Virtually lost amid the pageantry and publicity of the grand opening of the new Dali Museum in St. Petersburg was the groundbreaking of something pretty grand on the same day in Tampa.
No, it won’t compete with the fame and surreal draw that is Dali, but downtown Tampa’s CAMLS project will win its share of national and international acclaim. The 90,000-square-foot Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation means instant global status for cutting-edge robotic surgical training. The USF facility is across from the Tampa Convention Center on ground previously occupied by an after-hours club that had become a world-class embarrassment.
Talk about win-win. This time next year CAMLS should be open for business–and for inspection next summer by the national media and corporate types in town for the GOP National Convention.
It’s expected that CAMLS will attract physicians from around the world. It will also be a magnet for medical equipment manufacturers that will set up training and R&D offices. Could also help lure more prestigious medical conferences. And visitors will need a place to stay.
No, it’s not surreal. But it’s a real synergistic coup for downtown Tampa.