It was a good week for Tampa.
First the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development notified the city that it would be getting $38 million in stimulus money – most of it for the Encore project. Encore is a potentially catalytic, public-private venture that will redevelop the former Central Park Village, 28 acres between downtown and Ybor City.
Then word spread that President Obama and Vice President Biden would be holding a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa this week. That, of course, generated a major morale buzz about the prospect of Florida getting serious dollars for a high-speed rail line from Orlando to Tampa.
Last Saturday, it was Tampa’s ever-burgeoning, increasingly popular Children’s Gasparilla Parade. An estimated 200,000 were in attendance. The following day: the official debut of the much-anticipated Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown.
Signature Success
For those of us all too familiar with the street party from hell that the adult version of Gasparilla has been devolving into, the Children’s Parade is a welcome reminder of what we have that is uniquely Tampa. It is a special, signature fun time.
No longer is the Children’s Parade a token gathering of parents and kids. Now it is a really big deal with some 100 floats and more than 50 participating krewes. Plus marching bands and dance squads. It even comes with its own air show and fireworks extravaganza.
But most importantly, it comes with spectators on hand for all the right reasons. It is family oriented – black, white, brown; African-American, Anglo, Hispanic. It is vintage Tampa. Chi-chi corporate tents don’t crowd out the hoi polloi. Kids on the shoulders of dads. Little ones in strollers and tykes – not tankards – in wagons. “Wet Zones” feature lemonade. Port-o-let queues are orderly and, well, sober.
This is not the Bud Blight crowd. Beads are bestowed without breasts being bared. There is no need for St. John’s to open its “Safe House.” It’s a parade without arrests – and a celebration of Tampa and its families. It’s not an invasion of punks and drunks.
This Saturday, of course, will be the adult version. But it’s also the debut of “zero tolerance” for those who can’t abide by civilizational norms. “Responsibility is the Key” is the official theme. We’re hopeful; a lot of commendable pre-planning has occurred. There’s ample precedent that a mega signature event need not be a rite of pissage. We were just reminded that those arriving for a huge family-friendly parade know how to enjoy themselves without quality-of-life tradeoffs.
Tampa’s Got “There”
For the longest time, OK forever, Tampa hasn’t had a bona fide, designated gathering spot. To celebrate. To rally. To vent. To enjoy. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, there was no “there there” in Tampa. Downtown was public square-challenged.
Now there’s Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. It’s more than a postcard pretty, $43-million, scenic landmark.
It’s eight acres of greenery and interactive fountains and features a playground, a dog run, restrooms, a concert stage, art displays, a boat dock – and a construction trailer where a new restaurant will be built. It’s the gateway to and frontage for two art museums, and it has revamped and revitalized a sizable chunk of the Riverwalk.
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio seemed more than perky and positive, as is her unflappable wont, at the ribbon-cutting. She was emotional and viscerally proud.
“It taught me the importance of perseverance,” she said. “Progress only happens incrementally. You have to give a vision time.
“In the worst of times, we have built the best of assets,” she added. “This city never folds. Our mindset is growth and investment. …This is a beautiful day for our city.”
Iorio reminded the diverse crowd, which included families, public officials, civic activists and even former Mayor Bill Poe, that “This belongs to you. Downtown is everybody’s neighborhood. As we improve the city of Tampa, we improve it for everybody. This is a drawing card for the entire region.”
The regional theme was well underscored by all the speakers. From New Tampa to South Tampa, from SkyPoint to Seminole Heights: Curtis Hixon would be everybody’s public square, everybody’s front lawn. The inclusiveness was palpable, even with a notable — and understandable — exception.
“You can throw a football, kick a soccer ball!” proclaimed Iorio. “But, no, you can’t skateboard. No.”
Good.
And by the way, have you noticed the Poe Garage lately? The configuring of the contemporary museum tandem actually complements it. Artfully done.