The "Agua Luces" project lit up several landmark bridges, like the Kennedy Bridge, in downtown Tampa just in time for the start of the RNC, illuminating the city at night | Image courtesy of Photomatt28 /Flickr.com
As I walked into the Tampa International Airport last Saturday, I was greeted by a group of elementary school students beautifully playing the violin. I was surprised to see them there but delighted to hear them play. That is, until they finished. They lowered their violins and in unison cried out in their high-pitched childish voices, “WELCOME TO TAMPA!” Which I found just a tad bit creepy. As they waved me goodbye with smiling faces, I was greeted by people wearing brown “Welcome to Tampa Home of the 2012 Republican National Convention” t-shirts: “Howdy!” “Welcome to Tampa!” “How’s it going? Glad to have you here!”
“Why are they greeting me like I’m some famous guest?” I thought. “And when did we start saying ‘howdy?’” There were tables with people handing out information and advertisements for the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Clearwater beach amongst other Tampa tourist attractions. Red, white and blue were in abundance, from the carpet, to banners, to patriotic flower arrangements. I almost expected Uncle Sam to come out of the baggage claim belt. The airport had turned into a 4th of July greeting card.
This was but one of the ways Tampa rolled down the welcome mat for the visitors of the RNC. In addition to sprucing up the airport, the city has also planted 782 indigenous trees such as Southern Red Cedar, Chickasaw Plum and Sabal Palms along major streets in downtown neighborhoods. The Opportunity Corridors project, or what Mayor Buckhorn calls the “front doors” of the city, was supposed to give Tampa a flourishing and well-kept look that would attract visitors, according to tampagov.net.
“Agua Luces” is another big project that the city has funded to make Tampa look more appealing. Led by Mayor Buckhorn, Tampa Electric, Peoples Gas and the “Lights On Tampa” committee, “Agua Luces” is an initiative to permanently light nine landmark bridges in downtown Tampa. According to tampagov.net, “Five of the nine bridges have been illuminated by lighting artist, Tracey Dear. The bridges are: Platt Street Bridge, Brorein Street Bridge, Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority overpass, Kennedy Boulevard Bridge, and the CSX Railroad Bridge. The lights turn on 30 minutes prior to sunset and go off at sunrise and they change color every 30 seconds throughout the night.”
This project had been in the making for a few years, with planning starting as far back as 2006, and five of the bridges were finished just in time for the RNC. The cost of the project has not been revealed, but I can imagine that it has cost the city of Tampa a hefty price.
The welcoming at the airport, the trees, and the fancy lit-up bridges, were all done so Tampa could put on a good face for the millions of people that have been watching the city for the past week. As the RNC comes to a close, I wonder if all of these endeavors, and their costs, have made a significant difference in the way people saw the city of Tampa. The decorations and entertainment at the airport, though a bit creepy and perhaps overdone, were essentially a good idea. The airport is the first and last thing people see of Tampa and it was shrewd to try to make a good impression.
Depending on how much money it cost, the light display on the bridges was also a neat idea to decorate the city. And it is a comfort to know that whatever the cost, the lights were not just put in place for the RNC. They will be a permanent addition to light up downtown Tampa. The trees however, I would’ve done without. I doubt people came to Tampa for the RNC to pay close attention to the trees. All in all, Tampa really tried hard to make a good impression. Let’s hope people remember us for our smiling faces, trees, and lit-up bridges and not for our strip clubs, heat and humidity.
Paola Crespo can be reached at paola.crespo@www.theminaretsonline.com
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