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The Tampa Bay region is becoming a major destination for technology companies

A photo of high rise buildings that are part of the Water Street Tampa project.
Screengrab: Water Street Tampa
A view of the Water Street Tampa project. Water Street Tampa is a major development project that will include apartments, office space, retail space, hotels and more.

Business magazine Forbes recently ranked Tampa as the top emerging tech city in the country.

This week, we learn more about Tampa Bay's emerging technology scene.

In recent years, Tampa in particular has quietly become a go-to destination for start-up companies and technology businesses looking to relocate.

In the first part of the episode, host Steve Newborn and Tampa Bay Business Journal reporter Lauren Coffey discuss the acceleration of this trend since the beginning of the pandemic, how developments like Water Street Tampa are helping bring companies to Tampa and more.

Then we hear from Mark Sharpe, the "chief potential officer" of the non-profit Tampa Innovation Partnership. Sharpe's organization aims to bring tech companies and high-paying jobs to the University area, just west of the University of South Florida's Tampa campus.

He talks to Steve about the progress Tampa IP has already made and the future projects to improve the area's marketability.

You can listen to Steve’s conversation with Coffey and Sharpe by clicking on the “Listen” button. Or you can listen on the WUSF app under “Programs & Podcasts.”

Hi there! I’m Dinorah Prevost and I’m the producer of Florida Matters, WUSF's weekly public affairs show. That basically means that I plan, record and edit the interviews we feature on the show.
Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
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