We’re Hiring: Operations Manager

We are looking to fill the position of Operations Manager. The purpose of this position is to ensure the delivery of high-quality beautification, maintenance, litter abatement and ambassador services in Downtown Tampa.  This position also supports the execution of special projects related to public programming. The operations manager achieves high quality service through development and implementation of efficient operational systems and quality assurance mechanisms, and through effective leadership in managing staff and financial resources. The position also supervises facilitation of landscaping and public space maintenance services.   This position reports directly to the Senior Director of Public Programming & Operations. Read the full job description and how to apply here.

We’re Hiring: Events Coordinator

Join our team as an Events Coordinator. The Events Coordinator will be responsible for organizing events and meetings related to membership development, community engagement, and placemaking. The Events Coordinator also works closely with staff on communications that model and promote the mission, vision, and values of the Tampa Downtown Partnership. This position reports directly to the Director of Membership and Programming. This position will coordinate and oversee all aspects of event planning to include, but not limited to, such events as the Annual Downtown Development Forum, Annual Luncheon and Meeting, Debriefing Series, and Member-Exclusive events. Read the full job description and how to apply here.

Office in the Park

Join us as make our way down from our office in Rivergate Tower to the ground floor level in Gaslight Square Park (corner of Madison and Franklin). While we set up shop for a week in the park we invite you to join us to talk about how you feel about Downtown. What do you love, what would you like to see more of, what could use some improvement? We want to hear from you, because at the end of the day we work to make your Downtown experience better. Our staff will have scheduled office hours, so be sure to check when would be the best time to come and discuss your thoughts. Not only will we be working in the park for a full week, but we also invite you all to work with us with free WiFi available. Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at work schedules, discussion topics, and food options as we get closer to the event. Check out the event on Facebook!

New Monday Community Fitness Class

Join us on Monday, April 9^th from 6pm to 7pm as we announce our newest Community Fitness in the park class, VKNG DRIP. VKNG DRIP is a fun high energy circuit class that infuses one of the best cardio movements out there, DANCE. Boost your workout in this dance-based functional and strength training class which combines easy to follow moves and circuit exercise. It’s a total body dance based workout designed to tone your bod from head to toe! As with all our Community Fitness classes, VKNG DRIP is open and free to the public and will run weekly. Hope to see you out there! Check out all of our Community Fitness classes. Class sponsored by VKNG Fitness.

The following is just a sample of upcoming events in Downtown Tampa.  Visit the Downtown Tampa Events Calendar for a more comprehensive list. Going to one of the events? Snap a photo and tag #UrbanInsiderTPA

Rock the Park

Thursday, April 5, 6:30pm to 9pm
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Listen to some great musical talent in a beautiful, relaxing setting. This month’s show features GoldenEra, The Young Something, and Kolby Stancil. With food and drinks on the premises and an always exciting vibe, this free concert is guaranteed not to disappoint. For more information, go to Rock the Park.

Friday Concerts in the Park

Thursday, April 6, begins 7pm
Water Works Park
The return of spring means the return of Tampa’s longest running concert series. Celebrating 31 years of high-quality entertainment, the eight-week series highlights music of different genres to satisfy all tastes in a fun, family-friendly way. Local food trucks and vendors will also be available onsite. For more information, go to Friday Concerts in the Park.

South Of Southern

Saturday, April 7, begins 11am
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Grab a ticket for the first annual South Of Southern! This event will celebrate life in the tropics and shine a spotlight on some of the talented artists of the Bay area. There will be live music all day, plus visual art installations and culinary expressions that were inspired and created right here in Tampa Bay. This event is set to be an exciting display of some of the best things our city has to offer! For more information, go to South Of Southern.

Taking the Stage at the Straz Center

Open Rehearsal – Verdi’s Macbeth – Through Thursday, April 5
Honors Recital – Tuesday, April 3, begins 7pm
Standing at the Water’s Edge with Cristina Mittermeier – Tuesday, April 3, begins 7pm
Happy Hour Concert: Fiesta! – Thursday, April 5, begins 6:30pm
mad Theatre presents Green Day’s American Idiot – Thursday, April 5 to Sunday, April 8

This Week at Amalie Arena

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins – Tuesday, April 3, begins 7:30pm
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Buffalo Sabres – Friday, April 6, begins 7:30pm

On the Marquee at Tampa Theatre

Isle of Dogs (2018) – Through Wednesday, April 11
Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live – Thursday, April 5, begins 7pm
An American Tail – Sunday, April 8, 3pm to 4:30pm

Suffolk Brings Smart Lab Technology to Tampa

Riverfront property in downtown Tampa is coveted ground. So when Related Group acquired the site for its Manor Riverwalk apartments on the west bank of the Hillsborough River, it had to deal with remnants of prior development above — and below — ground. Using archived information of existing structures, they overlaid images onto digital models to ensure there wouldn’t be problems at the jobsite. In this case, it shaved more than a couple of months off the planning process, which stepped up the timeline for leasing and recovering costs. Suffolk brought this technology to Tampa through its Smart Lab in the old Channelside Bay Plaza, just a little more than a block from the new anchor of the $3 billion Water Street Tampa: the University of South Florida’s new 11-story Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute. Construction began on the $152.6 million building last September; it’s slated to open in late 2019. The technology is innovative with multiple screens allowing users to pull up drawing plans on one and an aerial view on another, providing a more synergistic effect and opportunities for collaborative experiences.
“Moving To Downtown Tampa: Smart Lab Brings Innovative View” – 83 Degrees

New Restaurant Opening in Downtown

The ownership group behind Yeoman’s Cask & Lion is opening a new concept in downtown Tampa that caters to time-starved office workers and convention-goers with four main food groups: coffee, hot dogs, ice cream and grab-and-go. City Market Eats will open April 30 at 206 N. Morgan St., on the same block as Yeoman’s. It will feature a hot dog bar with 20-plus toppings — chili and cheese, onions and relish and more. Scoops of Tampa’s Revolution Ice Cream Co. are a key component of the concept, as is a custom coffee blend, 813 Go Joe. About a quarter of the space is dedicated to retail — sundry convenience items and Tampa-branded hats and T-shirts. There are 50 seats in the space, but the emphasis is on speed and convenience.
“Go Inside City Market Eats, Opening Soon In Downtown Tampa (Photos)” – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Tampa Ranks Tops for Entrepreneurs

It’s no Silicon Valley yet, but when it comes to attracting entrepreneurs, Tampa Bay is beginning to look more attractive. Tampa ranked No. 34 on Business.org’s recently released list of top 40 US cities for entrepreneurs. “If you’re an entrepreneur looking to launch your own start-up, you’re no longer limited to Silicon Valley, the Silicon Prairie or any of the other ‘Silicon’ locales established a decade ago,” the rankings said. The cities were graded based on the number of residents aged 25 to 34, the proportion of people in that age group with college and advanced degrees, local unemployment rate and housing affordability. Four Florida cities made the rankings, including Jacksonville at No. 28, Orlando at No. 31 and Miami at No. 39.
“Tampa Makes List Of Top 40 Cities For Entrepreneurs” – Tampa Bay Times

Tampa Bay Wave New Board Chair Sees Growth

Alex Sink said no several times before she said yes to becoming board chair-elect of Tampa Bay WaVE. What finally convinced Sink, Florida’s former chief financial officer and former state president for Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), to take on the board chairmanship was her passion for young companies and entrepreneurs. She is using her reputation and credibility to introduce startup founders to business leaders who can become customers, investors and mentors, providing a link between the old economy and the new economy. Tampa Bay WaVE, a Tampa nonprofit that services and houses growing startup companies, is one of several organizations and programs focused on growing the area’s startup economy. Those groups, including USF Connect, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s innovation hub in downtown Tampa, Tampa Bay Innovation Center in Pinellas County, TiE Tampa Bay and numerous co-working spaces, are essential to building a strong entrepreneurial sector that will bring high-skill, high-wage jobs and innovation to the area.
“Tampa Bay Wave’s New Board Chair-Elect Alex Sink Sees Growing Maturity, Revenue In Participating Companies” – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Connecting Tampa’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

From the latest on humanoid robots, to the medical advances that restored freedom of movement to an amputee, to the transportation technologies that are transforming our world, talent and tech were on display at Synapse’s 2018 Innovation Summit in Downtown Tampa. After two days of talking business and making connections that could help them achieve their ambitions, attendees — most of them local and already doing entrepreneurial projects — were fired up and ready to get back to work. The message going out the door was clear: the Tampa Bay Area is on an upward trajectory and ready to build upon its entrepreneurial ecosystem. With Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater seeing growth in tech firms, the area is no longer just a nice place to retire or a great destination for travel when it’s too cold up North. The growing region is increasingly becoming recognized as a vibrant, growing tech hub that attracts and retains some of the globe’s top talent.
“Synapse Innovation Summit Connects Tampa Bay Entrepreneurial Ecosystem” – 83 Degrees

FDOT Plans New Lanes on SR 60 and I-275

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is looking for firms to design and build strategic lane enhancements on State Road 60 around Memorial Highway and the Westshore area. The department hosted an information session for interested firms this month and is collecting bids for the $3 million project. FDOT wants to extend existing merge lanes in order to eliminate bottlenecks through the busy corridor. Slowdowns at bottlenecks exacerbate congestion, particularly at peak travel times during morning and evening commutes. Firms would have to consider expanding shoulders to accommodate new lanes, according to draft documents, which are subject to change. FDOT is also soliciting proposals for improvements to Interstate 275 near SR 60 both northbound and southbound. Requests for proposals on those improvements would go out at the end of April with letters of interest from engineering firms due by May 21. The department expects to give the go-ahead to a firm by the end of the year.
“FDOT Plans New Lanes To Ease Bottlenecks On SR 60 And I-275 In Tampa” – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Anticipate Delays on Kennedy Blvd. for Road Improvements

Florida’s Department of Transportation (FDOT) is closing the westbound lanes of Kennedy Boulevard between Ashley Drive, on the East side of the Hillsborough River, and Hyde Park Avenue on the West side of the Hillsborough River. The lanes will be closed from Monday, April 2, at 3 a.m. until Friday, April 6, at around noon, weather permitting. FDOT is closing the road for major drainage work, including replacement of pipes. The eastbound lanes of Kennedy Boulevard, which are the lanes that take drivers into downtown, will still be open during the construction project. FDOT also says access to side streets and driveways will be maintained during the closure, and pedestrian access will still be available on the South side of Kennedy Boulevard. There are already electronic message boards blaring the warning, and barricades and signs will be used to assist drivers during the detour. However, FDOT warns that drivers “should anticipate heavier than normal volumes of traffic on all nearby roads during this closure.”
“New Construction Projects Could Cause Traffic Nightmare in Tampa” – ABC Action News

TECO Line Streetcar Overhaul is Good News

Downtown Tampa’s TECO Line Streetcar System overhaul is following the same process as another transit project in St. Petersburg, and that could mean long-overdue good news for Tampa transit. The city of Tampa and HDR, the consultants hired to facilitate the InVision Streetcar process, are making final preparations to send a preferred enhancement plan to the Federal Transit Administration for inclusion on its New Starts project development list, an early step in drawing down federal grant dollars to pay for the project. Federal grants typically cover about half of a project’s cost with local governments or agencies splitting the other half. The streetcar overhaul is a $100 million project. Tampa’s preferred 1.3-mile streetcar route enhancement would connect the existing streetcar route from Ybor through the Channel District and on to the convention center through the downtown core and into the Heights. The project would serve 16,000 jobs and 5,500 residents. But progress on the streetcar has much bigger implications than serving downtown businesses and residents. It’s an opportunity to create a crucial transit connection to a larger regional system.
“TECO Line Streetcar Overhaul Is On Track For Federal Funding” – Tampa Bay Business Journal

TBARTA Strongly Urges Inclusion of BRT

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority is “strongly urging” Jacobs Engineering and the Florida Department of Transportation to include dedicated lanes for bus rapid transit from downtown St. Petersburg to the University of South Florida, the agency told the Tampa Bay Business Journal Wednesday. The regional transit agency doesn’t have authority to implement provisions of the plan, but can serve as a key advisor. Talking points both for and against the plan as it is currently being presented don’t fully represent the challenges facing Tampa Bay regional transit. The BRT route, if implemented, would create a spine to get riders from one general area to another, but once that connection happens, riders would still need to get to their final destinations. The Florida Department of Transportation is also funding an ongoing study of a local BRT corridor along Florida and Tampa Avenues that could carry riders further into the city, away from the highway. There’s also the Tampa Downtown Partnership-funded Downtowner cars that could expand from its current downtown service onto Franklin Street north of the highway as development continues to boom in that area. The group is trying to expand its special assessment geographic boundaries beyond the downtown core, which could fund the expansion.
“TBARTA Has an Opinion On Bus Rapid Transit But Is Still Figuring Out Its Transit Scope” – Tampa Bay Business Journal

USF Offering Summer Camp

USF is offering a summer camp for pre-college kids who are gearing up to be a doctor, scientist or engineer. Part of the program takes place at CAMLS in Downtown Tampa. This academically intensive, residential summer program for students entering grades 11-12 is designed to directly involve students in hands-on inquiry, discovery, creativity and research across a broad array of disciplines that impact the human endeavor. Students will be exposed to basic, clinical and translational research. This program also offers a unique hands-on experience to go behind-the-scenes at the Center for Advanced Medical Learning & Simulation (CAMLS), a virtual patient care and surgery training center. Learn what it is like to train in the same environment as medical school students and engage in the same medical equipment demonstrations and realistic hands-on simulation activities. Students will be immersed in a variety of simulated healthcare training experiences such as a 3-D anatomy analysis, laparoscopic skills, and high-fidelity simulation. Learn more about the camp here.

Trenam’s Managing Shareholder Describes the Firm

Trenam managing shareholder Marie Tomassi offers an overview of the midsize law firm with offices in the Tampa Bay area to the Daily Business Review, powered by Law.com. Trenam Law has about 80 lawyers with offices in both Tampa and St. Petersburg. We think of ourselves as a regional firm because we practice statewide and have a heavy concentration of practice in nine of the surrounding counties. We have cases spanning across Florida — from Jacksonville to the Panhandle and all the way down to Miami and Fort Lauderdale. We advise clients on nearly everything you would expect a commercial law firm might handle. Our commercial litigation practice includes employment law, cybersecurity, appellate law, financial services and eminent domain. Our busy business transaction practice includes corporate representations, mergers and acquisition, tax planning and health care law. Our bankruptcy practice is not as busy right now because the economy is strong, and it is a cyclical practice. We are fortunate to maintain trustee work and creditors’ rights representation that keep the group busy even in a good economy. We also have a large real estate group that handles lending transactions, purchases, sales, zoning and land use. And our private services group focuses on wealth and estate planning, probate litigation, family law and more. Read the full interview here.

Tampa Bay Rays Upgrade Food, Experience

The Tampa Bay Rays may have set their sights on moving to Tampa, but this season the team is doubling down on the good eats available in their current hometown. Locals who visit the new First Base Food Hall will recognize The Avenue’s sliders, King’s Street Food Counter’s pork-filled “mac & cheesus” melt and the crispy firecracker shrimp from St. Pete Beach’s RumFish Grill. Beach Drive is the name of a new stadium concessionaire concept that will feature menu items from local spots Parkshore Grill, 400 Beach and the Hangar. They will join St. Petersburg’s Urban Comfort, which brought its fried chicken and buttery biscuits to the Trop last season. The craft beer lineup now includes St. Petersburg breweries 3 Daughters, Cycle Brewing and St. Pete Brewing Co. Fans will also be able to sip nitro cold brew from the newest outpost of St. Petersburg’s homegrown Kahwa coffee brand in the concourse and play giant beer pong using trash cans instead of Solo cups on the huge, outdoor party deck overlooking downtown.
“Rays Double-Down On St. Pete Food, Drink And Vibe At The Trop” – Tampa Bay Times

 Child Abuse Prevention Month Kickoff Event

Join the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County as they celebrate the kick off of Child Abuse Prevention Month on Tuesday, April 3 from 11am to noon at the Glazer Children’s Museum.  This year’s program will highlight a family recently reunited with their child and recognize the local agencies providing services and support to these families. Light refreshments will be provided. Immediately following the kickoff, the Children’s Board will host its monthly “Free Tuesday” with free admission into Glazer Children’s Museum until 7pm.

Book a Speaker on Traffic Safety

Concerned about traffic safety in your community? VisionZero has speakers ready to come to your organization, club or business. The goal of the #VisionZero movement is to reduce death and injury caused by traffic crashes to zero in Hillsborough County – #VisionZero813. To book a presentation, contact Gena Torres by calling 813-273-3774 ext. 357 or emailing TorresG@plancom.org. Tampa Downtown Partnership’s Director of Transportation and Planning, Karen Kress, is a trained speaker!

SpaceX Ready to Launch from Cape Canaveral

Launch teams are ready to kick off a busy month for the Space Coast with the Monday afternoon liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral with supplies destined for the International Space Station. About 5,800 pounds of cargo and science experiments will vault off the pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 in a Dragon spacecraft during an instantaneous window that opens at 4:30 p.m. The window pushes back to 4:08 p.m. in the event of a delay to Tuesday. The mission, SpaceX’s 14th under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services Contract, marks the second time the agency has flown on a combination of a previously flown booster and Dragon spacecraft. The 156-foot-tall booster first flew on CRS-12 in August 2017, while Dragon flew on CRS-8 in April 2016.
“All Systems ‘Go’ For Spacex Falcon 9 Launch From Cape Canaveral To ISS” – 10 News

$5M Dollar Development Planned in Westshore

In what would be one of Tampa Bay’s biggest developments, a New York company plans a 1.8 million-square-foot project designed to help link downtown Tampa with the city’s booming Westshore area. Midtown Tampa, a potential half-billion dollar project at the southeast corner of 1-275 and North Dale Mabry Highway, would include 240,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space; 750,000 square feet of Class A office space; 400 condos or apartments and a 225-room boutique hotel. A full-color rendering released today by the developer, the Bromley Companies, shows mid-rise buildings situated around a landscaped pedestrian plaza with pond and fountain. At an estimated cost of $400 million to $500 million, Midtown Tampa joins a list of mega projects that are transforming Tampa.
“Developer Plans $500 Million Midtown Tampa Project Near Westshore” – Tampa Bay Times

Newest Mayoral Candidate: Harry Cohen

Tampa City Council member Harry Cohen officially entered the race to replace Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Cohen is running on a four-point platform with broad economic development implications surrounding transportation and transit, infrastructure and community amenities. Cohen filed paperwork to enter the 2019 mayoral election Wednesday morning at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office. One of Cohen’s top goals is attracting local, state and federal engagement – and along with it funding – for comprehensive, multi-modal transportation. Cohen supports the existing regional transit feasibility plan Jacobs Engineering is establishing with Florida Department of Transportation funding, but also wants to ensure public dialogue continues and reasonable accommodations made to support community concerns.
“The Latest Tampa Mayoral Candidate Dishes On Economic Development Strategies” – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Tampa Bay Safety Summit

The Tampa Bay Safety Summit is fast becoming a premier statewide conference on best practices among first responders and inter-government agencies in transportation as well as information sharing and increased communication through networking.  In its 5th straight year, this year’s conference will be held April 4^th at Terminal 2 and Presented by Port Tampa Bay, Tampa International Airport & Ports America. Learn more about the Summit and view the agenda here.

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Monday Morning Memo –Monday Morning Memo is a weekly update of “insider downtown information” regarding developments, transportation, special opportunities and other useful information to help you make the most of downtown. Subscribe to receive this weekly newsletter.