Brightside Café is family owned and operated in both its restaurant in Tampa and catering service. You’ll be impressed not only with the food and drinks, but the fast service and friendly staff as well! The dishes are designed with you in mind. Devoted to offering healthy eating for all its hungry customers. Fresh-made every day! To satisfy your taste, and fuel your body, everything at Brightside Café is made fresh, so it’s the healthiest and tastiest it can be. They invite you to go and taste the exquisite food from the grill, or ever-changing Chef’s Hot Line, or grab a salad from the huge salad bar! So, what are you waiting for? Check out BrightSide Café today! They look forward to serving you. Visit them at brightsidedowntown.com.
At the Annual Meeting and Luncheon, the Tampa Downtown Partnership inducts new leadership and celebrates the organization’s accomplishments with our members, stakeholders, and the community-at-large. Join us on June 19 as we welcome keynote speaker, Tim Tompkins, President & CEO of the Times Square Alliance.
This event includes a plated lunch and Keynote presentation. Check-In begins at 11am, program will begin promptly at Noon.
Register today!
Thank you to our sponsors:
Platinum
Hillsborough River Realty Corporation / The Jeffries Companies Tampa Bay Times Tampa General Hopsital
Gold
Tim Tompkins has been the President of the Times Square Alliance since 2002. The Alliance is a business improvement district that works to improve and promote Times Square – cultivating the creativity, energy and edge that have made the area an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life for over a century.
He is a board member of the NYC BID Association and the Immediate Past Chair of the International Downtown Association. Prior to joining the Alliance, he was the Founder and Director of Partnerships for Parks, which works to support New York City’s neighborhood parks and which won an Innovations in Government Award from the JFK School of Government at Harvard for its work to restore the Bronx River. He has also worked at New York City’s Economic Development Corporation, The New York City Charter Revision Commission, and was briefly the Nationals Editor at the Mexico City News, an English language newspaper in Mexico. He has an undergraduate degree from Yale and an M.B.A. from Wharton, and currently teaches “Transforming Cities” and “The Arts and Artist in Urban Revitalization” at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. When not in the most urban and unnatural place on the planet, he enjoys being in New York’s natural areas, ideally sailing or practicing yoga.
Tampa Downtown Partnership is looking to fill the position of Public Space Operations Manager.
Position Overview
The Tampa Downtown Partnership is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization. It is a membership organization comprised of companies, organizations, and individuals with a common goal of advancing Downtown Tampa.
Through an annual contract with the City of Tampa, Tampa Downtown Partnership administers the Special Services District. In addition to the Tampa’s Downtown Guides and Clean Team, Tampa Downtown Partnership works to promote Downtown Through marketing, communication, community engagement, beautification, and placemaking.
The public space operations manager ensures the delivery of high-quality service through development and implementation of efficient operational systems by managing staff and financial resources related to beautification, maintenance, litter abatement, and ambassador services in Downtown Tampa. The position supervises facilitation of landscaping and public space maintenance services, as well as supporting the execution of special projects related to public programming. The operations manager reports directly to the Senior Director of Public Programming & Operations.
Responsibilities
Required Skills and Competencies
Preferred Skills and Experience
Required Education and Experience
To apply for the position, please email a cover letter and resume to Shaun Drinkard. Please, no phone calls.
Introducing Tampa’s newest community event–Boom by the Bay! This 4th of July celebration will feature family-friendly activities, live entertainment, and FOUR firework displays along Tampa’s waterfront.
The Independence Day fun will be spread out across the following locations:
-Waterworks Park/Armature Works –Julian B Lane Riverfront Park -The Tampa Convention Center/The Sail –Sparkman Wharf
Get ready for a star-spangled celebration as we spark a new tradition in Tampa!
Stay tuned for more information about Boom by the Bay and use #TampaFourth to share your excitement on social media.
The first hotel in Tampa’s Channel District is nearing an opening, another milestone in the transformation of the former warehouse district between downtown and Port Tampa Bay into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood.
The dual-branded Hampton Inn & Home2 Suites is slated to open in late June, says Punit Shah, CEO of the Liberty Group, the Tampa-based hotel development, and management company behind the project.
The hotel’s Starbucks could open as soon as June 17, Shah says, bringing a new coffee shop option for hotel guests as well as residents and workers in the district.
The 10-story, 215-room hotel on the southeast corner of Meridian Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard has already generated significant interest and future bookings, Shah says.
The Hampton Inn & Home2 Suites is not the only significant addition to the Channel District opening its doors later this year.
The Publix supermarket at the base of the 22-story Channel Club apartments on Meridian Avenue and Madison Street is scheduled to open in August. Publix will join established boutique grocer Duckweed Urban Market, which is adding locations in other Tampa neighborhoods, as a walkable option for downtown dwellers.
The University of South Florida’s 13-story Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute is on track to open by December. In May, construction of the state-of-the-art medical facility shifted to the interior of the building, USF says in a news release. Built in close proximity to the Channel District, the $3 billion Water Street Tampa mixed-use development and USF Health’s main teaching hospital, Tampa General, the new College of Medicine location is projected to have a $56 million annual economic impact, according to USF.
Here are links to learn more about the projects in this story: Liberty Group, Morsani College of Medicine and Water Street Tampa.
“New hotel to open soon in Channel District, downtown Tampa” – 83 Degrees Media
The entire Tampa Bay community is invited to come out and be a part of history as Tampa Bay welcomes the 2019 Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games for the first time. From June 21 through June 30, more than 300 wounded warriors from across military branches will convene here to compete in 14 different sports, including swimming, power-lifting, cycling and golf.
One of the biggest highlights of the Warrior Games are Opening and Closing Ceremonies, taking place at AMALIE Arena and hosted by former host of The Daily Show, and long-time supporter of the Warrior Games, Jon Stewart.
Two of country music’s biggest stars are slated to take the stage during the events to entertain athletes, families and the Tampa Bay community. We welcome these artists to the stage as part of the Ford Concert Series.
Opening Ceremony
The 2019 Warrior Games Opening Ceremony will take place Saturday, June 22 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at AMALIE Arena. In addition to celebrating the start of the DOD Warrior Games, witness the lighting of the official cauldron and introductions of over 300 athletes, representing service teams from the United States and five allied countries. Country music singer and songwriter Hunter Hayes will welcome athletes to Tampa Bay and ignite the night performing his Grammy nominated hits for the crowd.
Closing Ceremony
At the Closing Ceremony – after 10 days of inspirational competition – the community will again come together to applaud and celebrate individual and team performances, including the distribution of the coveted “heart of the team” award. To commemorate the festivities, multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans will entertain crowds with hits from nearly two decades. Closing Ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 30 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 at AMALIE Arena.
Tickets for Opening and Closing Ceremonies are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets or Ticketmaster.com.
Please visit AmalieArena.com for more information about the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, to plan your visit, or to gain more information about directions, parking and dining options.
Learn more about the Warrior Games at DODWarriorGames.com. Interested in sponsorship? See the package options below.
$5,000 Package
$2,500 Package
$1,000 Package
Let’s do better, together, as we update Hillsborough’s Long Range Transportation Plan!
Hillsborough County will grow to more than two million people by 2045. No single transportation solution will solve our traffic woes as we continue to grow. We need more transportation choices and safe mobility for everyone. This is where you come in…
In this survey, we’ll ask where you’d like to see major project investments; bus rapid transit; and what you’d do with the Downtown Interchange. In addition to transit and roadway projects, the 2045 Transportation Plan will include other bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements as well as innovative intelligent transportation system projects.
Please take and share this survey through July 28. Leave your email address at the end of the survey for a chance to win of Rays, Bucs, or Lightning tickets! Prize drawings for ten pairs of tickets will be held at the end of the August 6 MPO Board Meeting.
2045 Transportation Plan survey and more info
Tampa’s tourism revenue continues to break records.
In April, visitors generated nearly $3.3 million in tourist development funding based on hotel stays, a 5.8 percent increase over the same month in 2018, according to Visit Tampa Bay.
Bed tax pays for capital improvements and marketing at venues such as Raymond James Stadium, which recently received approval to use $3 million to market the upcoming Super Bowl; Amalie Arena, sports centers, museums and zoo promotion.
The area’s marketing bureau attributed the success in part to two major events that occurred in April — The NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball tournament, which brought nearly 21,000 basketball fans to downtown for a week in early April. It generated nearly $16 million in economic impact. The second event was the T.D. Jakes Ministries conference, which drew more than 9,000 attendees to the Tampa Convention Center and brought nearly $5.6 million into the county.
“With so much to offer visitors, whether they’re leisure travelers or meeting attendees, Hillsborough County is taking its place as a key player in tourism in Florida and the U.S.,” Visit Tampa Bay CEO and President Santiago Corrada said in a release.
Earlier this month, Hillsborough County commissioners approved levying an additional 1 percent tourist development tax that will increase the county’s tourist development tax from 5 percent to 6 percent.
It is expected to net an additional $6.4 million a year.
The raise is only for areas considered to be high-impact tourism counties; Hillsborough County became Florida’s ninth designated high-impact tourism county after posting $644.2 million in tourism development revenues for calendar year 2017.
“Hillsborough County tourism revenue reaches new record for April” – Tampa Bay Business Journal (subscription required)
The Continuum of Care conducts a thorough count of the homeless population in order to measure the extent of homelessness. The 2019 Annual Point-in-Time Count took place on February 28th; volunteers canvassed the county surveying those experiencing homelessness to better capture their characteristics and experiences. The Continuum of Care encourages you to share this important information about homelessness in Hillsborough County with your friends, family, coworkers, faith community and neighbors!
To see the statistics in more detail, please take a look at the 2019 Point-in-Time Count Fact Sheet and 5 Year Progress Summary.
Publix Super Markets Inc. is about to open a store in downtown Tampa’s Channel district — and it wants to splash its name in another prominent spot in the urban core.
The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority staff has negotiated a station sponsorship agreement with Publix, Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc., which operates the TECO Line Streetcar system, the city and the HART board to allow Publix to sponsor the Streetcar system by naming the station closest to its Channel district store for one year.
Publix is targeting Port of Tampa Bay Station Stop No. 5 at 949 Channelside Drive, across the street from the Ventana condominiums.
The board will vote on the sponsorship deal, valued at $30,000, on June 17. THS and HART will be required to install and maintain the signage.
“The streetcar stop is located two blocks immediately east of our Channel District store, so our sponsorship will make the stop easy to identify for our customers,” Publix spokesman Brian West wrote in an email.
The Lakeland-based grocer is the dominant grocer in Florida and especially its hometown of Tampa Bay, competing primarily with Walmart Inc. for market share. But it is under constant siege for consumers’ food dollars, from new specialty grocers entering the market to restaurants and meal delivery companies. Sponsorship deals, like this one with the streetcar, is another way to constantly promote its name and brand. In 2017, Publix entered into a sponsorship deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and it has longstanding sponsorships of NFL teams across the Southeast.
“To truly brand this stop as a Publix station, we plan to make it stand out among the other stops with a vibrant, clean design, added eye-catching fixtures, and prominent use of Publix green. We will have store indicators and directional messaging throughout the stop, and on the maps at each other HART station,” the HART document reads.
The sponsorship is to help collect donations for funding the existing endowment for operations of the streetcar system.
“With new Channel district store about to open, Publix wants to sponsor a TECO streetcar stop in downtown Tampa” – Tampa Bay Business Journal (subscription required)
Your Downtown Calendar
The following is just a sample of upcoming events in Downtown Tampa. Visit the Downtown Tampa Events Calendar for a more comprehensive list including all the Father’s Day specials!
33rd Annual Meeting and Luncheon
Wednesday, June 19, begins 11am Hilton Tampa Downtown At this event, the Tampa Downtown Partnership inducts new leadership and celebrates the organization’s accomplishments with our members, stakeholders, and the community-at-large. This event includes a plated lunch and keynote presentation. For more information, go to 33rd Annual Meeting and Luncheon.
3rd Thursdays
Thursday, June 20, begins 6pm Grand Central at Kennedy Enjoy some gourmet food truck fun paired with independent short flicks and live music! Pour House and City Dog Cantina provide micro brews and tasty cocktails. Over ten gourmet food trucks will be on site, offering everything from burgers to vegetarian bites and much more. This is a spectacular way to spend a Thursday evening in Downtown Tampa! For more information, go to 3rd Thursdays.
Warrior Games Opening Ceremony feat. Hunter Hayes
Saturday, June 22, begins 7pm Amalie Arena The entire Tampa Bay community is invited to come out and be a part of history as Tampa Bay welcomes the 2019 Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games for the first time. In addition to celebrating the start of the DOD Warrior Games, witness the lighting of the official cauldron and introductions of over 300 athletes, representing service teams from the United States and five allied countries. Country music singer and songwriter Hunter Hayes will welcome athletes to Tampa Bay and ignite the night performing his Grammy nominated hits for the crowd. For more information, go to Warrior Games Opening Ceremony feat. Hunter Hayes.
Taking the Stage at the Straz Center
mad Theatre presents Man of La Mancha – Through Sunday, June 23 Latin Nights – Thursday, June 20, begins 9pm Test Drive A Seat – Saturday, June 22, 10am to 2pm
On the Marquee at Tampa Theatre
Non-Fiction (2019) – Through Thursday, June 20 Pavarotti (2019) – Friday, June 21 to Thursday, June 27 Not Alone (2019) – Saturday, June 22, 2pm to 3:45pm Cool Hand Luke (1967) – Sunday, June 23, begins 3pm
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.
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