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Downtown guides give visitors help and a smile
Tampa's 13 guides operate as on-the-street concierges who offer directions, recommend restaurants and even change tires - all for free.
By SUSAN THURSTON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 6, 2002
Where do you get the best Cuban sandwich? Where do you pay parking tickets?
Not sure?
Then ask the Downtown Tampa Partnership guides.
They stand eager and ready to help.
The guides hit the streets every day to make people's downtown Tampa experience pleasant and stress-free.
"They're like on-the-street concierges," said Lynda Stephens, programs director for the partnership.
The business group started the service in 1994 to give downtown workers, visitors and residents a greater sense of security. It's modeled after programs in other cities, such as New Orleans.
Tampa's 13 guides offer directions, recommend restaurants and keep a lookout for trouble. They also change tires, jump batteries and open cars with the keys locked inside.
And they do it for free. Smile included.
"There's nothing greater than having some lost soul come up to you . . . and you give them directions," said longtime guide Cliff Scott. "It makes their whole day."
Born and raised in Tampa, Scott says he knows every street, building and restaurant downtown. Spain Restaurant is his pick for ropa vieja. Lucky Dill for a pastrami on rye.
Over the years, Scott has pointed thousands of people in the right direction and unlocked more than 1,000 cars.
He has never broken a window. Colleagues joke that he works faster than a thief.
The guides patrol the streets from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and until midnight Fridays and Saturdays. They work in conjunction with the Clean Team, which picks up trash on the sidewalks and curbs.
The self-proclaimed city ambassadors cover an area bound by the University of Tampa, the Channel District, the Convention Center and Interstate 275. Most walk the streets. One rides in a car assisting motorists.
During lunchtime, you can always find one in the Franklin Street mall.
The guides interact with dozens of people every day. Between January and June 30, they helped 16,435.
The most frequent question: Where's the courthouse?
Answer: 801 Twiggs St. They have it memorized.
Spotting the guides isn't hard. They wear pith helmets, royal blue polo shirts and khaki shorts to create a laid-back, Florida-friendly feel.
The group switched to the blue shirts last month after many people mistook them for security guards and, worse yet, parking meter enforcers.
"I've been called more names," Scott said. "People think we write tickets."
Now, they settle for the occasional "escapee from Busch Gardens" crack.
The guides range in age from 19 to 55 and come from diverse backgrounds. A few speak multiple languages to help international guests.
John Stafford, 51, became a guide in November after serving 24 years in the U.S. Army. He loves the satisfaction of helping others overcome mini-crises. Many approach him in tears.
"We get a lot of people who lose their cars," he said. "We haven't lost one yet."
Stafford estimates he walks about 10 to 15 miles a day. At night, he often wakes up dreaming of addresses and directions.
The program is funded through a tax charged to downtown businesses and approved annually by the City Council.
Guides don't accept tips.
Just the occasional "thanks."
-- Susan Thurston can be reached at 226-3394 or thurston@sptimes.com.
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