IN THIS ISSUE:

Florida Ushers In New Rail Era

Tampa Bay Partnership Elects 2009-2010 Officers

TBP Annual Report Goes Virtual

Hillsborough County Votes to Put Transit Sales Tax on Ballot

Support Florida's High Speed Rail Effort

Congress of Regional Leaders to Convene in Spring 2010

Congress of Regional Leaders
Watch for the date
in Early March

Florida Ushers In New Rail Era

Dear Tampa Bay Partnership Investors and Supporters:

Wednesday marked a historic moment in Florida with Governor Crist signing into law the Florida Passenger Rail legislation. The leaders of Florida stepped beyond politics last week to usher our state into a new era of infrastructure investments, one that features transit. We now have a stronger position to not only bring home $2.5 billion in high speed rail funding but have also strengthened our ability to successfully complete our regional projects. This legislation signifies that the State will be a strong partner in our regional rail efforts and will have a process to offer funding and support as we move forward.

The strong leadership and courage exhibited by our elected leaders last week is on the right track to finally move our state one step closer to creating the world-class regional and statewide transportation system that will support the sustainable, inclusive and productive economy that our citizens demand.

The unflagging leadership of Governor Crist, Senate President Atwater and Senator Fasano along with all the leaders in the Florida House put the focus on what is best for Florida's future. Special thanks goes to Senators Crist, Detert, Bennett, Jones and Alexander for their support.

The strong outreach from our investors and the business community of Tampa Bay helped everyone understand the critical nature of acting now to secure a better future.

We also extend thanks to our partners around the state, particularly the Central Florida Partnership, who embraced the idea that this effort will benefit all parts of the state.

Our state now has a vision for rail and is building a statewide system that will truly transport our residents and visitors to where they live, work and play.

As we move ahead and voters are asked to decide how to invest their resources, we will already be seeing the benefits of federal investments. We won’t be talking about future connections but our community will quickly see to major projects that work together, being built at the same time. This will add not just momentum, but excitement.

This is not the end of this effort but the beginning. The Tampa Bay region will continue to move forward to build a better tomorrow and we look forward to our work with the state as our strong partner.

View more photos from the bill signing here.

Sincerely,

Stuart L. Rogel

Tampa Bay Partnership Elects
2009-2010 Officers

The Tampa Bay Partnership elected its 2009-2010 officers at its Annual Meeting & Community Update on November 20, 2009 at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.

Elected Chair for 2009-2010 was Gary Sasso, President and CEO of Carlton Fields.  John Schueler, President and CEO of Florida Communications Group, was elected Vice Chair and Chuck Sykes, President and CEO of Sykes Enterprises as Secretary/Treasurer for the Partnership.

"Despite challenging times, our leaders are working on many fronts to keep Tampa Bay moving in the right direction," said Gary Sasso.  "We have much work to do.  As we move forward, we will continue to build upon our Model for Prosperity..."  READ MORE

See video, photos and media coverage from the Annual Meeting & Community Update on our Website - READ MORE

Partnership Annual Report Goes Virtual

The Tampa Bay Partnership 2009 Annual Report is now available online.  This has been a challenging year for all of us, but by rallying the leadership of our region, we have continued to move forward in measurable ways toward a future that has productive, inclusive and sustainable growth and prosperity for all.  Throughout the report, we've highlighted key accomplishments from our Model for Prosperity strategic plan.

In the spirit of conserving our natural resources and maximizing the investment our investors have made in the Tampa Bay Partnership, we are saving money and staying green by producing a "virtual" Annual Report for 2009.  You can access it directly at www.TampaBay.org/AnnualReport.  

Hillsborough County Votes
to Put Transit Sales Tax on Ballot

Hillsborough County commissioners voted on a resolution to put a 1-cent sales tax increase for mass transit and road improvements on the ballot in November 2010. This will allow voters to decide how they want to invest in infrastructure for the region. The Hillsborough County Transportation Task Force recommended that 75 percent of the tax proceeds go to mass transit including a number of new, improved bus lines and a light rail system connecting downtown Tampa with the University of South Florida and the Westshore Business District. Community meetings to take input on proposed bus and rail line routes as well as potential road improvements will be held in January and February.

Support Florida's High Speed Rail effort

ConnectUs, the grassroots campaign to support Florida's high speed rail bid, is working hard to sign up 100,000 citizens to show broad support for this effort.  If you haven't already done so, visit www.fastrailconnectus.com to add your name to the ConnectUs effort and sign up for updates.

News Around The Region

Hillsborough County Public Schools Celebrate $100 Million Grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Over 400 leaders celebrated the awarding of a $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Hillsborough County Public Schools to launch a groundbreaking initiative to support effective teaching and raise student achievement.

Gates Foundation officials noted the district’s commitment to significant reform and the collaborative working relationship between the school district and the Classroom Teachers Association. READ MORE.
 

SRI International to Dedicate New Research Facility
in St. Petersburg

SRI International will be officially dedicating its new 37,000-square-foot research facility on the Bayboro Harbor of St. Petersburg on Friday, December 18, 2009.  SRI International is part of newly announced cluster of oceanographic institutions named the St. Petersburg Ocean Team which includes University of South Florida St. Petersburg, USF’s College of Marine Science and its Center for Ocean Technology, USF’s Research Foundation, SRI St. Petersburg, Florida Institute of Oceanography, International Ocean Institute - USA, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Geological Survey Center for Coastal and Wetland Studies, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, the city of St. Petersburg, The Pier Aquarium and the U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.
 

TBARTA Elects 2010 Officers

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority elected its 2010 officers at its monthly Board Meeting in December.  Ronnie Duncan was named Chairman of TBARTA, Mayor Frank Hibbard, City of Clearwater, was named Vice Chairman, and Pasco County Commissioner Ann Hildebrand and Hugh McGuire were named secretary and treasurer, respectively.  Commissioner John Thrumston of Citrus County was also elected to the Executive Committee.  READ MORE.

Connect with Tampa Bay Partnership
on Social Media

Connect to the Partnership in a whole new way. You can now join the Tampa Bay Partnership community on a number of social media networks.  Become a fan of the Partnership on Facebook, join our group in LinkedIn, and follow us on Twitter for the latest updates about Partnership efforts (www.twitter.com/TBPartnership) and news about the region (www.twitter.com/TampaBayUS).  You can also view Partnership photos on Flickr, video on YouTube, and our favorite websites on StumbleUpon.