Pedestrian safety among major improvements along Florida Ave.

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, Fla. - Business in Seminole Heights has exploded in recent years as new breweries, bars, coffee shops, restaurants and retail flock to Florida Avenue. What hasn’t kept up with the rapid renaissance, however, are the road improvements needed to let pedestrians actually explore everything safely. 

"A lot of people just look both ways and run across as fast as they can, whether they’re at a crosswalk or not," said Stu Clemons, who recently moved to Tampa from New York City. 

While sipping on a coffee in Spaddy’s Coffee Co.’s courtyard, Clemons said he enjoys the Seminole Heights restaurant and brewery scene, but the roads leave much to be desired. 

"It’s a little tough because you’ve got to cross four lanes, the sidewalks aren’t awesome, and 

especially when you’re pushing a stroller, for example, and have to cut across all those lanes it’s a little difficult at times," said Clemons. 

City leaders know if Seminole Heights hopes to become a destination instead of a thoroughfare, big changes need to be made to the neighborhood’s main artery. 

"We haven’t really seen improvements since the road pattern was changed, I want to say in 1962. So 60 years, more than half a century and beyond, where [Florida Avenue] has just been a speedway," said Tampa City Councilman Guido Maniscalco, whose district includes Seminole Heights. 

Change is finally on the way. 

Construction to transform Florida Avenue into something more pedestrian friendly began earlier this year. 

A new signaled crosswalk with rapid flashing beacons, similar to the crosswalks installed along Busch and Bayshore Boulevards, will be ready to use at the intersection of Florida and Wilder Avenue in March. 

A second crosswalk with signage, flashing lights and a concrete median is also under construction at Florida and Giddens Avenue. 

This fall, the Florida Department of Transportation says it will add two more signaled crosswalks to the intersections of Florida and Idlewild and Florida and Knollwood Avenue. All are surrounded by popular Heights businesses. 

The crosswalks will make it easier for pedestrians to get to businesses on both sides of the four-lane road. 

"We have issues with speeding, issues with pedestrian safety, and now that this neighborhood is going through a renaissance and being revitalized a lot of people are frequenting the restaurants and businesses and they’re not driving their cars. We really have to focus on pedestrian safety," said Maniscalco. 

In addition to his City Council duties, Maniscalco also serves on the Hillsborough Transportation Organization Policy Board and Committee. Among changes he’s proposed for pedestrian safety improvements in Seminole Heights is a "road diet", which would reduce Florida Avenue from four lanes to two, while widening sidewalks, and adding dedicated bike and bus lanes.  

For now, he says the four new signaled crosswalks are a good start. 

"It’s long overdue. We’re focusing on the pedestrian and less on the automobile again because the neighborhood is just growing so much. There are so many new families, younger children, a big variety of people, but we want to keep everyone safe," said Maniscalco. 

Many are hoping the safety upgrades have even deeper impacts for Seminole Heights. 

"It makes it into a neighborhood. It takes something that’s more businesses and warehouses along a major road and actually makes it more family friendly," said Clemons. "You can actually create a community around here with families and pedestrians it makes it safer and better for everyone." 

The new crosswalks on Florida Avenue are just the beginning. Tampa Street and Nebraska Avenue will also get new mid-block crosswalks. 

Work on dedicated bike boulevards on Ola Avenue from Palm Avenue to Broad Street is expected to begin in 2023. A bike route along Central Avenue from Scott Street to Broad is scheduled for 2024. 

Plans for a street diet and street car extension into Tampa Heights are also on the table, though funding would need to be found first. 

Find out more about the Heights mobility plan here: https://planhillsborough.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Heights-TPO.pdf.