legislation with Reps. Soto and Bilirakis to stand up for our hardworking neighbors and proper compensation.”

“Our civilian federal employees serve our Veterans, support our military, and help protect our nation. Yet an outdated pay designation hurts recruitment and retention at MacDill—including SOCOM and CENTCOM—with real consequences for national security. This legislation will ensure relevant factors, including cost of living, traffic, and commute times, are updated to reflect the true cost of living in our region. We must give our federal agencies the tools to attract and retain the skilled workforce our country depends on,” said Rep. Bilirakis.

“In Florida’s Ninth Congressional District, so many of our constituents form part of the civilian federal workforce—whether it be by working at the Space Coast, Orlando International Airport, the Lake Nona and Kissimmee VAs, and so many other critical places that help keep Central Florida moving forward,” said Rep. Soto. “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan bill with Reps. Bilirakis and Castor to support our federal employees as the cost of living continues to increase in the region.” 

“The Tampa Bay Chamber strongly supports legislation to establish federal locality pay for the Tampa metropolitan area, ensuring compensation better reflects our region’s competitive labor market. From MacDill Air Force Base to our veterans’ healthcare facilities and other federal agencies, these employees play a vital role in our economy, national security, and quality of life,” said Bob Rohrlack, President & CEO of the Tampa Bay Chamber. "Establishing locality pay is an important step toward strengthening workforce competitiveness, attracting and retaining skilled talent, and supporting the long-term success of our region’s federal institutions.” 

“AFGE appreciates the bipartisan bill from Representatives Soto, Castor, and Bilirakis to improve pay for federal employees in Orlando and Tampa. Federal employees all across the country are substantially underpaid relative to their counterparts in the private sector and state and local government,” said Tatishka Thomas, National Vice President of AFGE District 5. 

Currently, federal employees in the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas receive “Rest of U.S.” pay, while federal employees in South Florida and the Melbourne/Space Coast areas receive supplemental locality pay, meant to align public sector pay with private sector pay in their respective regions. In the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas, people serving in federal government positions across the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Social Security Administration offices, airports, and at MacDill Air Force Base and other military installations do not receive locality pay, even as both the cost of living and private sector pay continue to increase.