Page 2 - Florida Senttinel 7-9-19

Feature Local
Central Florida Chapter Ready To Welcome Transportation Officials National Meeting
When Conference of Mi- nority Transportation Offi- cials (COMTO) Central Florida Chapter President, Carla Williams and also the National Conference Chair welcomes attendees to the 48th National Meeting and Training Conference in Tampa, she hopes to leverage the warm atmosphere of the state to provide a stress-free and productive experience.
“Florida is noted as a va- cation spot with a very re- laxed feel, so I’m sure that will translate well for our at- tendees,” she said. “Plus, we are providing efficient and easy to use guides to our con- ference agenda that will re- duce stress in identifying, finding and enjoying our valuable sessions, panels and seminars.”
Williams, who is Man- ager of Community Relations for the Hillsborough Area Re- gional Transit Authority (HART), is eager to show off the advances in technology and environmentally sensi- tive transportation options available in the area: “every- thing from Tampa Interna- tional Airport’s latest people mover, ‘SkyConnect,’ to our downtowner vehicles down- town and our ‘Keeping it Green’ CNG buses,” she said. And, she adds, proudly “our streetcars are free 7 days a week!”
Williams continues, “Tampa also offers a wealth of enjoyable sights and expe- riences for attendees’ off hours. I recommend a visit to the historic district of Ybor
City, famous for its hand rolled cigars and fresh ground coffee as well as its vi- brant character and charm- ing architecture,” she said.
As well, she urges a visit to the 110-year-old Columbia Restaurant to enjoy their his- torical 1905 salad.
Most exciting for Williams is the opportunity to showcase COMTO and its mission for Central Florida residents. “This is our chance to tell the COMTO story,” she said. “We hope to attract new members to the COMTO family – and it is truly a family -- and to our national mission to level the playing field for multicultural professionals and business owners in the transportation industry.”
The national meeting is in Tampa July 12-16 with sev- eral events being held at the Marriott Water Street.
CARLA WILLIAMS ...President, COMTO Central Florida, National Board of Di- rectors Member and National Conference Chair
City Council Workshop Addressed Housing Issues In City
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
It’s agreed that Tampa has a lack of affordable housing.
And it’s accepted that there may be more than one way to resolve the problem.
While the solutions are unknown, residents at a re- cent City Council workshop demanded one thing: do something.
Building container homes, increasing set asides for new developments, and creating a trust fund strictly for affordable housing are among some of the sugges- tions to address the afford- able housing crunch.
However, last Thurs- day’s workshop was more of a fact-finding mission for the Council rather than to adopt any one solution.
Still, residents made it clear to council members that they want the city to act – and do it swiftly.
“If you keep doing the same thing, the same way, you’re going to get the same result,” said Carolyn An- derson.
The first step is calling affordable housing by a more appropriate name – working-class housing, she said.
The council’s next action should be to host a townhall meeting in District 5, which encompasses much of Tampa’s east side, so that members can learn about the needs and concerns, Anderson said.
VANESSA McCLEARY ...Manager, City Of Tampa Housing And Community
Development
“We want to be heard,” she said. “We think it’s im- perative that you take some time.”
The council also should be aware of the undervalu- ing of land throughout the city, said Christopher Vela, president of the His- toric Ybor Neighborhood Association.
Cheaper single-family homes are going up where triplexes, duplexes, and complexes could stand, he said.
“We need to improve conditions district-wide,” he said. “We need to restore ourselves.”
Prior to public comment, council members got a crash course in the city’s af- fordable housing programs from Vanessa McCleary, manager of housing and community development.
McCleary offered a re- view of the programs, in- cluding homeownership services and rental assis-
tance.
The city also has part-
nerships with various non- profits to help assist residents with rental hous- ing and homeownership, McCleary said.
She admitted that more marketing is necessary to inform citizens more thor- oughly about housing serv- ices and programs. But ultimately, resolving Tampa’s affordable housing problem will require putting more money behind the issue, she said.
“If housing is really a pri- ority, we do need additional funding,” she said. “We do need to do a better job of ed- ucating the public and let- ting them know what’s available.”
What the city should do is make it a goal to build hundreds of units a year and not wait for the state or federal government to act, said Councilman John Dingfelder.
“We should be as self- sufficient as possible,” he said. “These are things we need to think outside the box.”
CITY COUNCILMAN JOHN DINGFELDER
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2019