TBD POD

Jovany Ruiz grew up in a Puerto Rico village of 127 people before playing Division I football and competing in track at the University at Buffalo, where he walked on as a wide receiver and earned a scholarship in 2020. He is one of four co-founders of Friday Stairs, a free, coach-led workout held at 7 a.m. every Friday on the Tampa Convention Center stairs. Its 250 weekly spots fill within minutes, and it has expanded to Miami Beach, with Atlanta, Los Angeles and Nashville among its announced next cities.0:00 Cold Open and Introduction1:10 What Inspired Friday Stairs5:29 Growing Up in Puerto Rico11:22 A Solo Trip to Bali18:22 Friday Stairs Born in Thailand21:20 Merging Groups and Expanding27:17 A Community-First Business Model32:15 Finding and Training Coaches41:19 Safety and Tampa's Moment50:48 Your City Is Your Gym

Tampa Downtown Partnership President & CEO Kenyetta Bridges reveals the plans to revitalize Franklin Street, transform Downtown Tampa's North End, bring small businesses back to the urban core, and tackle the parking, housing, and development challenges shaping Tampa's future!Kenyetta Bridges is the President & CEO of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, an organization focused on improving the Downtown Tampa experience through economic development, community partnerships, transportation, and public-space improvements. With a background in Detroit's downtown revitalization and adaptive reuse efforts, she brings extensive urban development experience to Tampa as the city experiences rapid growth and transformation.00:00:00 Intro00:00:20 Detroit vs. Tampa growth00:02:53 North End vision plan00:04:13 Franklin Street's history00:13:01 $6M CRA Franklin grant00:36:11 Codes and small spaces00:41:08 Downtown parking frustrations00:55:41 West Tampa heritage district01:04:26 Laurel Street east-west connector01:29:23 Activating under I-275

Tampa Bay's shipping channel is getting its first deepening in about 50 years, and Patrick Blair of Port Tampa Bay joins Garrett Greco to explain what the $1.3 billion Tampa Harbor Navigation Improvement Project means for the cost of goods, gas and building materials across the region. He walks through how the Army Corps of Engineers will take the channel from 43 to 47 feet, why the work stays inside the existing footprint, and where the dredged rock and sand will go, from Egmont Key to 60 new acres at Eastport.Patrick also covers the port's next cruise terminal on the old banana docks site, the traffic plan around Channelside, why the port is running out of land, and how much of Florida's fuel comes in through Port Tampa Bay. It's for anyone who follows Tampa development, waterfront growth, or where the gas, cement and road base around them actually comes from.Patrick Blair is vice president of engineering at Port Tampa Bay, where he oversees permitting, construction, engineering and maintenance. He served four years in the Army, earned his engineering degree, and worked as a structural consultant designing mid-rise buildings in St. Petersburg before joining the port in 2010.0:00 The Harbor Deepening Project2:45 How Hydraulic Dredging Works13:35 Creating and Permitting New Land26:45 Expanding Cruise Capacity31:22 The Waterfront Master Plan37:59 Fuel, Tenants, and Neighbors45:43 Traffic and the Riverwalk50:26 Running the Port's Engineering1:03:22 Dredge Material and Funding1:15:48 Economic Payoff of Deepening

D.C. Goutoufas joins Garrett on Tampa Bay Developer to discuss Tampa's Greek history, the Greek families who once owned property and ran businesses along the downtown riverfront, and how losing his hearing at four shaped his push for closed captioning in local government, plus the story behind Park Tower, downtown Tampa's first skyscraper.D.C. Goutoufas is a Tampa native and the Special Projects Analyst and Disability Outreach Coordinator at the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office. A former Wachovia branch manager and the founder of Gaspar's Cigar Shoppe, he advocates for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and his daughter Olivia joins him to interpret.0:00 Tampa's First Greek Immigrant5:55 Tampa's Lost Greek Riverfront11:16 Park Tower and Family Businesses18:16 Growing Up Deaf in Tampa27:07 Bringing Captions to Government31:40 Running for Council at 2134:55 Tampa Greeks and Tarpon Springs46:11 A Korean War Silver Star50:12 Preserving the Park Hotel1:03:36 Gaspar Cigars and Tampa Tobacco

Akash Patel joins Garrett on Tampa Bay Developer to discuss why developers are frustrated with Tampa, where the city's money is going, and how permitting problems, suburban growth, and outdated transportation could impact Tampa's future.Akash Patel is the founder of Elevate Inc. in Tampa and creator of Noodles & Networking. As a Tampa business leader and entrepreneur, Patel brings a local business perspective to conversations about economic development, networking, infrastructure, and the challenges facing the Tampa Bay community.0:00 Noodles and Networking Recap18:22 Corporate Relocations and Wages21:20 The Rise of Private Clubs29:12 Placemaking and Downtown Traffic41:39 The Rays Stadium Deal52:00 Small Business Permitting Red Tape57:23 Tampa's 2027 Mayor Race1:14:22 City Versus County Funding1:22:03 Amendment 3 and Taxes1:29:52 Getting Involved Locally

Jeff Trosclair joins TBD Podcast to explain how house lifting is helping Florida homeowners protect flood-prone properties, what it actually costs to raise an entire home, and why Hurricanes Helene and Milton created enormous demand for home elevation across Tampa Bay.

The TBD POD goes live from Run Club for MFs That Don’t Run at 1920 Ybor City to talk with the people shaping Tampa’s culture about run clubs, Ybor City, development, community, small businesses, and why so many people are moving to Tampa.

George Guida Jr. joins the TBD Podcast to share the forgotten history of West Tampa, what it was like growing up among its immigrant families, cigar factories, streetcars and family businesses, the legacy of his father “Mr. West Tampa,” and the restoration of the historic Guida Home.00:00 Intro02:55 Cigars build West Tampa10:45 Mutual aid societies21:25 Childhood games and cork ball25:26 The family home30:21 Dad's hot pink fenders41:31 Mr. West Tampa legacy47:26 Restoring the family home50:45 West Tampa's changing future1:02:02 Streetcar memories

Taylor Cheeseman joins TBD to explain how the Children’s Home Network evolved from taking abandoned children off Tampa’s streets in 1892 to providing foster care, behavioral health, family support, special-needs services, and interventions designed to stop families from reaching crisis.00:00 Intro01:19 Carrie Hammersley's 1892 founding05:10 From orphanage to cottage care15:47 Securing the Memorial Highway campus24:31 Specialized residential programs today26:50 Community-based prevention programs30:26 Navigating complex public funding52:07 Public scrutiny of nonprofits1:00:05 Private sector's moral obligation1:08:38 Future plans and getting involved

Conservation Florida President and CEO Traci Deen joins TBD Podcast to explain how Florida can handle explosive population growth while protecting the state parks, water, wildlife corridors, farms, ranches, and wild places that make Florida unique.0:00 - Intro1:41 - State park development controversy10:06 - Florida's explosive population growth17:16 - Balancing growth and conservation31:02 - Data centers spark political debate36:50 - Polk County conservation tax referendum49:17 - Choosing which land to protect54:42 - Military and ranching partnerships1:00:35 - Turning stormwater ponds into parks1:22:04 - Florida's story and culture