Tampa leaders vote to widen budget for Riverwalk expansion project: ‘It certainly moves us forward’

TAMPA, Fla. - The hefty budget for the Tampa Riverwalk expansion project received a final vote of approval from city council on Thursday. 

Council members voted 5-2 in favor of widening that budget from $30 million to $56.8 million. 

"I think it's fiscally responsible for the City of Tampa, and it certainly moves us forward," Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera said.

Some city council members think this project was the opposite, though. Tampa City Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak said this expanded budget is not a fiscally responsible move.

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"How high can we go into debt?" Hurtak asked.

The Tampa Riverwalk expansion project has been years in the making. It would add about 10 miles to the existing Riverwalk, and connect West Tampa and Rome Avenue to downtown Tampa.

Viera said West Tampa has been historically neglected.

"No city that doesn't have a viable residential downtown is going to be a first-class city," Viera said. "So, we've certainly moved forward a lot of miles in that. This is something that will push it forward to the West Tampa area."

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The project comes at a hefty cost, though, that some leaders said the city can’t afford. The City of Tampa still has a $24 million federal grant that was awarded specifically for this project, but it is no longer a $30 million project as originally planned.

"Instead of the $6 million, which we could have just gotten out of our general fund or from the city money, now we're going to have to bond," Hurtak said. "We're going to have to bond $27 million to do this project. $27 million will cost us $25 extra million in interest."

The city would have to cover the remaining cost of the project. Officials said the Community Investment Tax could still cover $6 million, but that leaves more than $26 million of funding that is needed.

Viera said they’re working to explore CRA funding and other grant funding to help cover these costs and mitigate the cost on taxpayers as much as possible. Hurtak pointed to a host of other infrastructure projects and needs the city has as it relates to roads and mobility.

She said using CRA funding for the Riverwalk expansion would take funding away from a number of other projects.

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Since the federal grant was awarded for this project, the city has to use the money for the Riverwalk expansion.

"If we don't use it for this purpose, then it goes right back to the federal government," Viera said. "So it's either use it or lose it."

Viera said the good that the Riverwalk will bring to the entire city far outweighs the bad. Hurtak said she loves the project and thinks it’s important, but the spending on this project has gone massively overboard.

"I would prefer to deny this grant," Hurtak said. "I would prefer to redo the scope of work, reapply to the federal government, and then re-bid the project."

Hurtak was one of two council members who voted against the expanded budget. Tampa City Councilman Bill Carlson also voted against it, saying the city needs to keep its focus on maintaining and improving the existing areas of the city.

The members of council who voted in favor said the cost is worth it in the end. The Riverwalk expansion project is expected to be finished some time in 2027.

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