The Tampa Riverwalk: 40 years from start to finish

A brief walking tour of one of Florida's most recent significant public waterfront investments: The Tampa Riverwalk

MacDill Park

How has the project been funded? Over the last decade, the City has included the project in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget. No property tax was used as most of the Riverwalk CIP funding comes from federal gas tax revenues. The only exception was the $62,000 came from the Channelside Tax Increment District, which is property tax folded back into that specific district. Since City dollars alone are not enough, planners pursued every source of funding, including state and federal grants and private donations through the Friends of the Riverwalk. The specific break down of the total cost is: Grants - 53%, City - 42% and Private - 5%. Department of Transportation grants have provided about 44% of the total cost.

What is the TIGER IV Grant and what did it do for the city? The TIGER Grant is a highly competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The total amount available nationwide was close to $500,000,000. The City of Tampa partnered with the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) to put in an application to fund the building of the two Riverwalk sections, Kennedy Boulevard Plaza and Doyle Carlton, and Selmon Greenway. The City and THEA were notified in June of 2012 of the award of $10,900,000 to complete the three items listed above. There were only two of these grants awarded in the State of Florida that year.

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park