Tampa City Council unanimously approved forming a committee that will address racial issues in the city.
The 13-member Race Reconciliation Committee will be tasked with identifying problem areas and proposing solutions regarding racial inequities.
During Thursday's meeting, five pillars were highlighted as the committee’s focus: affordable and accessible housing, restoration of rights of those returning from prison, economic development, ignored history and youth-focused programming.
The motion to form the committee was proposed by council member Luis Viera.
“I’m not naive,” said Viera. “This committee isn’t going to be anything of a cure-all in any way, but what it does is allows us to do better.”
The motion now goes to Mayor Jane Castor for her signature.
Viera requested that Castor choose six appointees for the committee, which she declined to do.
“I wish the mayor’s office was participating in this wholeheartedly,” said council member Alan Clendenin.
“Injustice continues to permeate itself, not just deeply rooted in historical wrongs, but rooted in present-day injustices that continue to be a pain and a source of pain for marginalized communities,” said Viera.
In September 2020, the Council made a formal apology for Tampa’s racist history.
Then-council member Orlando Gudes’ resolution said: “The City Council apologizes for any and all past participation in sanctioning segregation and systemic discrimination of African Americans.”
The idea for a committee was first proposed as part of that apology.
Viera emphasized that the committee will focus on the present.
“This is not a historical committee, this doesn’t deal with history,” said Viera. “When I say that we have to make historical wrongs right in our own time, that means that there are effects of history with present injustices that we still have today.”
If Castor signs off, the Race Reconciliation Committee will begin their work May 16.
According to the resolution, the committee will prepare a report to present to the Tampa City Council before February 2025. After that, the committee will be dissolved.
Another proposal the Council unanimously approved Thursday was the designation of an additional $1.5 million to renovate Tampa Union Station.
“When my mom was here a couple weeks ago, she took the train. The floors were dirty, the windows were dirty, there’s damage everywhere,” said council member Bill Carlson. “I hope the staff will move very quickly.”
The Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that a maximum of $4.08 million in downtown Community Redevelopment Area funds can now be used for the project.
