Annual Meeting brings together city and business leaders to reflect on Downtown’s transformation and the future of Tampa’s urban core
TAMPA, FL (September 9, 2026) – Forty years after community leaders came together around a shared vision for Tampa’s urban core, the Tampa Downtown Partnership will mark its 40th anniversary by looking ahead to what comes next for Downtown.
The Partnership will host its 40th Annual Meeting & Luncheon today, Wednesday, September 9, at JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, bringing together business. civic and community leaders who are helping shape Downtown’s future.
The milestone comes at a pivotal moment for Tampa. A recent LendingTree study ranked the Tampa metropolitan area No. 5 among the nation’s largest “boomtowns” and No. 2 nationally for work and earnings, reflecting continued growth in population, employment and economic activity.
For the Partnership, the anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on four decades of service to Downtown while examining how the organization’s role, and Downtown itself, must continue to evolve.
The Annual Meeting will highlight 40 years of service, impact and growth, including the Partnership’s work across Downtown’s seven neighborhoods through clean and safe services, mobility, public space activation, programming, planning and advocacy.
The Partnership will also look toward the next chapter of Downtown, including continued work on the North End Vision, Franklin Street, mobility and new initiatives to increase connectivity across Downtown’s neighborhoods.
“Downtown’s growth is visible and our responsibility is to ensure its impact is felt at street level, in active storefronts, thriving small businesses and welcoming places where people want to spend time,” said Kenyetta Hairston-Bridges, President & CEO of Tampa Downtown Partnership. “As we look to the next chapter, our focus is on connecting people, places and partnerships to create a Downtown that is more vibrant, welcoming and distinctly Tampa.”
This year’s Annual Meeting also comes at a significant moment for Tampa’s civic leadership.
Mayor Jane Castor will attend what will be her final Tampa Downtown Partnership Annual Meeting while serving as mayor. Castor will be available for media interviews during the event to reflect on her tenure, Downtown’s transformation and the future of Tampa’s urban core.
The Partnership will also announce its 2026-27 Board of Directors and officer slate, including incoming Board Chair Robert G. Stern.
Stern, a shareholder with Trenam and a leader in the firm’s Real Estate and Lending Transactions Practice Group, brings decades of experience in commercial real estate and financing. His practice represents developers, lenders, investors and retailers, providing a perspective particularly relevant as Downtown navigates continued development, investment and changing market conditions.
“At a defining moment for Tampa’s Downtown, leadership matters,” said Hairston-Bridges. “The decisions we make, investments we advance and partnerships we build today will shape Downtown for decades to come.”
Media assets: Archival and contemporary photography showing Tampa’s Downtown transformation over the past 40 years is available here.
About the Tampa Downtown Partnership
Tampa Downtown Partnership is the leader in fostering a vibrant, diverse, 24-hour Downtown in which to live, work, play, and learn.
Tampa Downtown Partnership is a private, membership-based not-for-profit 501(c)(6) comprised of companies, organizations, and individuals with a common goal of championing the vitality and growth of Downtown through convening stakeholders, embracing innovation, and fostering thriving Downtown neighborhoods. Through an annual contract with the City of Tampa, Tampa Downtown Partnership administers services to the Special Services District. In addition to Tampa’s Downtown Ambassadors and Clean Team, Tampa Downtown Partnership serves Downtown through marketing, the micro-transit program DASH, business development, advocacy, placemaking & public space activation, beautification, urban planning, and mobility.
