Tampa's $108 million City Center opens its doors
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 27, 2023

A hefty percentage of Tampa's administrative staff will work together under the same roof for the first time by the end of the year.

City officials unveiled a new $108 million office complex located in East Tampa last week. About 500 employees spanning six departments will be in the 161,000-square-foot building by December, according to a release. The city employs almost 5,000 employees.

Mayor Jane Castor pitched the new complex, dubbed City Center at Hanna Avenue, as a tool to streamline operations, engage the community and develop a workforce pipeline.

"Our aim here was to centralize [operations] and have a sort of one-stop shop for city services in the community in a central location," Castor said at a press conference.

The project attracted controversy in 2022 when Castor's administration failed to re-bid a design-build contract that started at about $10 million before ballooning to the final $108 million price tag.

In response to community outcry — including from the Black community — general contractor DPR Construction upped its equal business opportunity goal to 35%, which included an expectation to hire Black-owned businesses for 20% of the subcontracted work. DPR exceeded that 20% Black Business Enterprise participation requirement, according to the city.

City Center at Hanna Avenue will house the following departments: construction services and neighborhood enhancement offices, business tax, code enforcement, housing and community development and human rights.

The complex is located at 2555 East Hanna Ave. just north of Hillsborough Avenue.