You can toss The Tampa Bay Partnership into the same bucket as the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and TBARTA.
The Tampa Bay Partnership
(TBP) was formed in 1994 as a regional joint public/private organization to
encourage and support major economic issues.
You can read the details of
the TBP reinvention in the Tampa Bay
Times piece by Robert Trigaux Business Columnist: Tampa
Bay Partnership 2.0: To meet regional challenge, economic advocacy group
reinvents itself.
The Tampa Bay Partnership is made up of CEOs and
government officials, and the primary aim was to support economic development
from a regional perspective.
From the Tampa Bay Partnership web site:
About the Tampa
Bay Partnership
The Tampa Bay
Partnership galvanizes the business and political leadership of Tampa Bay to
exert its collective influence on the policies, programs and projects that
enhance the economic competitiveness and prosperity of our region.
Through the
Partnership’s public policy, political action and research initiatives, a
diverse community is united with one shared vision and one powerful voice on
issues of regional significance.
Founded in 1994,
the regional advocacy organization is today supported by more than 120 private
investors, public partners and community stakeholders from the counties of
Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota.
You can check out their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TBPartnership
In this reincarnation “The
Partnership plans to end its public-private structure and instead be run
exclusively by a "council of governors" consisting of up to 40 CEOs
of major companies based or operating here who would pay $50,000 a year to
serve on the board. A second-tier "leadership council" of another
40-plus senior area executives will pay $25,000 a year to participate.”
They will dump their public funding along with the
politicians (Public Partners) and the public scrutiny that come with the public
money and simply become a regional lobbying club made up of people who can
afford the “dues” or feel the investment will be in their best interest.
The TBP has not been all that effective of late, except
for the recent TBX effort but there is little to indicate their support made
much difference.
You can toss The Tampa Bay Partnership into the same
bucket as the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and TBARTA.
The Tampa Bay region is such an alphabet soup of
planning organizations, cities, counties and special-interest groups and
organizations that it is a wonder that anything gets done.
Once TBP is successful in filling its Board at $50K and
$25K, a pop and unfettered by the restrictions that come along with the public
funding it will be interesting to see what the Tampa Bay Partnership 2.0 looks
like. Will they be a good old boys club, a lobbying group, self-serving special
interest group, a Political Action Committee (PAC) or some hybrid combination?
One thing is for sure, if you can’t afford a seat at
the TBP table the likelihood they will be supporting anything in your best
interest is slim.
E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be
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