Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

The third installment of the Tampa Tribune’s Tampa Project was published on Sunday.  This one looks at the leadership (or lack of) currently in Tampa.  It includes a story on the rocky relationship between the city and county officials.  The results of such leadership can be seen right in Ybor City.  This piece succintly recaps the way things have been done around here.  In summary, 15 years ago, leaders (and greedy club owners) envisioned turning a quaint shopping district into a mini French Quarter.  Now Centro Ybor, including the movie theater and GameWorks attempt to attract families and children.  The new Club Bling allows patrons 13 to 18, and is the center of the latest controversy.  Most of the clubs encourage the 18 to 25 year old demographic, while some other venues and restaurants desire an older clientele.  The end result is not a mini French Quarter, not a quaint shopping/dining area, not even a real tourist destination, but a hodge-podge of businesses with differing (and not necessarily compatible) visions.

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