Tampa Museum of Art gets additional $10 million in public funds for expansion
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Dec 15, 2023

Tampa Museum of Art will receive an additional $10 million in public money to fund its riverfront expansion.

Tampa City Council, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, on Thursday voted in favor of the additional allocation. The downtown CRA's total contribution to the museum's expansion is now $24.75 million over 10 years.

CRAs are state-designated areas that retain all new or incremental tax money generated within their boundaries to fund future development.

As inflation has pushed up the cost of labor and materials, the overall cost of the museum's expansion has increased by $30 million to $110 million. In 2021, the CRA approved $14.75 million over five years for the expansion. The CRA money will fund portions of the project open to the public, such as "outdoor sculpture plazas, elevator access to and from the southwest corner of the fourth and fifth floors of Poe Parking Garage to Gasparilla Plaza to establish better connectivity and integration of Curtis Hixon Park," according to city documents.

The majority of council members were enthusiastic about the project and the request for additional funding.

"We’re reinvesting in something that is already ours — a city asset," Guido Maniscalco said. "Some people will criticize the arts, but we have to look at the economic impact."

Maniscalco and fellow councilmembers Gwen Henderson, Lynn Hurtak, Alan Clendenin and Charlie Miranda voted in favor of the additional funding. Councilmember Luis Viera voted against the increase. Councilmember Bill Carlson recused himself from the vote, citing a conflict.

Viera cited the potential capping of the Downtown CRA as a reason he couldn't support the additional funding request. He pointed to other potential funding needs on the horizon, such as the expansion of the Tampa Electric Co. streetcar line, the restoration of the Jackson House and the city's ongoing affordable housing crisis.

"There’s a lot of issues we have to put to bed before we look at spending other dollars on it [the museum expansion]," Viera said.