What Tampa Can Learn from the Best Economic Development Projects

Recently, Business Facilities magazine - the source for corporate site selectors - released their results of the best upcoming and ongoing economic development projects in the United States. The projects range in size, value and location but all will have or already have a significant impact on their surrounding communities due to the breadth and scope of the projects.

According the the report, Tesla's Gigafactory in the Nevada dessert won top honors; the new Boeing 777 factory in Washington state came in second; and the Comcast Innovation & Technology Center in downtown Philadelphia rounded out the top three. Honorable mentions were given to projects in Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, and Texas.

The city of Tampa is currently in the midst of its own large and highly anticipated economic development project. Jeff Vinik, former hedge fund manager and owner of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning, has purchased nearly 25 acres of land in downtown Tampa surrounding his hockey team's arena over the last five years through his development arm Strategic Property Partners. In his audacious vision, Mr. Vinik plans to bring the campus of the University of South Florida medical school to his downtown project as well as lure a large corporate headquarters to a nearby location. In return, Strategic Property Partners will construction several mixed-used buildings with new retail, office, and residential space for students and employees to live, work and play.

But what can the city of Tampa and the surrounding communities learn from the best economic development projects around the country? There are three important takeaways from the recently released list: bigger is better, brand names go a long way, and government leaders and private owners need to play nicely together.

First, the size, scope, and scale of each of these top award-winning economic development projects are large. Quite large. The top three projects will contribute a combined $17 billion annually in economic development to their respective areas. (Image what the city of Tampa could do with an influx of development even a quarter of that size.) It is significantly easier to develop areas that are already in development than completely undeveloped areas. Bringing in companies and projects to support the current, on-going development only helps to increase everyone's bottom line.

On top of the direct financial contributions development projects have on a particular location, job creation is another highly coveted prize when courting a significant development project. With the top three projects projecting to produce over 54,000 new jobs in total - either via direct or indirect employment - a massive influx of employees increases nearly every economic indicator from property values to school ratings. According to the National Association of Realtors, for every one home purchased, 3 jobs are supported. Inversely, that could lead to approximately $1.2 billion in property value on county and city tax records. (Imagine what the city of Tampa could do with an influx of nearly 6,000 new property owners.)

Secondly, the top three projects all have highly coveted owners or developers leading the charge. In Nevada, Tesla - the electric car company headed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk - could be the most highly anticipated car company of all time. With as much buzz and hype surrounding Tesla, surely several suitors will follow in the footsteps of the company in order to gleam a piece of the development prize. In Washington, no company might be more closely associated with a particular state than Boeing is with Washington. This deal ensures that the state will continue to have a long relationship with one of its most important benefactors. Similarly, the city of Philadelphia has been the corporate home of Comcast - the mass media goliath - for the past several decades. As the company outgrew its existing space, new space was needed quickly. While the company shopped around the country for possible sites, it ultimately wanted to renew its relationship with the City of Brotherly Love.

While the city of Tampa plays host to several large and important corporations and education hubs, crafting a long term relationship with a Fortune 500 company or top-tier university could draw outside attention to this second-tier city. Companies and universities that have a significant gravitas tend to pull others toward them, wherever they may be located. In Tampa's case, being known for one (or multiple) corporate headquarters may be just the thing to make this town a first class city.

Finally, with any large economic development project, the backing of city, county, and state lawmakers as well as the cooperation of private owners means that all interested parties can stand to benefit significantly. Obviously, local governments - acting through their development boards - look to increase income through taxation and increase attention through notoriety by landing lucrative development projects. Conversely, owners and developers want to find locations where the local municipalities will best support their companies and their workforce. As such, the common ground where lawmakers are willing to forego initial income in the hopes of a long term benefit and where owners can bypass as much of the initial startup costs to generate lasting and sustainable business is the area where deals can be made. While both sides of the transaction have the difficulty of overcoming certain obstacles in the negotiation phases, both parties have an obligation to have the other's interests in mind.

As development projects progress, several moving parts need to come together at once to be completely successful and to have the intended positive economic impact. While the size and name of the developers involved certainly play an important role in getting these development projects underway, ultimately it is the responsibility of all parties to cooperate to the best of their abilities to achieve the best outcome for all those directly and indirectly involved with these projects. If the city of Tampa can learn from the best, surely Tampa can be the best.

The Real Estate Industry is Ripe for the Taking

Norm Brodsky is a veteran entrepreneur who has founded and grown six different businesses in his lifetime. In 2007, he sold one of his businesses for over $100 million. Mr. Brodsky is a columnist and senior contributing author to Inc. magazine and recently penned a great article about starting a new business. While his topic might have been general, he certainly had the real estate industry pegged.

                       

Mr. Brodsky posed the question, “instead of searching for the ‘next big thing’, how about going into a business everybody already understands?” To define a business everyone already understands, he gave three specific points: a business that has been around for more than 100 years, an industry that is a little antiquated, and one that has the potential for you to carve yourself a niche. The real estate industry easily passes the first requirement. The real estate industry has been around for well over 100 years in the United States, and over 1,000 years in Europe and Asia. (If you think about, real estate as a product has been around for over 10 billion years.) A business that has been around for over 100 years does not need to be hyped or advertised. People know the basics of how the real estate industry operates.

Secondly, the real estate industry is antiquated. Other than the advent of the Internet – which radicalized all industries – the real estate industry has remained far behind in terms of a true shift in culture and behavior. Real estate agents 100 years ago still showed their clients various pieces of property in person. The only difference between a showing appointment today and a showing appointment 100 years ago was the means by which the agent and the client arrived at the property. Yes, there have certainly been improvements to the systems and techniques real estate agents use on a daily basis, but there has not been a theoretical shift in how the real estate industry operates. The real estate industry is antiquated, and the sooner real estate professionals find a way to stay ahead of the curve the better for those professionals and the industry as a whole.

Finally, according to Mr. Brodsky, a business must have niches. Without niches, although the industry may be well established and be antiquated, the business would not be open to growth. Take restaurants for example. Every restaurant does not serve every kind of food; instead, every restaurant offers its own unique menu of foods. So too does the real estate industry have the ability for professionals to create a unique niche. A commercial real estate agent can focus primarily on medical offices. A residential real estate agent can focus primarily on high-rise condominium buildings. Or, a real estate professional can focus on investment or distressed properties that need renovations.

If you are thinking of entering another industry instead of the real estate industry, I challenge you to examine that industry to see if it passes Norm Brodsky’s three requirements for a powerful, sustainable business. If the other industry does pass these three requirements and your mind is more engaged by the other industry, I encourage you to enter that industry. But, if that industry does not pass the test, I strongly encourage you to take full advantage of all that the real estate industry has to offer.

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The Best Family Adventures in Tampa

Whether your family is big or small, young or old, the Tampa Bay region has plenty of fun-filled places for adventure and excitement. Tampa has all sorts of great places for entertaining families, no matter if roller coasters, swing lines, golfing, or lions and tigers are your adventures of choice. In this list, with the help from my friends at Visit Tampa Bay, you will find 14 of the best family-friendly places to have an adventure in Tampa Bay.

Busch Gardens

Tampa Bay's best theme park, Busch Gardens Tampa features breath-taking roller coasters including SheiKra, Kumba, Montu, and Cheetah Chase as well as terrifying thrill rides, like the all new Falcon's Fury - the tallest drop tower ride in Florida. Beyond the rides, explore the African wilderness with a vast collection of animals from continents.

Adventure Island

After a day at the park, cool off in one of Tampa Bay's best water parks - right next door to Busch Gardens. Water-soaked guests can enjoy the fast lane on a wide variety of slides while also cruising slowly along the wave pools and lazy rivers.

Big Cat Rescue

Much like the name suggests, visitors to this limited-engagement park can have up close and educational access to lions, tigers, cheetahs, panthers and other large felines.

Dinosaur World

While the real dinosaurs were wiped out over 60 million years ago, that won't stop this Central Florida attraction draw more and more visitors to roam through jungles of over 150 dinosaurs.

MOSI

The Museum of Science and Industry combines the educational benefits of science and technology with the joys of childhood through rotating exhibits plus a permanent Kids in Charge science center.

Glazer Children's Museum

Located in Downtown Tampa, this museum boasts over 170 attractions and activities for kids of all ages to enjoy from exploring worldly cultures to flying an airplane.

Tampa Bay History Center

Another Downtown Tampa treasure, one of the newest additions to Tampa Bay, the history center explores the roots and origins of the Tampa Bay area plus the vast history of explorers, conquerers, and pirates to avast the great state of Florida.

Lowry Park Zoo

One of the top family-friendly zoos in the country, the Lowry Park Zoo hosts several great events and parties throughout the year from an intimate encounter with the animals around Valentine's Day, plus a Zoo Boo experience around Halloween. This is a must see attraction for any family in Tampa Bay.

TopGolf

The newest attraction to the Tampa Bay area, TopGolf boasts three levels of digital driving ranges, a bar, a restaurant, and an arcade. Each bay has air conditioners for the warm summer afternoons as well as heaters for the cooler winter nights. Bring your whole family for a fun day of golf and then come back in the night for an awesome time with your golf buddies.

Weeki Wachee

This iconic Florida city a few miles north of Tampa Bay, brings all the historic charm of the 50s and 60s with the daily mermaid and manatee show, a great experience for any family with young children.

Florida Aquarium

This aquarium along the waterfront in the Channelside neighborhood of Downtown Tampa, showcases the best of every sea-life inhabitant that you might find swimming, flying, and walking in and around the waters of Florida.

LEGOLAND

Any child who has ever played with a LEGO brick wonders what an entire theme park made completely out of LEGO would look like. Fortunately, you don't have to wonder any more. Located in the heart of Central Florida, LEGOLAND Florida offers kids of all ages the change to experience LEGO on the grandest of scales.

Tampa Bay Grand Prix Indoor Karting

Much like the name suggest, little kids and big kids have the opportunity to race one another on this all indoor go kart track. Whether the weather is good or bad, spend a day inside this high-octane family-friendly center.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Perhaps one of the more popular places around Tampa Bay in recent history thanks to a few feature-length movies, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium houses the two of the most famous underwater mammals in the country - Winter and Hope.

So next time you think that the only things to do in Florida is going to the beach, take a look again at all the great things the Tampa Bay region has to offer.

The Best Bachelor Pads in Tampa Bay

For some of us, having Valentine's Day right around the corner is not our favorite time of the year. We have to watch other happy couples or other friends who just got married or engaged or started dating and pretend we are happy for them. But let's face it, love stinks. Who wants to be friends with someone who is happy all of the time? I say, let's drink away our tears with a bottle of wine, a half opened box of chocolate we told the check out clerk was for our significant other, and take a look at some of the best bachelor pads on the Tampa Bay market right now.



#5
371 Channelside Walk Way #1901, Tampa, Fla.
$1,895,000
  
What makes this place a great bachelor pad? It is a top-floor penthouse on Harbor Island overlooking the Tampa Bay Lightning's home at the Amelia Arena with over 500 sq. ft. of outdoor patio space to take in the breathtaking view of downtown Tampa. Plus the luxury kitchen is just what an aspiring bachelor slash chef extraordinaire needs.

#4
1151 S. Miller Rd., Valrico, Fla.
$2,799,999
  
What makes this place a great bachelor pad? How about a 6-car garage, a Porte-Cochere, and an additional detached barn with another garage? And if those parking garages weren't enough to house your own personal stable of high-end vehicles, you'll have plenty of land to park your cars on over 4.5 acres of property. This place is perfect for the bachelor slash outdoor enthusiast who likes to tinker with his toys.

#3
450 Knights Run Ave. #2004, Tampa, Fla.
$2,500,000
  
If you weren't satisfied with the first penthouse condo on Harbour Island, how about a quick walk down the street to another fantastic destination. What makes this place a great bachelor pad? How about breath-taking 270 degree views of downtown Tampa, Channelside, and the Amelia Arena?! The Family room features custom built-in entertainment center and bookshelves. And for the ultimate bachelor pad for roommates, this place comes with a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, separate kitchen guest suite.

#2
220 108th Ave. #501, Treasure Island, Fla.
$2,999,999
  
What makes this place a great bachelor pad? How about for the bachelor who loves spending more time on his boat and the water than on dry land. This two level penthouse has 340 feet of shoreline overlooking the intercoastal waterway with your own deep-water boat slip. And for the times you are actually inside, check out the sound-proof media room with an impressive stereo surround sound system that you can access via your private elevator.

#1
3507 Bayshore Blvd. #2301, Tampa, Fla.$2,100,000
  
And finally, our number one bachelor pad in Tampa Bay. This distinctively impressive penthouse commands the entire 23rd floor and boasts full 360 degree views of old Hillsborough Bay, the South Tampa peninsula and Downtown Tampa from one of five roofed balconies or any of the four large bedrooms. The admired master suite features gorgeous views, private office quarters, marvelous bath with sunset views, walk-in shower and separate soaking tub. Luxury amenities include private access to a service elevator, 24-hour guard service, video surveillance, two garage parking spaces, state of the art gym, heated pool, recreation rooms, and outdoor entertainment terraces.

Top 10 Homes to Fall in Love With Right Now in Tampa

Top 10 Homes to Fall in Love With in Tampa Bay Right Now
Valentine's Day is a holiday that should be shared with the loved ones in your life. So on this Valentine's Day, make sure to give the special someone in your life a great reminder of your love and gratitude. And by love and gratitude, I mean some chocolate and roses! But if sweets and flowers aren't your thing, here are the top 10 homes in Tampa Bay to fall in love with right now.



#10
1900 S. Cardenas Ave., Tampa, Fla.
$6,900,000
  
Located in prestigious Golfview, this magnificent home is situated amongst towering oaks on approximately 4 acres overlooking a large pond and the 4th green of Palma Ceia's Golf Course. The 10,771 square foot mansion boasts 7 bedrooms, 6 full baths and the highest quality construction and amenities. There is intricate millwork throughout including a library paneled with 200 year old sunken cypress, custom built-ins throughout the home, Mahogany transoms, and coffered ceilings.

#9
3401 S. Beach Dr., Tampa, Fla.
$3,599,000
  
This 5 bathroom, 5 full bathroom, 2 half bathroom Mediterranean home with a gated entrance features a protected, double lift boat dock with your own private beach on the outside plus 6,801 sq. ft. of living space on the inside. Access the master suite bedroom upstairs, via either the elevator or the grand staircase.

#8
19105 Merry Ln., Lutz, Fla.
$2,750,000
  
Encompassing over 9,000 sq. ft. of beautifully designed living space, this home features 5 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths, library, wine room, gym, gallery, pool, spa and 4 car garage. Downstairs features luxurious master suite with separate baths and closets; “state-of-the-art” gourmet kitchen with dual dishwashers and ovens, Wolfe Gas cooktop with griddle overlooking the family room and Italian custom bar; butler’s pantry; formal dining room has ceiling fresco and 800 bottle wine room; formal library with gas fireplace and Vincenza stone carved limestone mantle and endless views of the lake and pool.

#7
11410 Trotting Down Ln., Odessa, Fla.
$2,950,000
  
Enter your equine estate though massive security gates over a circular, paver-filled driveway. Improvements completed in 2008 includes 11,900 sq. ft. under all roofs. This home features 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 1 half bath plus a 3-car garage. The true highlights of this house include a separate 4-car storage building and workshop with room for an RV and a 9 stall horse barn.

#6
826 S. Edison Ave., Tampa, Fla.
$2,470,000
  
Enjoy Historic Hyde Park charm in the comfort of a home built in 2007 complete with all the modern conveniences. Relax on the front porch or balconies & take in the bay views. Custom designed & built to commercial standards, the structural details are exceptional such as 2-story poured concrete construction, hurricane windows & doors, steel framing, custom fabricated steel staircase, & 45 KW generator. The main house has 4 bedrooms 6 ½ baths, chef’s kitchen, open floor plan, media room, downstairs guest room, office with custom built-ins, fitness room, 2 laundry rooms & loads of storage space.

#5
12302 Stonelake Ranch Blvd., Thonotosassa, Fla.
$3,200,000
  
This home is nestled on just over 3 acres overlooking Lake Hendry. It features a grand foyer with a double, floating staircase; a living room with an exquisite ceiling and gas fireplace. The master suite boasts coffered ceilings, sitting area, and crown molding. Special amenities include a wine cellar, craft room with custom built-ins, a mud room, plus an upstairs & downstairs laundry rooms, custom dog shower, game room, billiards room, and theatre room.

#4
2477 W. Country Club Ave., Tampa, Fla.
$5,995,000
  
This magnificent estate boasts over 12,000 heated sq. ft. on an impeccably landscaped one & a third acre lot. Detailed millwork, rich textures, exquisite flooring & gorgeous custom design finishes are noticeable throughout the entire home. Each one of the 6 ensuite bedrooms has its own custom designed bathroom. Adjacent to the main house is a charming 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom guest house with its own porch. This estate is securely enclosed behind a beautifully crafted Chicago brick wall with electronic wrought iron gates & gas lanterns.

#3
1030 N. Island Blvd., Ruskin, Fla.
$6,300,000
  
This beautiful private island is surrounded by Tampa Bay - offering the ultimate in peace, tranquility and privacy. The compound spans over 5 acres with 800 ft of wide open bay frontage with its own island helipad. Surrounded on 3 sides by water, this gated island community is home to only a handful of homeowners. This estate has been meticulously updated with the finest of finishes, property features over 7,800 sq. ft. of living quarters, and detached guest home perfect as an in-law suite.

#2
16314 Millan de Avila, Tampa, Fla.
$6,900,000
  
Architectural design and timeless elegance portrays this magnificent brick estate situated on 1.7 acres overlooking a golf course, pond, and conservation within Avila. Encompassing over 11,700 square feet of beautifully designed air conditioned space, this traditional home offers 5 bedrooms, 6 full and 2 half baths, richly paneled study, play room, game room, gym, exercise room, 4 car plus golf cart garage, pool, spa, and pool cabana with outdoor kitchen. Three sets of stairs ascend to 4 en suite bedrooms, game room, gym and exercise room with half bath.

#1
5014 The Riviera St., Tampa, Fla.
$5,000,000
  
Our number one home on the Valentine's Day list is the Villa Terracina. Built in 1925 as the crown jewel of Beach Park on Old Tampa Bay, this magnificent Jazz Age Landmark estate sits on a majestic gated waterfront lot with lushly landscaped gardens, privacy, play areas, outdoor kitchen complete with dishwasher and pizza oven, guest or staff quarters and your own private boat house with protected dockage on a recently dredged canal leading to the bay. Featuring almost 7,000 sq. ft., it offers beautiful, expansive, sun-filled spaces with high ceilings and a very versatile floor plan.