Tampa, Florida
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The city was founded in 1823 as a frontier outpost called Fort Brooke, which was located at the current site of the Tampa Convention Center. Tampa is now home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), the Tampa Bay Rays (Major League Baseball) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).[3].
In 2008, Forbes ranked Tampa number five on its list of best cities for the outdoors. Jacksonville was ranked fourth.[4]
Website evaluation
This website was reviewed on April 9, 2012.
The good
- City council members are listed with some contact information and an email form.[5]
- Some contact information and an email form are provided for administrative officials.[6]
- Meeting schedules,[7] agendas,[8] and transcripts[9] are posted.
- Zoning information and building permits are posted.[10]
- City contracts are posted.[11]
- Budgets are posted.[12]
- Audits are posted.[13]
- The budget includes the amount allocated to the Intergovernmental Relations office, which engages in Taxpayer-funded lobbying. The budget also lists membership payments to government sector lobbying associations.[14]
- The site links to county property tax information.[15]
The bad
- Email addresses are not listed for elected and administrative officials.
- No information is available on how to make public records requests.
Elected Officials
The City of Tampa is divided into three At-Large districts and four single-member districts, which elect officials to the City Council. Current Council members, as of 2011:[16]
| Member | Title | District | Representation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Suarez | Member | District 1 | At-Large |
| Mary Mulhern | Member | District 2 | At-Large |
| Yvonne Yolie Capin | Member | District 3 | At-Large |
| Harry Cohen | Vice Chair | District 4 | Single-Member |
| Frank Reddick | Member | District 5 | Single-Member |
| Charlie Miranda | Chair | District 6 | Single-Member |
| Lisa J. Montelione | Member | District 7 | Single-Member |
Each Council member earns an annual salary of $41,246, except for Chair Charlie Miranda, whose salary is $38,230[17]
Lobbying
- Main articles: Florida government sector lobbying and Florida League of Cities.
Tampa reported $440,000 spent on lobbying between 2000-2010 (see table).
| Year | Amount spent on lobbying |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $120,000 |
| 2009 | n/a |
| 2008 | $0 |
| 2007 | $20,000 |
| 2006 | $40,000 |
| 2005 | $40,000 |
| 2004 | $60,000 |
| 2003 | $40,000 |
| 2002 | $40,000 |
| 2001 | $40,000 |
| 2000 | $40,000 |
Tampa pays membership dues[19] to the Florida League of Cities, a government sector lobbying association. In 2010, Tampa hired Washington D.C.-based Holland & Knight and incurred contracting expenses of $120,000 (see chart above)[20]
External links
References
- ↑ Tampa, Florida on Wikipedia
- ↑ U.S. Census Tampa population
- ↑ Tampa, Florida on Wikipedia
- ↑ Tampa fifth best city for outdoors
- ↑ Tampa "City Council," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "Department Links," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "City Council Calendar," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "Agendas," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "Closed Captioning," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "Land Development," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "Bid Schedule," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "Budget," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "Accounting," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Tampa "2012 Budget," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ Hillsborough County Tax Collector "Tax Search," Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ City Council members
- ↑ Fact finder government salaries tampa
- ↑ reported lobbying expenditures
- ↑ Membership Directory
- ↑ Lobbying expenses
