CRA week, watch the meeting on 6/11/2026 CRA isn't my jam but you can't ignore it.

June 8, 2026

  1. Report from Joe Robinson with updates on the West Tampa CAC.
  2. CRA directors monthly report- June Project Tracking, including: Commercial Grants, Housing Grants and CRA Audit.
  3. East Tampa Workforce housing—interesting term for this project as generally Workforce is considered 100% AMI or higher?  These are truly affordable at 30, 50 and 80% AMI.  with mixed use ground floor spaces.  How much $$$ do they want?  It isn’t on the Cover sheet? $5 million is on the attached PowerPoint.
  4. CRA staff to discuss not having limits on special requests, special projects and funding requests.  What other kinds of requests do they have?  I mean, there either IS a limit or not to project requests?
  5. Discussion on Housing funding- So, East Tampa is the only CRA that has significant spending, around 50% of their funding allocated.  The rest are at 90% available ++ with 4 of them having 100% of that funding available. WHY??  What is the issue?  I’d be willing to bet the adminstration has plans waiting in the wings to ask for BIG cash grabs.  To include the Rays Baseball stadium, the Rome Yard project (which is YEARS behind schedule and has already indicated that the money can’t get what they originally budgeted for.)  Why can’t we spend the funds?  Why is it just sitting there?  Where is the interest on these projects???  No one is showing that amount in these numbers?
  6. Presentation on the cost of construction pertaining to house/land.  What’s so hard about this question?  I’d bet Kevin Robles, Adam Harden, or damn near any other single family developer in the COT could answer this question if you called them at 3am and asked them for an immediate answer.  What is the issue that this has been continued for the second time??
  7. Review the separation for the CRA from COT to have their own website and emails along with their landing page.
  8. East Tampa CRP update after being reviewed by the CRA attorney.
  9. Rays Baseball funding from Drew Park.  NOPE, they haven’t talked with the CAC or the CRA board but they want money?  You can’t ignore the folks who hold the purse strings and expect ANYONE to give them a nickle!  SMH Who is advising the Rays?  They might should investigate using folks who have a CLUE what is going on in the COT.  Ignoring City Council, writing fat checks to Bob Buckhorn, ignoring the CRA board...not smart moves.  Sorry, not sorry.