FloridaFuture
February 4th, 2007, 06:07 PM
Tampa Growing Up, Away From Its Powerful Roots
Published: Feb 4, 2007
TAMPA - This is where modern civilization began in West Central Florida.
A military fort, built in the early 1800s, established the area's first permanent settlement in what is now downtown Tampa.
Today, Tampa is the state's third-largest city and its location on the Interstate 4 corridor positions it as a political power center.
But the political entity that is Tampa is shrinking.
It accounts for only 12 percent of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area population. Its 19 percent population gain since 1970 pales compared with the 299 percent gain in unincorporated Hillsborough County.
City voters go to the polls soon to choose a half-dozen council members and a mayor whose job will include hanging on to diminishing political clout. Even the institutional advantages are being challenged.
The city is run by a mayor whose bully pulpit stands taller than anyone else around, certainly taller than the seven fiefdoms of the Hillsborough County Commission. But county voters will decide in 2008 whether to create their own mayor, too.
With increasing frequency, the city finds that it needs the county's approval, whether for convention center roof repairs, the formation of a mass transit spending plan or the redevelopment of a public housing complex.
Tampa is a diverse city with a heavily Democratic voting base. Surrounded by a sea of Republican voters, the city faces real challenges to its political power.
"Tampa still views itself as the center of everything," former Mayor Sandy Freedman said. "But it's not the center of the universe anymore, and that's hard for people to accept."
Power Shift?
In 1970, the population in unincorporated Hillsborough County was just under 200,000, while the city's was just under 300,000.
Now, the county's population has swelled to about 800,000 in the unincorporated areas, according to the Hillsborough Planning Commission. The city's population has been relatively stagnant at about 333,000.
The county runs the area's social services, including the library system and veterans affairs. County officials point to this as proof that the county is the dominant government entity.
Ask county commission Chairman Jim Norman to define the political significance of the city, and he replies, deadpan: "They are our county seat."
He continues, "Gas taxes, impact fees, everything has to go through the county. Nothing goes on the ballot without us. I don't even think it's a race."
Yet the mayor of Tampa remains the dominant political figure in the region. Tampa's supporters argue that the city will always represent the region's political and commercial pulse.
"The mayor of Tampa should be a dominant player in state politics, national politics and especially be the dominant figure in the I-4 corridor and shape how it develops," former city Councilman Bob Buckhorn said.
Helping to solidify its political power is the city's government structure.
The mayor runs the city, and a seven-member council serves as the legislative branch. By comparison, the county is run by an administrator who answers to seven commissioners who share power equally.
"The county budget is bigger, they run social services, libraries, they are an emerging force to deal with," Buckhorn said. "What they don't have is an identity. What they have is a multiheaded hydra and none of them get along with the other."
Now, a movement is afoot to push voters to create a county mayor position in November 2008. If approved, the county mayor would have considerable influence over the region and concentrate county power in a single leader.
If created, the county mayor might eclipse the Tampa mayor as the area's most powerful politician, certainly in the size of the constituency if not in name.
None of that matters much to Dolores Smith, who moved from south Tampa to Morris Bridge Road a decade ago. Even though her mailing address was Thonotosassa, Smith always considered herself a Tampa resident.
"It isn't that far to go into town," she said. "You take the Crosstown. It doesn't take that long."
Last month, the city annexed 379 acres just south of the Pasco County line, including Smith's property, returning her to Tampa's fold.
Others - from Lakeland, from Bradenton, from St. Petersburg - choose Tampa as a place to work. Mayor Pam Iorio uses that as evidence of Tampa's position as the region's commercial center.
The city's population is about 333,000 at night but swells to 447,500 during the day. That 35 percent difference is the third-largest daytime-to-nighttime population difference in the nation, behind Washington and Atlanta.
"Your city will always be your heart of everything," former Mayor Dick Greco said. "All you need to do is sit here in the morning and watch the interstate. They're pouring in."
Politics South To North
Internally, Tampa's political landscape remains unchanged.
The city's 179 square miles are home to long-established south Tampa families and fresh residents in New Tampa. The city is where Cubans and Italians settled decades ago and where a new wave of young immigrants from Latin America is moving in.
The city has pockets of affluence and pockets of poverty.
"Tampa's not a rich city; Tampa's not a poor city," said former U.S. Rep. Sam Gibbons, who represented the area for more than 40 years. "You find the niche you like to live in, and it's a good place to live."
South Tampa, with its mansions on Bayshore Boulevard, its bungalows in Palma Ceia and its new condos on Howard Avenue, has long been the base of political power in the city. Families there are well-established, with roots stretching back generations.
Residents there make their voices heard politically. Turnout in south Tampa precincts hovered in the 30 percent and 40 percent range during the last municipal election.
"One of the things that struck me is if you can't win south Tampa, you can't win," said Frank Sanchez, who lost to Iorio in the 2003 mayoral election. "They go out to vote at higher rates than the rest of the city. They seem to be more engaged in civic activities. You need to win south Tampa and do strongly in other parts of the city."
Precincts in Seminole Heights and Forest Hills also tend to show up on Election Day. West Tampa - where politics are always the topic of the day at Cuban breakfast joints - is important, too.
"West Tampa votes," said Jan Platt, a former county commissioner and city councilwoman. "In city elections, getting the support of West Tampa is critical."
New Tampa, though, hasn't shown much of an appetite for city elections. About 21 percent of New Tampa's residents voted in the 2003 election. Citywide, turnout was about 33 percent.
"Because of the transient nature in New Tampa, you can't build a power base, which is completely opposite of south Tampa, where people have roots," Platt said.
Only as New Tampa residents further settle into town will they feel more connected politically and turn out on Election Day. Considering the rapid growth there, when that happens, New Tampa voters will be more of a factor in city elections.
A Diverse Electorate
Tampa is a sea of liberal voters surrounded by a fairly conservative county in a swing state where presidential winners succeed by razor-thin margins.
In the 2004 presidential election, Tampa chose John Kerry. But in Hillsborough County as a whole, George W. Bush won.
Municipal elections are nonpartisan affairs. Still, the city voters' preference for Democrats is apparent on the city council. Five of the seven members elected to the council in 2003 are Democrats.
The three most recent mayors are Democrats: Iorio, Greco and Freedman, although Greco's pro-business philosophy is more aligned with Republican causes.
Nearly half of Tampa's 179,000 registered voters are Democrats, and 28 percent are Republicans.
Black and Hispanic residents combined make up more than 30 percent of registered voters. Expect Hispanics to become more active politically in the next several years, said Gil Sanchez, a Democrat and Hispanic activist.
"Is the representation enough now?" Sanchez said. "No, it's not. Is it going to change? Absolutely. You're going to start to see more Hispanics running in districts or areas where there's not necessarily a large concentration of Hispanics."
To some, no matter how diverse the area becomes or how quickly the county grows, political power will always rest with the city.
"Tampa is always going to be the heart and soul of this community," Buckhorn said. "Downtown is always going to be everyone's back yard."
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBNRNF0RXE.html
Published: Feb 4, 2007
TAMPA - This is where modern civilization began in West Central Florida.
A military fort, built in the early 1800s, established the area's first permanent settlement in what is now downtown Tampa.
Today, Tampa is the state's third-largest city and its location on the Interstate 4 corridor positions it as a political power center.
But the political entity that is Tampa is shrinking.
It accounts for only 12 percent of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area population. Its 19 percent population gain since 1970 pales compared with the 299 percent gain in unincorporated Hillsborough County.
City voters go to the polls soon to choose a half-dozen council members and a mayor whose job will include hanging on to diminishing political clout. Even the institutional advantages are being challenged.
The city is run by a mayor whose bully pulpit stands taller than anyone else around, certainly taller than the seven fiefdoms of the Hillsborough County Commission. But county voters will decide in 2008 whether to create their own mayor, too.
With increasing frequency, the city finds that it needs the county's approval, whether for convention center roof repairs, the formation of a mass transit spending plan or the redevelopment of a public housing complex.
Tampa is a diverse city with a heavily Democratic voting base. Surrounded by a sea of Republican voters, the city faces real challenges to its political power.
"Tampa still views itself as the center of everything," former Mayor Sandy Freedman said. "But it's not the center of the universe anymore, and that's hard for people to accept."
Power Shift?
In 1970, the population in unincorporated Hillsborough County was just under 200,000, while the city's was just under 300,000.
Now, the county's population has swelled to about 800,000 in the unincorporated areas, according to the Hillsborough Planning Commission. The city's population has been relatively stagnant at about 333,000.
The county runs the area's social services, including the library system and veterans affairs. County officials point to this as proof that the county is the dominant government entity.
Ask county commission Chairman Jim Norman to define the political significance of the city, and he replies, deadpan: "They are our county seat."
He continues, "Gas taxes, impact fees, everything has to go through the county. Nothing goes on the ballot without us. I don't even think it's a race."
Yet the mayor of Tampa remains the dominant political figure in the region. Tampa's supporters argue that the city will always represent the region's political and commercial pulse.
"The mayor of Tampa should be a dominant player in state politics, national politics and especially be the dominant figure in the I-4 corridor and shape how it develops," former city Councilman Bob Buckhorn said.
Helping to solidify its political power is the city's government structure.
The mayor runs the city, and a seven-member council serves as the legislative branch. By comparison, the county is run by an administrator who answers to seven commissioners who share power equally.
"The county budget is bigger, they run social services, libraries, they are an emerging force to deal with," Buckhorn said. "What they don't have is an identity. What they have is a multiheaded hydra and none of them get along with the other."
Now, a movement is afoot to push voters to create a county mayor position in November 2008. If approved, the county mayor would have considerable influence over the region and concentrate county power in a single leader.
If created, the county mayor might eclipse the Tampa mayor as the area's most powerful politician, certainly in the size of the constituency if not in name.
None of that matters much to Dolores Smith, who moved from south Tampa to Morris Bridge Road a decade ago. Even though her mailing address was Thonotosassa, Smith always considered herself a Tampa resident.
"It isn't that far to go into town," she said. "You take the Crosstown. It doesn't take that long."
Last month, the city annexed 379 acres just south of the Pasco County line, including Smith's property, returning her to Tampa's fold.
Others - from Lakeland, from Bradenton, from St. Petersburg - choose Tampa as a place to work. Mayor Pam Iorio uses that as evidence of Tampa's position as the region's commercial center.
The city's population is about 333,000 at night but swells to 447,500 during the day. That 35 percent difference is the third-largest daytime-to-nighttime population difference in the nation, behind Washington and Atlanta.
"Your city will always be your heart of everything," former Mayor Dick Greco said. "All you need to do is sit here in the morning and watch the interstate. They're pouring in."
Politics South To North
Internally, Tampa's political landscape remains unchanged.
The city's 179 square miles are home to long-established south Tampa families and fresh residents in New Tampa. The city is where Cubans and Italians settled decades ago and where a new wave of young immigrants from Latin America is moving in.
The city has pockets of affluence and pockets of poverty.
"Tampa's not a rich city; Tampa's not a poor city," said former U.S. Rep. Sam Gibbons, who represented the area for more than 40 years. "You find the niche you like to live in, and it's a good place to live."
South Tampa, with its mansions on Bayshore Boulevard, its bungalows in Palma Ceia and its new condos on Howard Avenue, has long been the base of political power in the city. Families there are well-established, with roots stretching back generations.
Residents there make their voices heard politically. Turnout in south Tampa precincts hovered in the 30 percent and 40 percent range during the last municipal election.
"One of the things that struck me is if you can't win south Tampa, you can't win," said Frank Sanchez, who lost to Iorio in the 2003 mayoral election. "They go out to vote at higher rates than the rest of the city. They seem to be more engaged in civic activities. You need to win south Tampa and do strongly in other parts of the city."
Precincts in Seminole Heights and Forest Hills also tend to show up on Election Day. West Tampa - where politics are always the topic of the day at Cuban breakfast joints - is important, too.
"West Tampa votes," said Jan Platt, a former county commissioner and city councilwoman. "In city elections, getting the support of West Tampa is critical."
New Tampa, though, hasn't shown much of an appetite for city elections. About 21 percent of New Tampa's residents voted in the 2003 election. Citywide, turnout was about 33 percent.
"Because of the transient nature in New Tampa, you can't build a power base, which is completely opposite of south Tampa, where people have roots," Platt said.
Only as New Tampa residents further settle into town will they feel more connected politically and turn out on Election Day. Considering the rapid growth there, when that happens, New Tampa voters will be more of a factor in city elections.
A Diverse Electorate
Tampa is a sea of liberal voters surrounded by a fairly conservative county in a swing state where presidential winners succeed by razor-thin margins.
In the 2004 presidential election, Tampa chose John Kerry. But in Hillsborough County as a whole, George W. Bush won.
Municipal elections are nonpartisan affairs. Still, the city voters' preference for Democrats is apparent on the city council. Five of the seven members elected to the council in 2003 are Democrats.
The three most recent mayors are Democrats: Iorio, Greco and Freedman, although Greco's pro-business philosophy is more aligned with Republican causes.
Nearly half of Tampa's 179,000 registered voters are Democrats, and 28 percent are Republicans.
Black and Hispanic residents combined make up more than 30 percent of registered voters. Expect Hispanics to become more active politically in the next several years, said Gil Sanchez, a Democrat and Hispanic activist.
"Is the representation enough now?" Sanchez said. "No, it's not. Is it going to change? Absolutely. You're going to start to see more Hispanics running in districts or areas where there's not necessarily a large concentration of Hispanics."
To some, no matter how diverse the area becomes or how quickly the county grows, political power will always rest with the city.
"Tampa is always going to be the heart and soul of this community," Buckhorn said. "Downtown is always going to be everyone's back yard."
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBNRNF0RXE.html