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Residents and nonprofit leaders press Tampa CRA over spending, appointments and potential state changes
Summary
Multiple public commenters at a Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency meeting criticized how CRA money is spent in East and West Tampa, questioned appointment rules for citizen advisory committees and urged the board to encumber funds ahead of pending state legislation.
At a Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency meeting (date not specified), residents, nonprofit leaders and CAC members pressed the board to clarify how tax-increment funds are being used in East and West Tampa and asked the agency to protect locally funded programs if state legislation alters CRA authority.
The public speakers’ comments converged on three concerns: how CRA dollars have been allocated, rules governing citizen advisory committee membership and the need to encumber or reserve funds ahead of a potential change in state law.
The concerns were raised during the meeting’s public-comment period by longtime neighborhood volunteers, CAC members and nonprofit staff. Sandra Diadiego Sanchez, a member of the West Tampa Community Advisory Committee, said she was denied reappointment because she lives “two blocks out of the CRA” and asked the board to review that residency rule. “A rule is a rule,” she said, but asked the board to “review this rule and see if it makes sense.”
Allison Hewitt, identified as an East Tampa resident and business owner, urged the board to prepare for pending legislation she said could restrict CRAs’ ability to begin new projects unless money is already budgeted and encumbered. “So even if they have a phase 2 on the plan, unless that money is encumbered, that money cannot be spent,” Hewitt said, and suggested the CRA issue an RFP for a special-projects and grant administrator to hold encumbered funds for predevelopment and special-projects grants.
Several speakers said they believed CRA money was being diverted to projects that do not benefit long-term homeowners. Daryl Heich cited what he described as misuse tied to “slum and blight” language and referenced “Florida statute 163 … referencing section 7 and 8, slum and blight of the CRA,” saying the funds are not reaching the people they were intended to help. Valerie Bullock, speaking for the Ponce de Leon/College Hill area, said she would “shut it down” if CRA funds are not benefitting homeowners.
Other commenters urged greater consistency in appointment and vetting procedures for CAC members and clearer, more accessible grant outreach. Board members later acknowledged the outreach gap and said staff will try to improve communications and application assistance for grants, particularly microgrants and owner-occupied rehab programs.
The public comments occurred ahead of a series of staff and CAC reports on East Tampa and downtown redevelopment items later in the agenda.
Ending: The record shows persistent neighborhood frustration about how CRA resources are distributed and handled; multiple speakers urged the agency to adopt clearer, more equitable procedures and to preserve funds and programs if state legislation changes CRA authority. The board and staff signaled they would pursue better outreach and consider policy updates in future meetings.
