Visions of the Year to Come 2015
Zev Buffman
President and CEO
Ruth Eckerd Hall
•Tampa will continue moving forward under a strong
Mayor form of government, with a little help from a
friend - Uncle Jeff V.
•St. Pete, despite the Pier delays, will continue growing
in leaps and bounds on the strong backs of the Fine
Arts, productive gay community and fewer
restrictions on developers.
•Clearwater’s God given “Billion Dollar Beach” will
continue to be a booming natural asset.
•Clearwater’s Downtown will step up and solidify its
achievable Cultural Destination Status for Beach
tourists and local residents alike.
•The second new Ruth Eckerd Hall project in the last
twelve months, the all New Murray Theatre, will
reopen in March of 2015 (exactly one year after the
official opening of the Capitol). It will become a center
of new productions, educational incubator and
advanced presentation stage for our five neighboring
counties and beyond, taking place at
REH - Clearwater’s “Eastern shore”.
•A new, revolutionary set of Clearwater zoning rules
will be adopted in 2015, for the Special District of
Downtown, making it highly supportive for
housing & commercial developers, as well as current
& future tenants to maintain existing, or grow new
business in record time!
•The coming of clear and urgent realization that the
current surge of Downtown momentum, proven
valid by the Capitol Theatre’s undeniable and instant
success, may falter if no further ‘people generating’
events are encouraged during 2015.
•Coachman Park will get serious “interim” attention.
The City will encourage its 32-year City Proven
Partner, Ruth Eckerd Hall, into bringing new Festivals
and big name concerts to Coachman – A City whollyowned
prime location, needing only minor improve
ments to succeed. “Pick your low hanging fruit”
now, while long-term goals are in the making.
•The biggest puzzle in this coming year is WHAT
CAN WE DO, while waiting for the Aquarium to
raise its funds, PLUS the “hang time” effect of
creating another Downtown Master Plan based on
the latest of studies?
•City fathers and stakeholders will recognize that
everything could grind to a halt. WE need to keep
moving while we “wait”. We need to learn from
other Downtown stories of success (and failure) or
time will pass us by. This is not a time to be
conservative. The ball is clearly in our court.
EXTRA – Pinellas County forces will emerge in a bold
campaign to keep the RAYS. 9
48 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
JEFF O'KELLEY