by TRC_Admin | Dec 28, 2021 | Placemaking
Photo: That’s So Tampa
“A massive turtle installation has arrived at Midtown Tampa. The rainbow pattered animal can be seen at the center of the Midtown Tampa development, where holiday decor has also begun to pop up.
The large-scale sculpture installation commissioned from internationally acclaimed Okuda San Miguel reflects Tampa and the surrounding environment.The animal world is represented by the birth of a sea turtle, a natural event characteristic of the Florida west coast, in which this balance between nature and civilization is achieved. Still being the place chosen by this animal to perpetuate its species every year…”
— Andrew Harlan, That’s So Tampa
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by TRC_Admin | Dec 28, 2021 | Placemaking
Illustration: Andrew Harlan, That’s So Tampa
“A glowing green art installation by renowned artist Jim Campbell is set to light up Water Street. The installation, Three Arcs, will bring an entirely new piece of public art to one of the most burgeoning districts in Tampa. This will be in addition to a brand new light display set to shine by the Marriott Hotel in Water Street.
As Water Street Tampa continues to take shape in Downtown Tampa, real estate development firm Strategic Property Partners, LLC (“SPP”) is pleased to announce the expansion of its vibrant public art in the community.
Reflecting Water Street Tampa’s overall vision to create a welcoming environment with diverse experiences, the curated art celebrates the core values of Water Street Tampa: resiliency, connectivity, technology and well-being. As the mixed-use district completes its highly anticipated first phase of development, SPP will unveil two public art installations that were commissioned to anchor the 56-acre neighborhood. The installations, created by San Francisco-based artist Jim Campbell and London-based art and design firm Jason Bruges Studio, will be large-scale focal points at Water Street Tampa, enjoyed by all residents, employees and guests who visit the neighborhood. Public art is integral to Water Street Tampa
“Public art provides thoughtful experiences that everyone can enjoy; the works we have selected for Water Street Tampa create unique opportunities for the community to engage,” said Lee Schaffler, Chief Portfolio Officer of SPP…”
— Andrew Harlan, That’s So Tampa
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by TRC_Admin | Dec 28, 2021 | Environmental, Nature, Trees
Video: 10 Tampa Bay
“The Stoneybrook Golf and Country Club in Sarasota will soon be home to a microforest in an effort to combat climate change.
Members of the Suncoast Urban Reforesters (SURF) were out on Wednesday prepping for their plans to plant more than 1,000 trees on the golf course. They say miniature forests are beneficial for the environment since they are fast-growing and capture carbon from the air.
The effort is part of a larger movement that’s swept the world over the past year. Micro forests have recently been springing up across Europe and here in the U.S. However, it has its roots in one Japanese botanist’s 50-year-old idea.
In the 1970s, botanist Akira Miyawaki planted thousands of these forests in Japan, Malaysia and other parts of the world. The idea being that planting the same species of trees that grow naturally in an area can create a diverse forest community.
Scientists have found that these small forests can not only grow faster but are more biodiverse compared to traditional planting methods. They also found the forests can store 40 times more carbon than any one species of plant, helping aid in the global effort to reduce carbon in the air…”
— 10 Tampa Bay
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by TRC_Admin | Dec 28, 2021 | Codes, Legal
Photo: Michael Laughlin, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
“A South Florida woman wanted to make a statement with her Halloween costume by dressing up as a condo building project she opposes.
She says a local police officer warned her not to, but according to Facebook posts, she did it anyway.
Cat Uden has been an outspoken critic of a developer’s plan to build a 30-story condo on taxpayer-owned beachfront land in Hollywood, Florida.
Ahead of the city’s Hollyweird Halloween block party, Uden posted in a Facebook group encouraging others to dress up like the condo building or hold ‘No Condo’ signs to raise awareness for their cause, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
But Uden ran into an issue when she says a local officer told her the costume coordination plan would be considered a planned protest march, for which she needs a permit.
According to posts by Uden in the ‘Hollywood Residents-Speak Up’ Facebook group, she had previously applied for permits for protests she has held against the condo developer in the past but did not consider this plan a protest…
The Sun Sentinel reports that Uden and six of her friends followed through on the plan and wore their condo building costumes to the block party without issue. The newspaper adds that one woman toting a ‘No Condo’ sign says she even got a hug from a police sergeant…
There has been debate over similar issues in the Tampa Bay area after Sarasota City commissioners approved a developer’s plan to build a high-rise hotel on Siesta Key.
The plan was a point of contention between people who want to further develop Siesta Key to keep up with the area’s rapid growth and those living in the area who don’t want to see their home overrun by high-rise hotels. ”
— Michael Laughlin, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
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by TRC_Admin | Oct 30, 2021 | Litter
Photo: John Pendygraft, Tampa Bay Times
“Earlier this year, Sheri Heilman knew she wasn’t the only one fed up with the litter strewn on Clearwater Beach’s famous sugar sand and the bottles and wrappers stuck in storm drains.
In April, business owners and community leaders spent nearly all of a two-hour meeting that was supposed to be about general beach issues talking about the trash problem.
Over the next few months, Heilman and other stakeholders came up with a plan to send a message to all of Tampa Bay to get serious about the litter that strangles wildlife, fouls waterways and erodes general decency.
Throughout this week, about 1,500 volunteers and 50 businesses and organizations are estimated to have participated in The Big Cleanup, said to be the largest community-wide litter effort in city history. Organized by the Ocean Allies nonprofit founded by Heilman, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Amplify Clearwater and other groups, the goal is for visibility of the six-day event to initiate a culture shift.
‘We hope that this is going to be just the start of the conversation and that this conversation continues into a lifestyle change,’ said Heilman, who also owns Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber restaurant on Clearwater Beach…
Heilman said The Big Cleanup reflects the education about avoidable waste that Ocean Allies has been trying to spread to businesses in Clearwater. Formed in 2018, Ocean Allies certifies businesses as ocean friendly if they meet certain criteria, like banning single-use plastics and foam, enforcing recycling, and other standards.
So far about 40 restaurants, vendors, salons, hotels and other businesses have been certified, according to the Ocean Allies website.
The Big Cleanup stopped calling for volunteers this week because of the massive response, but Heilman said she hopes residents carry on the spirit of the event every day in their own lives.”
— John Pendygraft, Tampa Bay Times
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