Tampa at the Crossroads

With the largest convention in Tampa's history coming to town from July 1 - July 7th, The International Shriners Convention, it provides us with a chance to ask some key questions about our city.

Can we handle thousands of convention guests ? (That broad question has to be asked of roads, parking, hotels, restaurants, and more)

Hillsborough County has the 9th largest school district in the country. Over 5,000 new students each year. Over 1,500 teachers need to be hired in the coming year. Are we ready to make the financial commitment to our citizens, parents, kids, teachers, and facilities ?

There is tremendous development affecting our city, but can we keep home prices where they can be afforded by those that work here ?

The Weekly Planet under the direction of Wayne Garcia held a public forum to discuss the differences between Tampa and St. Petersburg with a positive eye towards the future. The growth of Florida's West Coast assures that the future is bright but are we controlling the growth or is it controlling us ? Keep your eye on the upcoming Weekly Planet as they explore these issues through some excellent reporting and thorough interviews.



Mayor Iorio is placing much of her downtown plans on the Riverwalk Park and the impact it will have on the entire downtown area. With a recent veto of some funds by Governor Bush and an estimated cost of over 40 million, Riverwalk requires careful scrutiny by every Tampa resident.

Hanging in the balance is the life of Kiley Gardens, The Tampa Museum of Art, the Tampa Childrens Museum, Riverwalk, and more of our downtown may be at stake at the public input meeting to be held on Wednesday, June 14th at 6 PM at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

Mayor Iorio describes "downtown as everybody's neighborhood." Please take the time and let the City know what you want that neighborhood to be.

We Cannot Afford This Convention

Conventions are great things. They bring new people to new locations which means new money being spent. Conventioneers are here to have fun. They have saved up funds to be able to spend at the convention. They are tolerant because they know it is a convention and lines and waits are the norm.

Tampa will be the site of one of the largest conventions possible - the International Shriners Convention this Summer that will be highlighted with a huge parade down Bayshore on July 4th. This parade will last for hours and will be a lot of fun. With the International Shriners Headquarters located in Tampa, this convention will be well run and the amount of dollars generated in over a 30 mile radius will be noticeable. How can you have a problem with Shriners - parades and Childrens Hospitals - good things !

But, Tampa has launched a serious bid for the Republican Convention in 2008. I have been to one Republican National Convention and 5 Democratic National Conventions. These are great events that draw the world's media and America's top political decision makers. They are here for the politics. They will spend little time at the usual tourist attractions. Don't look for them at the beach or at Busch Gardens.

At first I supported this bid.

Having followed the discussions, I think Tampa needs to remove itself from consideration for this event.

Why ? This is not a partisan decision, but rather a financial decision and a decision from concern.

Financial because while the City seems unable to find a spare $100,000 to complete a forgotten part of the Tampa Heights Greenway Trail, it is capable at looking at a possible over $100 million cost for the convention.

However, my main opposition is due to our concern about the potential public relations and physical disaster this can cause our City.

While you may have not been born yet when the last Democratic Conveniton was held in Chicago, the riots and images still resonate in the minds of those of us who watched and with planners, so much so that Chicago has not been a serious contender for a political convention for years.

As this President attempts to re-energize his base of supporters and with the highly volatile issues of immigration, the war, same sex marriage, the energy crisis, and more, can Tampa afford the risk of having an emerging downtown in the news headlines filled with rioters and tear gas ? And maybe even worse. It is a gamble that offers all the risks with little rewards.

We need to reconsider this convention.

Express your views on our blog here. Contact the Mayor's office here.