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Recent Missteps Don't Diminish Tampa Bay Partnership's Potential

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 4, 2008

A couple of generations ago, when it came to making things happen, Tampa turned to a handful of businessmen who had the power and money to get things done.

When these men passed, Tampa lost a level of leadership many remember longingly. Tampa's titans had the clout to grow this community and enhance its panache. In today's fractured political climate, their muscle has gone missing.

Stepping into the void some years back was a group called The Tampa Bay Partnership, formed by the region's business and academic leaders to grow the region's economy, while preserving its quality of life.

The partnership brought the voice of business back to the public square and is building the region's political pull.

It helped unite the region for a bid to host the Olympics and continues to connect business people across a seven-county region to secure our place in the global marketplace.

Most importantly, it helped build the legal authority for a commuter-rail system the region will need to stay competitive.

But as anyone who has pushed change knows, it's easy to lose trust and support if you get too far out front and fail to communicate, communicate, communicate.

On those measures, the partnership recently has stumbled, injuring its standing as a trusted force for addressing regional problems, which West Central Florida badly needs.

Too Quick To Seek Funding

Last week in Tallahassee, the partnership lobbied to get a steady funding stream for TBARTA, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, which is raising hopes for a seven-county commuter-rail system in West Central Florida.

Rep. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican, suggested the rail authority get $2 from the tax on cars rented in the region, or about $18 million a year. The money now goes to the state Department of Transportation for regional road projects like the planned connector between the Port of Tampa and Interstate 4, a vital project that keeps getting pushed back.

It's easy to understand why Galvano and the partnership would pursue the surcharge. They worked hard on the legislation to create TBARTA and want it to succeed. And they know a local funding source is needed before the federal government will consider pitching in.

Problem is, the partnership didn't have a business plan for $18 million a year. And who gives $18 million to a group without a sound plan? Besides, Tampa needs that I-4 connector.

The surcharge idea first surfaced in the CSX deal for Orlando, which, surprisingly, the partnership supported because of its potential for economic development. To get the support of South Florida lawmakers, someone suggested raising rental-car taxes to support that region's Tri-Rail commuter system.

But in Tampa's case, TBARTA didn't ask for the surcharge. Some board members, including Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, believe that before requesting public funds, the authority needs a plan that makes sense and allows citizens to see what's in it for themselves and the region.

By asking for money without the endorsement of elected politicians on TBARTA's board, the partnership got too far out front. While many people believe Tampa Bay needs a multimodal transportation system that efficiently moves people and commerce, experience suggests caution in how funding is secured. To do otherwise risks taxpayer confidence on the larger challenges coming down the track.

Clouded Eye On Perceptions

The partnership also stumbled in hiring Amy Maguire to run a regional visioning process, called One Bay, which it launched with the help of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, the Urban Land Institute and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

As it turns out, Maguire also represented a group of south Hillsborough's largest landowners who hope to create a major development there.

When told of Maguire's conflict of interest, the partnership demurred. It asked her to sever her relationship with the landholders, but saw no problem with her continuing to lead the public visioning process. Almost a week later, however, after meeting with other sponsors of the effort, partnership president Stuart Rogel said Maguire had submitted her resignation. He called it a "perceived" conflict of interest.

The conflict was real and by failing to recognize it - and move quickly to address it - the partnership hurt its standing with the region it seeks to represent.

And that's a shame because this region needs the partnership to build a strong, trusted voice.

Missteps Don't Negate Group's Potential

The Tampa Bay Partnership is capable of good things, but to make them happen, it must listen to people beyond those with a development agenda.

The context in which the partnership exists has changed since the days of the titans. Tampa is a more mature - more diverse - city.

Today's citizens expect to be heard. Neighborhood groups are especially powerful. Some fear the partnership, like the titans of old, will broker backroom deals that shut them out - a perception the partnership must manage.

On the other hand, if the partnership believes economic development trumps all else, fair enough. Tampa Bay needs someone with a laser-like focus on attracting and growing businesses that offer good jobs.

Yet the region would be best served if the partnership, by its actions, defined itself beyond building rail, roads and developments. Its impact - and credibility with the public at-large - would be far greater if it also developed a reputation for rigorously defending the region's quality of life.

Were that to happen, average citizens would agree that the Tampa Bay Partnership represents the interests of the entire region.

And then, its agenda would be impossible to ignore.

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