TBD POD

Jovany Ruiz grew up in a Puerto Rico village of 127 people before playing Division I football and competing in track at the University at Buffalo, where he walked on as a wide receiver and earned a scholarship in 2020. He is one of four co-founders of Friday Stairs, a free, coach-led workout held at 7 a.m. every Friday on the Tampa Convention Center stairs. Its 250 weekly spots fill within minutes, and it has expanded to Miami Beach, with Atlanta, Los Angeles and Nashville among its announced next cities.0:00 Cold Open and Introduction1:10 What Inspired Friday Stairs5:29 Growing Up in Puerto Rico11:22 A Solo Trip to Bali18:22 Friday Stairs Born in Thailand21:20 Merging Groups and Expanding27:17 A Community-First Business Model32:15 Finding and Training Coaches41:19 Safety and Tampa's Moment50:48 Your City Is Your Gym

Tampa Downtown Partnership President & CEO Kenyetta Bridges reveals the plans to revitalize Franklin Street, transform Downtown Tampa's North End, bring small businesses back to the urban core, and tackle the parking, housing, and development challenges shaping Tampa's future!Kenyetta Bridges is the President & CEO of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, an organization focused on improving the Downtown Tampa experience through economic development, community partnerships, transportation, and public-space improvements. With a background in Detroit's downtown revitalization and adaptive reuse efforts, she brings extensive urban development experience to Tampa as the city experiences rapid growth and transformation.00:00:00 Intro00:00:20 Detroit vs. Tampa growth00:02:53 North End vision plan00:04:13 Franklin Street's history00:13:01 $6M CRA Franklin grant00:36:11 Codes and small spaces00:41:08 Downtown parking frustrations00:55:41 West Tampa heritage district01:04:26 Laurel Street east-west connector01:29:23 Activating under I-275

Tampa Bay's shipping channel is getting its first deepening in about 50 years, and Patrick Blair of Port Tampa Bay joins Garrett Greco to explain what the $1.3 billion Tampa Harbor Navigation Improvement Project means for the cost of goods, gas and building materials across the region. He walks through how the Army Corps of Engineers will take the channel from 43 to 47 feet, why the work stays inside the existing footprint, and where the dredged rock and sand will go, from Egmont Key to 60 new acres at Eastport.Patrick also covers the port's next cruise terminal on the old banana docks site, the traffic plan around Channelside, why the port is running out of land, and how much of Florida's fuel comes in through Port Tampa Bay. It's for anyone who follows Tampa development, waterfront growth, or where the gas, cement and road base around them actually comes from.Patrick Blair is vice president of engineering at Port Tampa Bay, where he oversees permitting, construction, engineering and maintenance. He served four years in the Army, earned his engineering degree, and worked as a structural consultant designing mid-rise buildings in St. Petersburg before joining the port in 2010.0:00 The Harbor Deepening Project2:45 How Hydraulic Dredging Works13:35 Creating and Permitting New Land26:45 Expanding Cruise Capacity31:22 The Waterfront Master Plan37:59 Fuel, Tenants, and Neighbors45:43 Traffic and the Riverwalk50:26 Running the Port's Engineering1:03:22 Dredge Material and Funding1:15:48 Economic Payoff of Deepening

D.C. Goutoufas joins Garrett on Tampa Bay Developer to discuss Tampa's Greek history, the Greek families who once owned property and ran businesses along the downtown riverfront, and how losing his hearing at four shaped his push for closed captioning in local government, plus the story behind Park Tower, downtown Tampa's first skyscraper.D.C. Goutoufas is a Tampa native and the Special Projects Analyst and Disability Outreach Coordinator at the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office. A former Wachovia branch manager and the founder of Gaspar's Cigar Shoppe, he advocates for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and his daughter Olivia joins him to interpret.0:00 Tampa's First Greek Immigrant5:55 Tampa's Lost Greek Riverfront11:16 Park Tower and Family Businesses18:16 Growing Up Deaf in Tampa27:07 Bringing Captions to Government31:40 Running for Council at 2134:55 Tampa Greeks and Tarpon Springs46:11 A Korean War Silver Star50:12 Preserving the Park Hotel1:03:36 Gaspar Cigars and Tampa Tobacco

Akash Patel joins Garrett on Tampa Bay Developer to discuss why developers are frustrated with Tampa, where the city's money is going, and how permitting problems, suburban growth, and outdated transportation could impact Tampa's future.Akash Patel is the founder of Elevate Inc. in Tampa and creator of Noodles & Networking. As a Tampa business leader and entrepreneur, Patel brings a local business perspective to conversations about economic development, networking, infrastructure, and the challenges facing the Tampa Bay community.0:00 Noodles and Networking Recap18:22 Corporate Relocations and Wages21:20 The Rise of Private Clubs29:12 Placemaking and Downtown Traffic41:39 The Rays Stadium Deal52:00 Small Business Permitting Red Tape57:23 Tampa's 2027 Mayor Race1:14:22 City Versus County Funding1:22:03 Amendment 3 and Taxes1:29:52 Getting Involved Locally