City Of Tampa Mayor Weekly News - March 6, 2023

From: City Of Tampa
March 7, 2023

Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa City Council members, and City staff joined the groundbreaking of Gas Worx, located between the Ybor Historic District and Channel District. This new development will have nearly 5,000 residences, more than 500,000 square feet of office space, and more than 140,000 square feet of retail. 

Get Involved

Keep It Clean, Tampa!

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful is hosting a series of cleanups to keep our city shining. There will also be a Canopy & Fruit Tree Giveaway on March 15 from 8 am – 11 am at Sulphur Springs Park. Registration will be launched soon. Learn more and register here.  

St. Patrick’s Day Festivities 

The Rough Riders will host their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ybor City on March 11 at 7 pm. River O’ Green Fest also returns on March 18 from 11 am – 5 pm at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. This annual, free event celebrates the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, as the Hillsborough River is transformed into a bright shade of green. Celebrate with live Irish entertainment, food and beverage vendors, beer, and family-friendly activities. Admission is free and the entire family is welcome, including four-legged members.

Senior Day in the Park

Join the Parks & Recreation Department on March 10 from 9:30 am to 1 pm for Senior Day in the Park at MacFarlane Park. There will be a 1-mile walk, games, entertainment, free food, vendors, and raffles. For more information, call 813-348-1180. 

Apprenticeship Accelerator 

Want to train to retain talent within the construction industry? Join us on March 16 at 2 pm at the Seminole Heights Garden Center for an exciting introduction to Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) as a model to strengthen your workforce pipeline. Attendees will also hear from employers who have integrated this model into their workforce training and learn how to retain a highly productive workforce while offering career seekers affordable paths to high-paying jobs. 

Coffee with Castor

Tampa residents are invited to join Mayor Jane Castor for coffee and some conversation around ideas on how to continue improving the quality of life in our city. The event will take place on March 22 at 9 am at the Westin Tampa Waterside (725 S Harbour Island Blvd). 

Mark Your Calendar: Bridges to Business Subcontractor Outreach and Networking Event

The Bridges to Business Subcontractor Outreach & Networking Event is a biannual event geared toward providing a networking space for firms to connect with the City's Contract Administration Department, Purchasing Department, and Equal Business Opportunity staff in addition to partner agencies, sureties, insurance providers, and dozens of prime contractors for City of Tampa construction projects. Connect with partner agencies, sureties, and insurance providers along with dozens of prime contractors for City of Tampa construction projects during this event on May 4 from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Tampa Convention Center. All construction subcontractors are urged to attend. Minority, women-owned, or small businesses interested in becoming certified with the City of Tampa are also encouraged to attend. Firms interested in hosting a table at the event are asked to contact Jim Greiner at Jim.Greiner@tampagov.net for availability. 

Job of the Week 

The Mobility team is hiring a Right of Way Permitting Engineer Supervisor to supervise and participate in a variety of engineering assignments of more than average difficulty while supervising engineers and technicians. This position will function as a civil, traffic, and right-of way engineer, serving as the subject matter expert for ROW use requirements, permit requirements, and construction standards.

Last Week's Headlines

Tampa launches a voucher program as an incentive to purchase e-Bikes
WUSF Public Media
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the program is also aimed at easing congestion along the city's roads.

Tampa Bay is one of the top five areas for relocation, report finds
Tampa Bay Business Journal
According to the report, the affordability crisis has led a record number of people to relocate. 

Nashville to Tampa: Hey, nice Riverwalk you got there. How’d you do it?
Tampa Bay Times
A waterfront formerly shrouded by buildings now sees more than 100,000 runners, walkers, bikers and partiers a month.

Tampa Soulwalk celebrates Black contributions to city's history and culture
83 Degrees
To celebrate Black History Month, Tampa officials unveiled Soulwalk during a February 22nd event at Perry Harvey Sr. Park. 

WATCH: Retired Tampa police officer gets emotional in final radio call
WFLA NewsChannel 8
“I appreciate my time here for the last 20 years,” Portman said, “and I appreciate all my brothers and sisters that had my back.” 

Report: Tech salaries in Tampa Bay have risen faster than in Silicon Valley
Tampa Bay Inno
Tampa, in contrast, had an average of $120,900 salary — but had the second-highest increase for tech jobs, with a 19% bump year-over-year.

City of Tampa faces lifeguard shortage
FOX13
Taking a dive into a local parks and recreation center's pool may look a little different if more lifeguards aren't hired.

Employee Spotlight

Meet Lisa Bryant, Parks & Recreation Site Supervisor II in the Parks & Recreation Department. She has worked for the City of Tampa for almost 11 years and enjoys that her position is hands-on and can see seniors & summer camp kids having a great time smiling and laughing. As a supervisor, she truly enjoys mentoring staff in reaching their professional ambitions. 

What do you like to do in your free time? I love traveling and being active with my husband Chris and my son Nicholas. Tennis, Pickleball, Running, Skiing and anything at the beach. I’m a volunteer board member with the Gasparilla Distance Classic Organization and Tribe Seminole Heights. 

What is your favorite meal to cook and why? Sunday Gravy. My Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs & Italian Sausage because that means my Bucs are playing an away game and my family & friends are coming over. 

What are you binging on Netflix right now? Wednesday

What's the best piece of advice you have ever been given? To always do the right thing even when no one is watching.

Coming Up This Week

Monday, July 12 @ 8:45 a.m.
Monday, March 6 at 9 a.m. 
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority Board Meeting

Monday, March 6 at 10 a.m.
Groundbreaking - Gas Worx

Wednesday, March 8 – Saturday, March 11
ITB Berlin, Germany Tourism & Lgbtq Global Business Summit – Visit Tampa Bay 

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