Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 5-15-18

Local
Mayor Gives Final State Of The City Speech At
Renovated Riverfront Park
Student Chosen As ‘Turnaround Student Of The Year’
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
In his last State of the City address, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn touted not only the progress the city has made in the last year, but re- capped his successes over the last eight years in office.
Mayor Buckhorn gave the speech – preceded by a full program which included performances by the City of Tampa Gospel Choir – before hundreds of onlookers Fri- day in the newly-renovated Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park downtown.
The annual address was the first of a series of events celebrating the grand open- ing of the 25-acre park, which is named after another Tampa mayor. Concerts and other fanfare were held over the weekend to mark the oc- casion.
The makeover of the park, first built in 1977, will “change the face of historic West Tampa,” the mayor said.
He thanked members of the City Council for having the “political courage” to see the $35 million project through to completion.
Mayor Buckhorn kept his remarks brief, but made sure to rattle off a host of ac- complishments, including hosting the National Repub- lican Convention in 2012, up- grading Tampa International Airport, and hosting the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four game and its return to the
Mayor Bob Buckhorn at the podium in Riverfront Park.
city in 2019.
The city also has weath-
ered some challenges, in- cluding sharp economic changes during the Great Re- cession and, most recently, a search for the suspected Seminole Heights serial killer.
He also stated that last year was the first time when property tax revenues re- turned to 2007 levels.
“Tampa is now on the rise with an influx of new jobs and more young people com- ing to the city”.
“We have become a talent importer,” he said. “No longer do our children have to leave for Charlotte.”
The mayor acknowledged there’s more work to be done, including upgrades to the city’s stormwater and transit systems.
The solution to Tampa’s congestion could lie in ex- panding the streetcar so that it connects to more neighbor-
hoods. City officials are col- laborating with private and academic partners to study what’s feasible.
But moving forward on a solution will lie on a newly- elected mayor and council members, Mayor Buck- horn said.
“Transportation will re- main our Achilles heel until we elect people who are seri- ous about solutions,” he said.
In Tampa, “we are all on common ground” and the city’s last chapter is “yet to be written,” he said.
“This city, our city, where it doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or Republican, but it matters if you are a Tam- panian,” he said.
In his closing, Mayor Buckhorn again reminded the audience about what’s at stake in upcoming elections.
“This time next year, there will be a new mayor and mostly new city council,” he said. “Choose wisely.”
Ross Anderson, Ms. Tawanda Carter, Aaron Webb, and Owen Young, Area 4 Superintendent, are shown at the ceremony.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On May 1st, the Hillsbor- ough County School District held its 32nd Annual Hillsbor- ough County Turnaround Achievement Awards. The program is designed to recog- nize one student from each school.
On the high school level, each student chosen receives a $1,000 scholarship to a tech- nical school in Hillsborough County. They also receive a plaque engraved naming them as the “Turnaround Student of the Year.”
The Turnaround Program recognizes those students who
have made the most improve- ment during the school year.
This year, the honor of
“Turnaround Student of the Year” for Brooks DeBar- tolo High School goes to Aaron Webb. His mother, Ms. Tawanda Carter, and his mentor, Ross Anderson, educator and founder of Men of Vision, Inc., were on hand to congratulate him.
Aaron is also an active member of Men of Vision, Inc., for several years.
The awards program was held at the Sam Horton In- structional Services Center. The awards program recog- nized public and charter high school students.
PAGE 10 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018