A resounding message from the City of Tampa and its police chief over the last couple of weeks has been, “We hear you” (read: a non-binding resolution to officially apologize for the city’s racist history; promises to take findings from a task force on policing seriously).
And while only time will tell if action follows those words, the city does have another opportunity for citizens to try and make their voices heard.
Sunday is the deadline to complete an input survey that’s part of a Community Input Tool for the “Resilient Tampa Roadmap.”
“This tool will help identify what environmental, social, and economic stressors the community views as most-critical to long-term resiliency, from environmental threats to challenges in social equity, economic opportunities, infrastructure, health, and more,” a release from the city says.
“Urban resilience” refers to the approach city planners and leaders take when making decisions and creating “processes that helps cities leverage their strengths to tackle the known and unknown challenges of the 21st century.”
“The Roadmap will also identify actions that will be incorporated in the proposed FY 21 Climate Action & Equity Plan,” the release adds.
Topics included in the short survey include:
- Infrastructure and environment
- Economy and society
- Health and wellbeing
- Leadership and strategy
- Mobility
- Housing
- Aging infrastructure
- Community investment and recovery investment
The cynics out there can also check “Yes” or “No” in response to this query: “Do you believe that opportunities for civic engagement, such as this survey, can have a positive impact on shaping the future of the community?”
The anonymous survey only asks for your zip code, age range, race or ethnicity, gender or occupation. It must be completed by 11:59 p.m. September 13. Check it out via bit.ly/resilienttampa.
P.S. if you’re a teenager reading this, then you might want to apply for Mayor Jane Castor’s Youth Corps Class of 2021. The group is made up of students in grades 9, 10, or 11 who live in and/or attend a public or private high school within the Tampa city limits. The deadline for applications is Oct. 22 at 5 p.m.
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This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2020.
