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Mayoral hopefuls tout port, campus
By DAVID KARP, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- The candidates for mayor are talking about Tampa's economy, a discussion that is focusing on what institution will take the city into brighter times. Will it be the port or the campus? Again and again, talks by City Council member Bob Buckhorn and business consultant Frank Sanchez has turned to these two institutions as the keys to economic prosperity. Buckhorn likes to talk about the campus, mainly at the University of South Florida, which he hopes will become the economic engine that brings technology companies to Tampa. Sanchez talks about the port, both the sea port and Tampa International Airport, which he sees as gateways for making Tampa a leading trading partner with Latin America. Both candidates, of course, praise both the campus and the port. But on the campaign stump, Sanchez and Buckhorn push different priorities. Mayoral candidate Charlie Miranda, who is the chairman of the City Council, will announce a more detailed campaign platform later this year. Miranda said he wants to make sure the city's economy stays diverse and supports small businesses. County Commissioner Chris Hart, who also is running for mayor, also talks about economic development. Hart says he will come out with a campaign platform before the March 2003 city election. Whoever wins the race, business leaders welcome the discussion. Ever since author John Naisbitt named Tampa one of the "10 new cities of great opportunity" in the 1980s, city leaders have been trying to figure out how to make "America's Next Great City" actually great. They have rallied behind tourism, heavily marketing the beaches and Busch Gardens. They have lured call centers from the North by touting Florida's warm weather and low labor costs. But business leaders said that strategy has not provided Tampa the high-paying jobs and homegrown companies that strong cities need. A recent survey of major U.S. cities by the Progressive Policy Institute rated how well cities are performing in the so-called "New Economy." Tampa came in 43rd out of 50. "I could suggest that Tampa has some strength," said Rob Atkinson, vice president of the policy institute, who will speak to the Tampa Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. "But it has its work cut out for it." The portWhen Sanchez moved back to Tampa after working as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Transportation, he opened his consulting business in the Channel District at the port's "world trade center." His office location fits his philosophy. Fluent in Spanish, Sanchez negotiated airline agreements with Latin American countries from his post in Washington. As mayor, he wants to expand the port, lure more international flights to TIA, and encourage banks to expand international banking services here. As mayor, he would sit on both the airport and port authorities boards. "You have companies that fly over Tampa and set up shop in Miami," Sanchez said. Those companies should locate here because Tampa has less traffic, lower taxes and an easier pace. Tampa also has a strong Latin community, where international business travelers who speak Spanish can feel comfortable. Not enough business travelers know about Tampa's Mexican, Peruvian, Dominician and Chilean citizens, Sanchez said. "We need to recognize and treat that community as the wonderful asset it is," he said. The jobs that will come with trade include high-paying financial services and technology jobs, as well as union jobs at the port that also pay well, he said. And Tampa doesn't have to create an entire new industry to make gains. "We don't need to make grandiose statements," Sanchez said. "We need to take the assets our community has and use them to our advantage." Economists have their doubts. TIA officials have been trying for years -- without much success -- to get more international flights routed through TIA. Miami's airport, which operates more as a hub that connects flights than a destination point such as Tampa, has far more international flights. University of Florida economics professor David Denslow cautions against betting on international trade. Policies that Tampa can't control -- including wars and international trade agreements -- can slow trade. "It is a little bit of a gamble that the pace of globalization will continue," Denslow said. The campusBuckhorn likes the port, too, but he is much more gun-ho about the campus. When he announced his technology plan for Tampa last week, Buckhorn called it "Transitioning Tampa to the New Economy." "I am going to make Tampa a technology destination point," said Buckhorn , who communicates with his City Council aide by using his BlackBerry, the handheld e-mail gadget. Buckhorn said he would name a chief technology officer who would make city government more computer-driven. Citizens could pay water bills online and download city documents from the Web. City recreation and senior centers would have more computers. Buckhorn offered no estimate on what computers would cost in the short-term, although technology would save money over the long run. Buckhorn also wants to help the University of South Florida create businesses out of inventions and discoveries made on campus. He would fund more "high-tech incubators" -- centers that support and assist budding technology companies. He would work with the chamber to recruit more technology companies. "The underpinning of every great technology city is tied to a good research university," Buckhorn said. Buckhorn's ideas come, in part, from a small band of entrepreneurs who created the Tampa Bay Technology Forum. One of the forum's leaders, Marty Donsky, a former journalist who now works at PricewaterhouseCoopers, is a friend of Buckhorn's. "I think Bob realizes the importance of a strong middle class of voters," Donsky said. "Any city to grow needs to have more than sun, water and low taxes." While he supports international trade, Donsky doubts that focusing on trade will create the intellectual base that bring high-paying jobs and civic progress. "Trade is fine," Donsky said. "The issue is what kind of jobs are there, what do people do, and how do they earn a living." Buckhorn has his skeptics. While USF's research prowess has shown increasing strength in recent years -- at least as measured by contracts and grants -- few think it will ever achieve the intellectual power of a Stanford University or MIT. Even in Florida, it lags well behind UF. "The problem is it takes real stars for universities to draw in the companies," said Denslow, the UF economist. "You can have really good academics and they help. But the ones that bring in the companies are the incredible academics, the truly exceptional ones. "It would be great if USF could bring in more of those people, but that is a tough thing to do," he said. In the study of U.S. cities, Tampa ranked particularly low in workforce education. Out of 50 cities, it came in 47th. Still, Atkinson of the policy institute, who will speak to the Chamber this week, called the debate in the mayor's race healthy. "It could be worse," he said. "You could have some candidate talking about recruiting call centers." -- Staff writer David Karp can be reached at 226-3376 or karp@sptimes.com.
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