Normal life in downtown Tampa and in the Channelside district will be a little bit different when the Republican National Convention takes place in 12 days, which is why Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Police Chief Jane Castor and a number of other city department heads are holding town hall meetings this week to discuss those disruptions.
The first such meeting took place Tuesday night in front of a few hundred people in the Taylor Great Room at the Florida Aquarium, and included a whole lot of PowerPoint presentations from representatives from transportation, solid waste, emergency management, and other city departments.
Much of the information regarding specific information about street closures has already been extensively reported (and is accessible on the city's website), but the Aquarium meeting was the first time the mayor and other city department heads had spoken directly on how the convention will affect workers and residents.
Chief Castor, Assistant Police Chief John Bennett and City Attorney Jim Shimberg have previously addressed concerns about civil liberties in ACLU supported workshops, but in the Q&A portion of the meeting, Castor was asked about protesters invading Channelside, which is inside the city's "event zone," but isn't expected to be a hub of demonstrations.
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2012.
