Tampa city council gets updated about Hanna Avenue project, but wants more answers

Today, Tampa city staff gave an update about the City Center at Hanna Avenue project, but in the end, city council was left wanting more information.

The update came after no documentation was provided related to the project’s apprenticeship program, which is designed to train young workers as the project is built.

The lack of information raised the concerns of several council members, along with union representatives about the project. Over the past year the project has been met with criticism, after the $108 million contract was given to DPR Construction without a public bid, which is required by state law.

But today, Adri Colina, Director of Logistics and Asset Management for the city, attempted to put council and the public’s concerns to rest. “I am proud to stand before you today with a very good news story,” Colina said.

She pointed out that DPR voluntarily entered into the apprenticeship agreement, because Tampa city requiring apprentices didn’t go into effect until after the Hanna Avenue project was approved. She said that 26 apprentices have worked on the project so far, and that most of them are still on the job, or have moved to other sites to continue their apprenticeships.

Pay for the apprentices depends on experience. The average pay for the apprentices, Colina said, is $18.55. The highest paid apprentice was paid $24.77 and the lowest was paid $15.18. Colina added that all of the apprenticeship programs are certified by the state, which the law requires.

Multiple council people asked for documentation of what Colina was saying, because it hadn’t been provided before the meeting. They also had requested DPR representatives to be present to answer questions, but none were available during the time of the council meeting.

Councilman Guido Maniscalco wanted to know how many apprentices live in the City of Tampa, as opposed to other cities and counties. During the public comment portion of the council meeting, three apprentices had shown up to talk about their experience, most of them praising DPR. But only one of the three said they lived in city limits.

“This is one of the largest projects we've ever spent our money on, but we have to make it as meaningful as possible in trying to lift up our own community and give them a better life path to the American dream,” Maniscalco said.

Orlando Gudes, councilman for District 5 in East Tampa where the city center is being constructed, suggested recruiting more from that area. He said that putting up signs around the neighborhoods can help.

“I couldn't agree with you more,” Colina said. “And we have aggressively tried to do that.”

She said that one of the apprentices who spoke at council lives in the area that the construction is taking place in. She said that DPR has hosted job fairs and recruited online aggressively.

Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak wanted to see an increase in the amount of apprentices on the project. She also pointed out that the pay for apprentices was low compared to union apprentice wages.

“I think we could have done better than that,” Hurtak said.

Colina responded that the first few months of the project was for soil remediation, which didn’t afford an opportunity to bring on apprentices. However she said that now that they’re moving toward interior work on the project, they hope to increase the amount of apprentices and the hours that they spend training.

But Hurtak and other council members wanted more specifics on the apprenticeship classes and how they’re conducted. And they wanted exact numbers on how many are from Tampa proper, as opposed to from other areas of Florida.

They also wanted documentation related to the project and on the certifications for the apprenticeship programs, so they can look at it with their own eyes.

“What I want is more specifics about this project and how the apprenticeship is actually going, because this is the kind of stuff that we're going to be looking for in future apprenticeship programs,” Hurtak said.

Council voted unanimously for staff to return on Feb. 16 with more answers.