Now Playing: “All That Straz”

The “David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.” That will soon be the new name for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

By any other name, however, we are talking about one of the premier performing arts venues in the Southeast. Recall its brief, uniquely Tampa, history.

Tampa was a late cultural bloomer. While other cities were turning to the arts for downtown revivals in the 1960s, Tampa was still clinging to its industrial ambience – as witnessed by warehouse row along the Hillsborough River. Sarasota would have its Van Wezel Hall; Clearwater its Ruth Eckerd Hall; and St. Petersburg its Mahaffey Theater. Tampa had its Curtis Hixon Hall.

When the $57-million, 335,000-square-foot TBPAC opened in 1987, it was a product of municipal bonds, nine city-owned, dirt-lot acres and a unique cadre of visionaries that prominently included Hinks Shimberg, H.L. Culbreath, Frank Morsani and Mayor Bob Martinez.

And while civic leaders and local luminaries basked in a waterfront, acoustics-touted venue worthy of great performance, the reality was this: It was an economic development tool. Every major municipality, especially one dubbed “America’s Next Great City,” had to have one. Reminding outsiders that Elvis once performed at The Armory no longer impressed. Tampa needed this to credibly sell itself as a first-class city. The kind that a corporate CEO just might like enough to consider relocating to.

And once they built it, they came. Principally Broadway, thanks in large part to Judith Lisi. She arrived in 1992 – and the new president made Broadway a priority. Over time the offerings would range eclectically from The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables to cabaret shows such as Forever Plaid to the concerts of Mariah Carey and Ruben Blades. TBPAC would eventually rank among the top grossing venues of its size in the country.

And now that TBPAC has, not unexpectedly, felt recessionary fallout in ticket revenue declines and endowment erosion, up steps another visionary, Milwaukee native David A. Straz Jr., 67. The 29-year resident already has a track record of giving back to the community – the University of Tampa’s Straz Hall and the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Hospital at the Lowry Park Zoo. But Straz also comes with an abiding love of the arts –as well as very deep pockets.

The amount of the Straz gift hasn’t been revealed, but it’s being billed as the biggest individual act of cultural philanthropy in the Bay Area. Ever. That would likely mean eight figures. Easily.

Straz’s rationale was blunt: “Our goal is to ensure that it remains world class for our community.”

It should. But the performing arts center is also, we are reminded, so much more than a cultural icon. The venue that will welcome Wonderland next month is a graphic testimonial to one of Tampa’s most precious natural resources. Those special individuals who have made Tampa their home – and, as a consequence, made Tampa a better place. From Shimberg to Straz. Now more than ever, we are fortunate to be — and to have been — blessed by their generosity and their civic involvement.

“We believe that we are all better people when we have access to the arts,” underscored Straz.

Indeed. Plus, they’re still a great economic-development tool.

Bellringing Reality

Call me naïve. I just assumed those pious-looking Salvation Army folks ringing holiday bells in front of collection kettles were volunteers. Actually, they’re minimum wage employees. In a better economy, many of those jobs would go unfilled. Not now.

The Salvation Army recently hired more than 200 bell ringers in St. Petersburg – at $7.25 an hour. Moreover, the Salvation Army can track bell ringers to see who’s really producing – and reward them with prime locations. Or who’s not and – well, Merry Christmas anyway.

Quoteworthy

  • “This is an opportunity to create a jewel. …That’s why we’re working so hard collectively to make it work.” – Mark Huey, Tampa’s administrator for economic development, on the prospects of USF choosing the Heights for its Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation.
  • “Dogs inspire us to be better than we are, while cats demonstrate the basest of instincts, languidly strolling through each of the six remaining deadly sins whenever they can briefly overcome sloth. …Cats thrive in the current climate of passive narcissism.” – Bradley Trevor Greive, author, “Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats.”
  • “My stand has been clear as a fiscal conservative. If you have a problem, you deal with it in a fiscally conservative way. We’re not expanding entitlements; we’re talking about infrastructure, roads.” – Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe on why he backs a proposed transit tax.
  • “For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice – in this world and the next.” – President Barack Obama on what lies ahead for the accused Fort Hood gunman, Maj. Nidal Hasan.
  • “People understand that we’re stealing from future generations. We’re setting the stage for another Perot moment.” – Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana in reference to the 1992 presidential campaign when independent candidate Ross Perot received 19 percent of the popular vote, making it impossible for incumbent George H.W. Bush to win a second term.

Trafficking In Transit Scenarios

As the campaign over transportation inevitably ratchets up, the myriad of issues — as defined by opponents and advocates — will be regularly reoccurring news staples. Most will be economics-driven. Some will be ideological.

*A tax hike during a recession, one that would give Hillsborough County the highest sales tax in the state.

*Questions about who actually will use light rail.   

*Queries about subsidies.

*Concerns about the long-term economic viability of the Tampa Bay area minus meaningful mass transit and the jobs-producing ripple effect from a modern transit system.

*Variations on an improved quality-of-life scenario, including a long-overdue counter to counterproductive urban sprawl.

*Unflattering comparisons to Detroit as the only other major market in America sans mass transit.

 A November 2010 election, one where the ballot would present voters with a one-cent sales tax option for transit improvements — rail, buses and roads – is now historically close to reality. The election is less than a year away, and the Hillsborough County Commission is moving ahead with a plan. The same commission that failed multiple times this decade to respond responsibly to major transportation initiatives.

Recall how we got here. The commission recently voted 5-2 to draft a resolution stating its intent to seek the sales surtax referendum next November. Specifically, that’s Rose Ferlita, Kevin Beckner, Ken Hagan, Kevin White and – especially – Mark Sharpe who voted in favor of putting the tax on the ballot and actually ushering Tampa into the 21st century. Politics and ideological labels took a back seat to Tampa’s future. Well done.

And yet two commissioners, Jim Norman and Al Higginbottom, thought otherwise. Sure, a tax hike on anything, let alone during an economic slump, is a tough sell. And the exact resolution language is yet to be formulated. But the overriding principle is still this: However you see the priorities, how can letting the voters have the ultimate word not be one of them? Are they not to be trusted – even if there’s not a stadium included?

Stand against the economic and quality-of-life viability of this area if you must, make your politically-expedient case as best you can, and invoke the name of Ralph Hughes ad infinitum, but don’t deny locals a direct say in the future. Theirs as well as the next generation’s.

Council Prefers Fairness To Protectionism

Tampa City Council is to be commended for not falling for the siren song of “local preference” in recently voting not to give local businesses, however tempting, an insider’s advantage on government contracts. We all want to take care of our own first, but not at the risk of limiting competition, increasing costs, encouraging retaliation and sending counterproductive signals about parochialism to out-of-town businesses that may be relocation candidates.  

Jailed Juveniles

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing cases pertinent to its decision on whether sentencing juveniles to life in prison – without parole – is a “cruel and unusual” violation of the Eighth Amendment. Especially for those who haven’t killed. Chief Justice John Roberts has already weighed in by suggesting a proportionality test that would factor in context – such as age and nature of the crime.

Roberts speaks to reason. One of the test cases involves a teenager, Joe Sullivan, who was 13 when he brutally raped an elderly woman. Prior to that, he had 17 previous arrests. The application of proportionality — and absent castration — should keep Sullivan where he and older predators belong. Away from society’s most vulnerable members.

Surfing Isn’t Learning

From credit card companies and banks to fraternal organizations and schools, Americans continue to be weaned off of paper. The online future is now — as print-journalism vehicles are constantly reminded.  

Not so fast, however, says tech author Jakob Nielsen, who’s been getting major media attention of late. Hold the concession speeches, he tells newspapers. Be more savvy about your eroding niche.

The web-usability guru notes that readers absorb information differently – depending on whether they’re using a website or a piece of paper. And that’s a distinction that makes a decided difference, he stresses.

Nielsen has actually tracked readers’ eye movements. He says the average reader’s focus online is an “F” pattern. Readers typically begin by scanning horizontally, but before long they start dropping down to see what’s ahead. It leads to comprehension-challenged reading.

The implication: Online is great for bills and statements. Much less so for that which involves anything more than retrieval of basic information. Surfing isn’t learning. Sounds like somebody’s marketing campaign to me.

Cuban Update

*As seen on the photo blog (“Boring Home Utopics,” www.vocescubanas.com) by Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, this was scrawled on a Havana truck: “Viva la Ilusion.” (“Long Live the Illusion.”)

*Those looking for democratic forums in Cuba should look no farther than the country’s parks, reports a recent Reuters piece. That’s where you will find countless examples of “La Esquina Caliente” – or “The Hot Corner.” It’s where Cuba’s passionate, open-air baseball debates occur. Reuters labeled them “the most democratic spaces in Cuba.”

Sports Shorts

*South Carolina received lots of plaudits for the way it honored the military last Saturday against Florida. Their uniforms featured camouflage design touches and labels such as “Duty,” “Service” and “Integrity” replaced players’ names on the backs of jerseys.

Thin line, however, between patriotic salute and gimmick. That was borne out early when the first personal foul — for unsportsmanlike conduct — was called on “Integrity.”

*We know these are tough times for newspapers, and “beats” aren’t what they used to be. But it still seems strange, in this football-crazy market, to see the hometown newspaper “cover” Gator, Seminole and, even, Hurricane games via Florida Today, the Tallahassee Democrat and the Associated Press, respectively.

*A major milestone for USF football and basketball, in addition to becoming more competitive within the Big East, will be when the programs are less reliant on transfers – especially from junior colleges.

*Good for Raheem Morris, the Bucs’ beleaguered but buoyant first-year coach. Control the things you can control in a season that is now an unadulterated salvage project. Finally letting Josh Freeman play was, of course, the biggest change. But good move in implementing a game-day dress code. “Make them look like winners,” explained Morris.

Left unsaid: “Win or lose, you can always show some class. This isn’t the NBA.”

*Granted, professional sports is a parallel universe. Salaries are obviously a prime example. What recession? What’s even more unfathomable sometimes are the disparities – in the context of past performance, long-term contracts and free agency – that so often manifest themselves.

No better example in Major League Baseball than that of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Pat Burrell and Ben Zobrist. At an obscene $9 million, the ineffective designated hitter made more than 22.5 times that of Zobrist, an All-Star and the team’s Most Valuable Player.