Fixing Transportation And The Housing Crisis

Fixing Transportation And The Housing Crisis

Bemetra Simmons is the President and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a coalition of regional business and nonprofit leaders focused on improving the civic quality and economic well-being of Tampa Bay. Since taking the role in 2021, she has worked to convene CEOs, policymakers, business leaders, and community organizations around major regional issues including housing affordability, transportation, workforce development, education, and economic competitiveness. She explains: ◼️Why Tampa Bay’s housing crisis is really a workforce housing crisis ◼️How 400,000 households are being cost burdened by housing and transportation ◼️Why Tampa Bay needs a regional strategy instead of every city solving problems alone ◼️How merging transportation planning could help Tampa Bay compete for major infrastructure funding ◼️Why public private partnerships may be the key to building housing, transit, and long-term regional growth 0:00 Intro 1:02 What the partnership does 4:45 Regional housing study findings 7:32 Tampa Bay Rising initiative 12:24 Merging transportation planning organizations 19:34 Regional Infrastructure Accelerator explained 21:27 Five shortlisted transit projects 33:15 Private capital and financing 39:21 Workforce housing challenges 49:08 Regional collaboration and identity

The Nonprofit Tampa Cannot Afford To Lose | Crisis Center of Tampa Bay

Clara A. Reynolds is the President & CEO of Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, a Tampa native, social worker, and longtime community leader helping people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives, including mental health crises, substance abuse, financial distress, sexual assault, domestic violence, and emergency medical situations. She explains: ◼️How Crisis Center of Tampa Bay answers 211 and 988 calls for people facing crisis ◼️Why suicide calls, sexual assault calls, and mental health needs rise after major public events ◼️How the C3 program diverts police calls by giving people immediate emotional support ◼️Why TransCare ambulances respond to medical and psychiatric emergencies across Tampa ◼️What funding cuts, property tax reform, and nonprofit challenges could mean for Tampa Bay’s safety net 00:00 - Intro 01:33 - Clara's path to CEO 12:16 - Mother's death, personal motivation 16:57 - Hiring and training call staff 27:47 - Crisis trends and social media 32:26 - How the crisis center funded 36:06 - C3 program diverts police calls 46:00 - Nonprofits facing funding cuts 54:44 - Homelessness and housing crisis 1:14:43 - Property tax reform risks

Why St. Pete Is Perfect For Small Businesses

Zach Pace and Rachelle Tomushev are the co-founders of Volta Wine & Market, a new wine shop, gourmet market, and wine bar opening at 400 Central in downtown Saint Petersburg, with Zach bringing sommelier experience and a Michelin hospitality background and Rachelle helping shape the brand, operations, and customer experience. 0:00 - Volta Wine & Market intro 9:08 - Florida vs. California business climate1 1:29 - Signing the lease journey 17:33 - Choosing 400 Central location 26:50 - Founding partners' dynamic 40:05 - Food and beverage menu 43:07 - Wine sourcing philosophy 54:44 - Pricing and accessibility 1:01:03 - Curated water selection

The Making of A Land Remembered

Todd Wiseman Jr. is a Florida-born filmmaker, entrepreneur, and showrunner leading the ambitious adaptation of A Land Remembered into a major television series. After building and successfully exiting a production company, he returned home to help pioneer a new model for independent filmmaking while bringing Florida’s history, culture, and natural beauty to the screen.

Tom DeGeorge on Tampa's Transition And The Fight To Preserve Its Identity | EP.189

Tom DeGeorge is the owner of Crowbar, the independent Ybor City music venue closing this summer after 20 years, and a longtime voice in the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), the coalition behind the Save Our Stages Act. He recently testified before the House and Senate Judiciary Committee about Live Nation and Ticketmaster, just weeks after a Manhattan jury found the company guilty of running an illegal monopoly. 0:00 Welcome back from Congress 6:32 What Live Nation controls 14:49 Why small rooms matter 26:27 Venues as anchor businesses 39:07 Ybor's identity crisis 48:41 Aggressive parking hurts Ybor 1:09:37 Reactionary policies backfire 1:15:21 The Grand Oak tree fight 1:30:45 Jury finds Live Nation guilty 1:45:46 Pearl Jam warned us first