Bowman Heights surprised some by rejecting the idea of a formal group because of fears that a clique would take over and force changes.
By DAVID KARP
Published May 7, 2004
WEST TAMPA - Steve Riggs spends his nights watching out for his neighborhood.
He drives around chasing troublemakers out of local parks. He runs off drug dealers sitting in parked cars by the Hillsborough River.
When a drug dealer once threatened him, he didn't flinch.
"You have picked on the wrong neighborhood," said Riggs, a three-year resident.
With so much commitment, Riggs and others who live in the sliver of West Tampa known as Bowman Heights thought it would make sense to form a neighborhood association.
An association could get more out of City Hall, they thought.
But Riggs got an unexpected reaction from many in the neighborhood of about 80 homes, which has seen a recent influx of young couples. People didn't want one.
"It's really interesting," said Shannon Edge, director of the mayor's neighborhood and community relations office. "I haven't worked with a neighborhood that had such strong opposition."
The fight over the association shows what can happen when an established neighborhood turns over to a new generation of families that want to make changes.
Older families - as well as some of the younger ones - opposed the association because they said the area had protected itself for generations without a formal group. They feared a clique would take over the association and force changes on unwilling residents.
"We have lived here for 45 years very successfully without a neighborhood association," said 80-year-old Jean Hill, who raised her two daughters here. "I just feel like they do more harm than good. From everything I heard, a few people are able to move in and take over and tell everyone else what they should do."
Some of the changes could cost residents money or cause property values to increase, which means higher taxes.
Hill said she felt like the association would "eliminate the older people."
Older residents "don't have nearly enough money like they used to," she said. "They were working, and now they are on Social Security."
A generation ago, when families discovered this nook on the Hillsborough River, it was a place for kids. But the families grew up and children moved away. Slowly, residents say, the neighborhood got older.
Now people are moving back, drawn to affordable home prices, the five-minute commute to downtown and the appeal of living in the city.
"They have really upgraded their houses, and they are really nice," Hill said. "They work in the yard. They remodel the houses. It is beginning to look a lot more like it used to."
Sara Howard, 59, moved to the area about three years ago after building her dream house overlooking a bend in the river.
She doesn't plan to leave. "I am going to see my maker in this house," Howard said.
Like others, she wanted to protect her investment. About a year ago she formed a neighborhood watch to fight crime and began discussing other ways to improve the area.
The handful of families who regularly attended the neighborhood watch meetings talked about putting "No Parking" signs along the river. Too many cars were parking there and causing trouble, they said.
They discussed installing speed bumps and neighborhood signs, and finding money to build a wall along Columbus Drive to reduce noise. Until they incorporate, the city won't recognize Bowman Heights or put it on maps.
One resident called the city transportation division and got the immediate go-ahead for the "No Parking" signs. He put in stakes along the river where he thought the signs should go.
People saw the stakes and didn't like them.
Within days they disappeared. People did not want the signs blocking their waterfront view.
"It takes away the natural beauty," said Deborah Guillen, a resident who opposed the association.
Others were alarmed when they read minutes of the neighborhood watch meetings, which were distributed to residents, Riggs said. They thought a handful of people were making decisions for everyone.
Although he supported the group, Riggs said he understood why other residents felt left out. It didn't help that residents were told they needed to attend the evening meetings to have a voice, he said. Many said they couldn't go because they were busy.
"I said, "Listen, we need to find a way to include more people."'
Howard said the opposition came from unfounded fears.
"There are people that have been here for many, many years," she said. "They are just afraid to change."
Fred John, 55, said residents got scared by misinformation. Many thought the association would gain the power to impose mandatory fees and tell residents what they could do to their homes.
"It could never happen," John said.
Others weren't so sure. They worried about residents getting stuck with legal bills if the association was sued.
Residents circulated a petition against creating the association. More than half of the neighborhood signed it, Riggs said. Words were exchanged. Feelings got hurt.
"Our neighborhood was a great neighborhood," Guillen said. "Now there is a lot of tension. It's sad. It really is."
Both sides called a meeting with city officials, led by Edge, the neighborhood liaison
At the meeting in February, residents said they learned that it only takes four people to create an association - even if the rest of the neighborhood doesn't want one.
Jerry Scaglione, who grew up in the neighborhood and lives there with his 85-year-old mother, said he felt pressured by the city to create the association.
"The whole concept is not representation," he said. "It's misrepresentation or nonrepresentation."
Edge said the meeting was for informational purposes. She doesn't want to steer residents one way or the other, she said.
"It's purely voluntary," Edge said. "It's not up to the city to say yes or no."
Edge will help any resident, whether they are in an association or not, she said. Even so, having an association helps, she said.
The 83 association presidents in Tampa can meet with Mayor Pam Iorio, get notices about proposed zonings and receive e-mails about city news. Associations can also apply for city grants to pay for newsletters and Web sites, Edge said.
Most associations charge residents minimal annual fees, usually $25 or less. Some are free.
Recently, three other areas in Tampa, including Harbour Island, decided to create associations. The others are on Mariner Street near Beach Park and Midtown, east of Oakford Park.
"It gives them a unified voice," Edge said. "There is something about power in numbers."
