When the national and international media arrive for the GOP Convention, the non-candidate talk will be about security and Tampa putting its best marketing foot forward. Hence, the sprucing up of Bayshore, doing something about that eyesore boat ramp, artistically illuminating downtown bridges, touting the implications of USF’s CAMLS project, highlighting historic Ybor City and showcasing the Riverwalk, three museums and Curtis Hixon Park.
But it hardly hurts for visitors to note that downtown’s skyline also includes construction cranes. So, although unfinished, the Interstate 4/Selmon Expressway Connector, the Riverwalk, the Water Works/”Ciao’s” project, the federal courthouse-to-luxury hotel conversion, the Encore housing development and another University of Tampa residence hall going up along Kennedy Boulevard underscore progress in a city that has been pushing past the Great Recession. Also look for the Floridan Hotel to attract its share of media attention via back stories and photo ops.