TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Questions Dog Less-Than-Best Armory Deal

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 8, 2007

The $93-million Heritage Square at the Armory project, which seeks to convert the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory property into a mix that includes a hotel, restaurants, cafes, a museum and a day spa, continues to move agonizingly through the tedious land-use and zoning process. The other storyline is this: When the process is over, ironically, it still won't be the best use for that 10-acre site on North Howard near Interstate 275.

Recall that Armory Partners Group of Tampa wanted to build a video, film and sound studio and develop creative arts businesses, which made much more sense given this city's chronic need to beef up its allure to the movie/video production industry. The APG scenario also included apartments, retail and a grocery store - pragmatic neighborhood complements all.

But a hotel? A day spa? Wrong approach. Wrong neighborhood.

• In the era of "Build It And They Will Come," how progressive has the liaison been between Grand Central at Kennedy and the Stageworks theater company. Starting next season Stageworks will be housed in a 99-seat black-box theater within Grand Central. Call it enlightened self-interest for Grand Central condo developer Ken Stoltenberg, who knows that such an arts amenity is a better Channel District sales inducement than the prospect of a dry cleaner taking retail space.

And while we're tossing bouquets, let's include a bravo for Stageworks, which has earned its good fortune. And it's more than first-class stage productions. It's often been saluted for its community involvement via its outreach programs for at-risk children. And that's a big reason why Stageworks, now in its 25th anniversary season, was chosen as Bank of America's Hillsborough County 2007 Neighborhood Builder. The award comes with a check for $200,000 for operational support.

•When all is said and done - and undone - in the myriad of presidential debates, can't Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Tim Russert or Chris Mathews pose something like this to the candidates:

"These are, inarguably, very perilous times for America. It wouldn't be hyperbole to say that our economy, our way of life and our lives depend on how we answer this question: 'Where does the U.S. fit in this world, the only one we have? We can mock the U.N. for being corrupt and hypocritical; we can dismiss Olde Europe for being appeasers; we can tell ourselves that Latin America, sans a middle class, will never grow up economically; and we can see what a democratic right to vote has yielded in the authoritarian likes of Iran and the Palestinian territories. It's tough to be right when everyone else doesn't get it.

'So, to reiterate, what is a realistic role for the U.S. and where do we fit in a world of dwindling oil, surging Muslim fundamentalism, increasing national security challenges, expanding global trade imperatives and the unyielding capacity to still do a lot of good on this globe?'"

•Don't look for any presidential candidate, including the Democrats, to show real geo-political guts on Cuba. Why should they when no member of Florida's congressional delegation does? And that's the way it (embar)goes.

•We know that Gov. Charlie Crist is "innovative" and "open minded," because he tells us so. We also know he's all about "the people's business," because he keeps reminding us.

Here's a suggestion: Governor, if you really want to earn that populist self-labeling, get out in front of what is the core, overriding issue in Florida: addressing a tax system that hasn't fundamentally changed since LeRoy Collins was governor. And that sobering reality is magnified as Florida flails at adjusting to the end of the rapid-growth era, a budget colored red and the onset of mortgage meltdowns and property tax-cut shell games.

It's not nearly enough to look at revenues from gambling and bridge leasing and to delegate state services to locals. We're talking about ending unnecessary sales tax exemptions, especially on services, and getting serious about collecting taxes on online shopping.

To date, Crist has made more news about his hot dates, vice presidential prospects and exotic trade-mission plans. It appears he's leaving economic security entirely in the hands of the state's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, which will have political cover from "tax-raising" taunts. The commission can put constitutional changes directly onto the ballot. It meets every 20 years, and this is that year.

But it would certainly help if the governor would use his bully pulpit for something other than pushing an advertising campaign to bankroll passage of a dubious plan to cut property taxes.

• Good to see savvy, USF-St. Pete political scientist Darryl Paulson get national face time in the lead-up to last week's CNN/YouTube Republican debate in St. Petersburg. He knows his stuff and is never sound-bite challenged. Also gaining national exposure was the University of Tampa, which served as the venue (Fletcher Lounge in Plant Hall) for a CNN-organized, 24-member, candidate focus group.

Joe O'Neill is a South Tampa writer who can be contacted at www.OpinionsToGoOnLine.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT