TAMPA - A report released Wednesday says that the Tampa Bay area lags behind other metropolitan areas in its ability to attract and retain 25- to 34-year-olds, a critical part of any region's work force and one that will play an increasingly important role as baby boomers retire. The survey, titled "The Young and the Restless," delivered both bad news and good: It says the Tampa Bay area might be at a disadvantage when it competes against areas such as Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago for the best and brightest young workers. It also says that many of the elements this region needs to reach those workers, such as a vibrant downtown, are not out of reach. >Link 1, >Link 2
"I'm optimistic," said Larry Thompson, president of the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota after seeing the survey results Wednesday.
The school, which has about 1,000 students, sees about 90 percent of its graduates leave Florida in their search for jobs and more dynamic communities, he said.
"This region has the foresight to be part of this study, and that awareness is important," he said. "You have to acknowledge that there is an issue or problem before you can address the problem."
The study takes the top 50 metropolitan areas in the country, and ranks them by how many 25- to 34-year-olds live there compared to the total population.
The Austin-San Marcos metropolitan area in Texas sits at the top of the list, boasting the highest proportion of these young adults, 18.2 percent, and the Atlanta metropolitan area takes the No. 2 spot with 17.6 percent, according to "The Young and The Restless."
You'll find the metropolitan area encompassing Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater near the bottom of the list: at No. 47, with 25- to 34-year- olds making up just 12.7 percent of people living here, the report says. The only metro areas with lower rankings are Buffalo-Niagara Falls in New York; Pittsburgh; and West Palm Beach-Boca Raton.
Looking closer at the local metropolitan area, Hillsborough County has the highest proportion of young adults: 25- to 34-year-olds make up 15 percent of the total population. Across the bay in Pinellas, 11.6 percent of the population falls into the 25-to-34 range. In Pasco, young adults are 10.3 percent of the population; in Hernando, 8.4 percent.
Carol Coletta, one of the researchers involved in "The Young and the Restless" study, conducted six focus groups in the Tampa Bay area with 25- to 34-year-olds who had recently moved to the area. She said Wednesday that the people she interviewed complained that the Tampa Bay area didn't seem to welcome newcomers or their ideas, or encourage diversity. They also lamented the lack of a vibrant urban downtown area, she said.
One respondent said there's not much to do in downtown Tampa: "You can't live there; there are no restaurants, no train, no coffee shops. I can't live there," according to Coletta.
Coletta said she held focus groups in different cities across the country, and downtown ``was nowhere more of an issue than it was in Tampa Bay."
Revitalizing downtown Tampa will be an important part of making the entire Tampa Bay area more attractive to 25- to 34-year-olds, she said. "It's an opportunity waiting to happen."
Christine Burdick, president of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, said the new report validates her organization's call to re-energize downtown. The group is about one month away from selecting a consulting firm to produce a "strategic vision plan" for downtown, she said.
Deanne Roberts, former chairwoman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and a founder of CreativeTampaBay, said the report should serve as a wake-up call for business, education, government and community leaders in the area.
"It is critical that this community reverse the brain drain," she said Wednesday morning when the study was released to the public.
She outlined a call to action that includes elements such as reviving downtown Tampa, a push to produce more four- year college graduates, and a regional instead of county-by- county approach to marketing and development.
Bill Habermeyer, vice chair of Enterprise Florida Inc., said that the Tampa Bay area is up to the task.
"My sense is that the solutions are at hand, but it's a matter now of execution," he said.
Reporter Dave Simanoff can be reached at (813) 259-7762.
Submitted by Robbin Melton
I stumbled upon this site quite by accidents, but was pleased to read something about my hometown, Grand Rapids, Mich. I took for granted everything I had back home, but after living here for six years, I'm homesick. There are SOOO many opportunities for artists and independents to earn good living wages there through their craft, unlike here. Fort Wayne doesn't embrace creativity and is not a creative place. It's droll, dry and boring. But, had I not moved here, I wouldn't be a jewelry artist today...a hobby, now a semi-profession, I picked up to fill all of my empty time. Sadly, I don't think Fort Wayne will ever "get it." The powers that be are perfectly content watching and allowing Fort Wayne go down the tubes. If only I had a pair of ruby red slippers.
Submitted by Karen Goldner
In addition to festivals at Headwaters Park (pretty much every weekend starting in June), the Downtown Improvement District's monthly block parties start May 26 and DIDFest is the first weekend in June. Plus remember the interesting museums, restaurants/bars/coffeehouses and stores downtown. Enjoy!
Check out http://www.downtownfortwayne.com/.
Submitted by Shlomo Goltz
I like to see that there is a website dedicated to what this city needs to improve on cultivating. I have lived here my whole life, and just finished my first year at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Let me tell you, that city, and the people in it know creativity, and how to make it accessible. Accessibility is the key here. We should take some hints from other cities that are better off creatively.
In a college town like that, comedy clubs, dance clubs, and even some sports bars are open to minors. Of course minors must get big giant X's written on both hands so that they cannot partake in the forbidden fruit. Most kids are respectful of the rules and the atmosphere is great, as teens are treated as adults and are let into venues that they would not have otherwise been aloud.
Creativity is cultivated by allowing people to experience and share creative activities. If teens can do nothing more then watch movies, go to the mall, go to each other's houses, etc. teens will get frustrated, and will feel stifled and stuck with nothing to do.
This is an easy change, and a good step towards opening up the community of Fort Wayne. For instance, on Getz road, there is Mick's Recroom. It is a pool hall with a bar attached. Minors are allowed in, but not in the bar area. Simple. I realize that the mentality of those in Fort Wayne are not as liberal as those in Ann Arbor, but I think my ideas are well founded and easy to implement.