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Safeguarding Sheriff's HQ Is Vital To Ybor City's Future

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

The Barrio Latino Commission, the citizens' panel charged with protecting the architectural integrity of Ybor City, is mistaken to oppose a proposal by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to close a street adjacent to the sheriff's headquarters.

The sheriff wants the street barricaded to make his command center more secure. The Barrio says the closure would damage the "historic grid system" of the Latin Quarter. That's right, the Barrio deems the grid system more important than safety of the county's first responders.

The Tampa City Council, scheduled to consider the matter today, should promptly dismiss the trivial objections and give the go-ahead to the sheriff's office, whose plans pose no threat to the architectural or historic integrity of Ybor City.

Indeed, the construction of the sheriff's headquarters in Ybor City during the 1970s, when the historic district was desolate and crime-ridden, contributed greatly to its revival. And the sheriff's office continues to be a good Ybor citizen, allowing, for instance, visitors to the Ybor City Museum to use county property for parking.

If the council compromises the headquarters' security, then the sheriff eventually will have no choice but to relocate, taking nearly 400 workers elsewhere. And that would do far more harm to the community's economic prospects than blocking a little-used street.

Council members should remember that the stretch of 20th Street in question, from Palm Avenue to Eighth Avenue, has been closed off by temporary barricades since Sept. 11, 2001.

Sheriff David Gee now wants to build a wall around the block that includes both the operations center and the old Environmental Protection Commission building that the sheriff will soon occupy. The project would include security gates on 20th Street, which bisects the sheriff's compound.

The Department of Homeland Security calls the improvements "critical infrastructure" for the county's law enforcement command center. The project also would increase the security of workers who come and go at all hours.

The change would not disrupt Ybor City's pedestrian or traffic flow.

Gee says the brick roadway will not be disturbed and would be returned intact to the city should the headquarters ever be moved, something that some members of the Barrio seem to think would be a good idea.

Those who want to run the sheriff out of Ybor City might want to consult with business owners, residents and visitors on whether they like having a strong law enforcement presence in the community. They might also consult with Tampa Police Chief Stephen Hogue, who strongly supports Gee's plan.

The choice before council is simple: Does the city care about "critical infrastructure" for law enforcement or closing a minute section of a "historic grid system"? How members vote will reveal a lot about their values and their common sense.

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