Build Expo comes to Tampa as region-wide construction boom continues

TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Build Expo kicked off Wednesday, with dozens of vendors offering a look into the present and future of the construction industry.

The two-day event takes place at the Tampa Convention Center and, according to organizers, saw thousands of people register in advance.

"We registered about 8,000 to 9,000 people to come here for this particular event. It specifically tells you the demand, supply and the needs that have been growing, so this market is definitely very, very booming," said Nadia Bakht, the show manager for the Build Expo.

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New data from the U.S. Census Bureau illustrates how the demand remains high.

There were more than 193,000 residential building permits issued in Florida last year, behind only Texas, but more than California and New York combined. More than 25,000 of those permits were issued in the Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater area – the 10th most in any region in the U.S.

"Tampa is booming. We have to keep up with the demand right now," said Tommy Whitehead, a contractor in Tampa who owns TomCo solutions, explaining why the importance of the event. "We're constantly looking to innovate. There's a ton of people out there right now all offering their services. So who do [customers] want to go to, the one that's stale, or do you want to go to one that knows about the latest innovations in the industry?"

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Bakht said artificial intelligence is an innovation that's spreading through the industry and is being used a lot in the cost estimation and design planning fields.

The event will continue on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tampa Convention Center.