Join us for our March general membership meeting on Thursday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. at The Quarter at Ybor 2nd Floor Community Room (Palm Ave and 18th St – above Food Mart). 

We will be joined by the Tampa Police Department who will talk about how to keep you and your home safe.  They will be able to answer any questions you might have about crime in Ybor.

We will take action on two items:
1)      Take a formal position on the TECO Streetcar Extension into the core of Downtown Tampa.
2)      Take a formal position on new wet zonings and extension of wet-zonings for bars and nightclubs in the district. 

We will also give out more information on our upcoming officer and board elections this May and update you on a any new and interesting Ybor City news.

Community Meeting to Discuss Stormwater/Drainage Redesign for 5th Avenue and 17th Street

City of Tampa staff will discuss stormwater/drainage issues affecting 5th Ave. and 17th St. including solutions, costs, timeframe, etc.  Please plan to be at this important meeting!

Wednesday, March 5 – 5:00 p.m. Italian Club - 1731 E. 7th Ave.

Plan to stay for the Ybor Community Meeting at 5:30 p.m. as we prioritize community improvement projects for next year.

This is YOUR chance to have a say on how YOUR tax dollars are spent in YOUR neighborhood. 

IDEAS GLADLY ACCEPTED!

As many of you know Rock-n-Sports, one of our local restaurant/bars, has moved to a bigger place on the second floor of Centro Ybor. We wish the continued success. Here is an article printed on the Tribune recently:

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

Updated: 02/04/2008 09:34 pm

YBOR CITY - Dean Del Riccio and Franja Eastling almost gave up on Ybor City for their Rock-n-Sports Bar & Grille.

They opened on a corner of 15th Street and Eighth Avenue in July 2005, but within 18 months the business partners were facing six months of torn-up streets courtesy of a stormwater project.

They hung on through the disruption but recently moved to a top perch in the Centro Ybor complex, with a large wraparound balcony on Seventh Avenue.

Del Riccio said the change from a smaller spot to a 172-seat restaurant and bar, plus 100 seats on the patio, also changed his clientele. Now patrons are mostly families rather than college students. He said he’s also seeing regulars as Ybor City changes back into a working neighborhood, as it was when cigar workers filled the streets.

Del Riccio, 38, who commutes from Pasco County, said Centro Ybor’s owners have helped with the move and with promotion. He was disappointed to see Big City Tavern close recently but is excited about the complex’s growing office portion. Grafx Design of Tampa is moving in across from Rock-n-Sports, and Tampa Digital Studios also is a new tenant.

The restaurant has installed 30 televisions and a 140-inch projector screen above the bar.

"When a game is on, it just echoes throughout Centro Ybor, so people come from all over," Del Riccio said.

Rock-n-Sports Bar & Grille is in Centro Ybor, 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Suite E200. For information, call (813) 242-6220.

So far this year Ybor has been bustling with activity and has kept everyone busy, including myself. In fact at times so busy, that I had neglected updating our site. Following are some old and new news about our neighborhood, from crime (or lack thereof) to various events. 

The first Historic Ybor Neighborhood Civic Association (HYNCA) Meeting of the year!  - Thursday, January 31 – 6:30 p.m. at the Ybor Hampton Inn (1301 E. 7^th Ave.).

 We will discuss ongoing topics related to Ybor City including:

• Fight to reopen 20^th Street at Palm Ave.
• HART/TECO Streetcar Line Presentation
• Installation of decorative brick crosswalks in residential areas
• Decorative street lighting in residentail areas
• Community vision plan for CRA2 (areas south of 6th Ave. and north of Palm Ave)
• New business which YOU wish to bring up

Meetings this year will be held every last Thursday of every other month at 6:30 pm - January 31, March 27, May 29, July 31, September 25, and Holiday Pot Luck in December.  

If you are a business owner and would like to host a meeting, please contact HYNCA President Tony LaColla at alacolla@hynca.com.

Sheriff’s Office Petition to Vacate 20^th Street between Palm Ave and 8^th Ave. – Thursday, February 7, 9:00 am at City Council (315 E. Kennedy Blvd., Downtown Tampa). 

We must show up in full force in order to send a message to City Council that we will not stand for the closure of 20^th Street in our National Historic Landmark District.  SPEAK OUT against the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s plan to permanently close our neighborhood streets and block them off with gates. 

We must keep 20^th Street open to protect the historic grid system, provide easily walkable, bikeable, and drivable connections for residents and visitors, and protect our community against campus style offices that become self contained enclaves.  20^th Street has been closed “temporarily” since September 2001 in the name of national security.  It’s time to open the street back up!  The only way to fight the Sheriff’s Office plan is with YOUR participation.

We also encourage you to write City Council and let them know why our neighborhood wants 20^th Street to be reopened and remain open.  Take 5 minutes and write an e-mail to tampacitycouncil@tampagov.net TODAY!!!!  Please copy alacolla@hynca.com when you send the e-mail. 

A self defense course will be held in Ybor for all residents of TPD District III. The course will go over basic safety tips to make your home and valuables safer (not basic karate moves as the name might have suggested).  

From TPD: 

The Tampa Police Department will hold a self-defense and personal safety class in Ybor City on January 23 at 6:30p.m. General sign-up is now open! Space is limited!

The class will be at the Children’s Board located at 1002 E. Palm Avenue. There are many seats left. Anyone who is interested and who would like to reserve a seat can e-mail Robert.Barrett@TampaGov.net or you can contact CSO Chris Cochran on the District III Crime Prevention Hotline at 242-3817

From the YCDC:

RETAIL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
MEETING 1/9/08

Happy New Year!  Please join fellow retailers, property owners and merchants for the next roundtable discussion about Ybor City’s current and future retail opportunities.  This meeting will focus on business retention and retail incubation as well as report on follow-up activities.

WHEN:         Wednesday, January 9, 2008
9:00 - 11:00 am

WHERE:         YCDC Office (next to Elmer’s Sports Bar)
2015 E. 7th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605

Retail Development Committee Chairman Joe Howden invites everyone to attend this meeting. “We want your ideas and grassroots solutions to develop successful retail business strategies for Ybor City.”

The meeting is open to the public and free parking is available in the parking lot (west side of the building).  For more information, please contact Brenda Thrower, Ybor City Development Corporation at 813/274-7917.

The Tampa Film Review will celebrate four years of showcasing local independent film on Friday, January 11 from 8 – 10 p.m. at the International Bazaar, 1600 E. Eighth Ave. in the Centro Ybor complex in Ybor City, by honoring both the best filmmakers of today and some of Tampa’s legendary artists. The event will be preceded by live music and refreshments at 7 p.m.

The January show will feature a “Best Of 2007” lineup. Each film showcased will also be presented with an award named in honor of a legendary Tampa artist.

The Tampa Film Review hopes such an event can bridge the gap between today’s artists and those Tampa artists who paved the way for the successes of Tampa’s current crop of artists. All of the filmmakers being honored will be present to accept the award. Many of the artists for whom the awards are named will either be on hand to present the award or have friends or family present the award in their stead.

The Tampa Film Review was founded in 2004 by Pete and Paul Guzzo as a monthly showcase for locally produced independent short films. During its first year, its average attendance numbered just 40. Today, almost 150 people a month are regularly in attendance with some months seeing close to 250 people in attendance. Films showcased at the TFR have also been screened at the Tampa Museum of Art’s Art After Dark events throughout the year. The TFR has also set up an exchange program with other monthly film fests around the world. In 2007, select films screened at TFR were shown in Canada, Australia and Oklahoma.

Tampa Film Review was awarded a 2005 Best of the Bay Award for BEST REASONS TO BELIEVE THE LOCAL FILM SCENE IS ALIVE AND WELL and another in 2007 for “BEST QUICK RECOVERY.”

Aggresive begging is a crime. If you are solicited more than once, it is considered aggressive, and is punishable by law. Make sure to contact TPD if this happens to you.

YBOR CITY - Michael Dunn had an unpleasant experience recently with what he calls an aggressive panhandler who wanted him to buy fake flowers made of twigs and leaves.

The incident happened in front of Dunn’s business, Stogie Castillo’s Cigar Lounge and Factory in Centro Ybor, where a cigar roller works behind the window, often attracting a crowd.

Dunn told the panhandler to move along and called the police when the man didn’t budge. The officer handcuffed the man but released him a few blocks away, Dunn said.

Back came the man to thumb his nose at the shopkeeper.

Dunn called Capt. Marc Hamlin of District 3 and was reassured that wouldn’t happen again.

"Capt. Hamlin feels our pain," Dunn said.

Hamlin said he’s determined to clean up begging on the streets of Ybor City. During a recent two-day sweep, his officers arrested 23 panhandlers in the historic district and took them for booking.

Some have felony records; others have outstanding warrants.

"In most cases, we’re dealing with career criminals here," Hamlin said.

He isn’t sure when the panhandling detail will work again.

"It could be a weekly thing or monthly," he said. "But one thing is for sure, we want to monitor this situation and maintain our vigilance. This should never get out of hand again."

That’s delightful news to Ybor City’s retail development committee. During a recent meeting at the Ybor City Development Corp., 2015 E. Seventh Ave., some of the 25 or so in attendance expressed gratitude for law enforcement’s crackdown on panhandling.

Through the years, Ybor City officials have asked for help. The city council passed an ordinance in 1993 outlawing aggressive panhandling, which is described as harassing or repeatedly asking for money.

Aggressive panhandling is common along Seventh, officials say.

"I’m pretty impressed with the police response," said committee chairman Joe Howden, who lives in Ybor City and works part time at King Corona Cigars on Seventh. "Their strategy is to keep the panhandlers moving right out of Ybor City and it’s working."

Vince Pardo, president of the development corporation, encouraged store owners to report panhandling.

"This is all about community involvement," he said. "We can’t say, ‘It’s not my problem’ and walk away. This hurts our attracting tourists and visitors. We need to minimize the characters on the street."

Tom Keating, president of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce, said the recent police operation was sophisticated.

"This wasn’t a casual thing at all," he said. "They moved in."

David Harvey, who operates Centro Ybor for M&J Wilkow, a Chicago-based real estate company, said the shopping and office plaza has full-time security.

"They patrol constantly," he said, although working with law enforcement is the only way to eliminate panhandling.

Beginning Jan. 27, Ybor City will have beefed-up patrols for retail customers and shop workers. Hamlin said two officers will patrol from about 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., either in golf carts or on bicycles.

"This could start earlier in the morning because people do come to the district for breakfast," he said. "But the point is to be in concert with the merchants. Our officers will get to know them and their issues."

The Historic Ybor Neighborhood Civic Association is starting a crime watch. To learn more, e-mail crime watch@hynca.com.

To contact police District 3, call (813) 242-3800.

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 835-2104 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com.