The last two weeks of November were packed with amazing discussions about how we can design future places and activate existing spaces in the Innovation District.
We began with a workshop of 50+ private industry, academic, government and nonprofit partners who are working in Tampa Bay's Ocean Economy. They discussed our regional assets and identified several opportunities for innovation. We will be integrating these discussions into our work with startups in 2025, as well as the development of a Tampa Bay Ocean Economy strategy.
We also hosted a series of focus groups for our District Master Plan. These groups explored aspirational ideas for the activation of spaces, multimodal transportation, mixed use development, and the interconnection of the port, airport and arts areas. Participants shared their hopes for future resilient infrastructure, flood management, enhanced safety, and new support services such as a daycare and workforce housing. There will be additional focus groups including dedicated neighborhood sessions after the holidays.
Finally, we hosted our quarterly Morning Spark breakfast to explore Future Air Mobility - vertical electric flight with pilot and autonomous. The participants heard from experts, discussed the applicability for Albert Whitted Airport and other parts of the City, and created a list of questions that were provided as a suggested starting point to the upcoming City task force on the topic. Our next Morning Spark will be December 11th.
I am looking forward to using these ideas as a launchpad for 2025!
Alison Barlow
Executive Director
Last month, the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub kicked off the school year with a lively Retro Back-to-School themed Happy Hour. Tenants brought their families, and the space was filled with throwback snacks, classic laser backdrop photo ops, and plenty of nostalgic fun.
Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay's 3DE initiative connects high school students with local and national businesses, giving them hands-on experience in problem-solving.
October always feels like conference season — a time when professionals from around the world gather to exchange ideas, explore emerging trends, and strengthen collaborations. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending and speaking at the OCEANS 2025 Conference in Chicago, a global gathering for those advancing ocean science and maritime technology.