The Tampa City Council, acting today as the Community Redevelopment Agency, voted 5-1 to approve changing 10 different signs along Seventh Avenue in Ybor City from “La Setima” to “La Septima,” which a number of community leaders in Ybor have argued for years is the proper spelling.
Leading the charge to have the Council change the signs that have read “La Setima” since 1998 was Fran Costantino, president of the East Ybor Neighborhood Association. She came before the Council with a variety of props, such as stationary and a set of books that she said all reference the correct spelling as “La Septima.”
She said she meant no disrespect toward Ybor historian and author Frank Lastra. As the Tampa Bay Times reported on Thursday, Lastra was the chief proponent of adding the colloquially spelled “La Setima” markers back in 1996.
This article appears in May 10-16, 2012.
