TBRPC

Manatee County — As the 2026 hurricane season approaches, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) is urging small businesses to prepare now through Project Phoenix, an innovative training initiative that combines a realistic Category 5 hurricane video simulation with interactive tabletop training exercises. The TBRPC will host 6 countywide training exercises across the Tampa Bay Region from April 20th to May 1st.

The Manatee County Project Phoenix Tabletop Exercise will be held on April 24th at the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center (2101 47th Terrace E, Bradenton, FL 34203) from 9:00am – 4:00pm. All small businesses are invited to attend!

The program immerses participants in a powerful, scenario-based experience that asks a critical question: What would happen if a catastrophic hurricane directly impacted the Tampa Bay region?

Project Phoenix features a video simulation of a Category 5 hurricane making landfall in Tampa Bay, illustrating the storm’s formation, impact, and devastating aftermath. The experience is paired with facilitated tabletop exercises that guide small business owners and emergency managers through real-world decision-making at every stage of disaster recovery, from immediate response to long-term rebuilding.

The training is structured around four key recovery phases:

• One Day Later: Immediate impacts and damage assessment

• One Week Later: Short-term recovery operations

• One to Six Months Later: Long-term recovery planning

• One Year Later: Full recovery and resilience building.

Through guided discussions, participants evaluate business continuity plans, emergency communications, staffing challenges, and financial recovery strategies. The program also integrates lessons learned from real business owners impacted by past hurricanes, including Helene and Milton, providing practical insights that can be applied before disaster strikes.

Project Phoenix strives to strengthen the resiliency of small businesses to major hurricanes by:

Increasing the understanding of small business and business organizations of how local governments respond to hurricanes and how recovery proceeds; and
 Increasing the understanding of emergency managers of the problems facing small businesses in a major hurricane, leading to improvements in communication between local governments and the business community.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our regional economy, but many are not fully prepared for a catastrophic storm,” said TBRPC Executive Director, Wren Krahl. “Project Phoenix helps business owners visualize the risks and, more importantly, equips them with the tools to recover quickly and reopen.”

The urgency is clear: studies show that up to 40% of small businesses may never reopen after a major disaster without adequate preparation. Project Phoenix is designed to change that outcome by strengthening coordination between businesses and emergency management agencies and improving preparedness across the region.

With hurricane risks increasing and the Tampa Bay region identified as highly vulnerable to major storms, proactive planning is more critical than ever. Project Phoenix empowers businesses to act now before the next storm arrives and before experiencing economic losses.

To increase the reality of this training exercise, the TBRPC created a simulation video that depicts a Category 5 hurricane making landfall in the Tampa Bay Region. The video also includes stories and lessons learned from Tampa Bay local officials and businesses impacted by the 2024 Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The trailer for the video simulation is available now, and the full video will be unveiled at the tabletop exercises.

The full-day tabletop training exercises will be held in each county for small businesses and local government staff:

April 20 – Hillsborough County Hillsborough County Children’s Board – 1002 E Palm Ave, Tampa, FL 33605 Registration link

April 22 – Pinellas County Pinellas EOC – 10750 Ulmerton Rd., Largo, FL 33778 Registration link

April 24 – Manatee County Manatee EOC – 2101 47th Terrace E, Bradenton, FL 34203 Registration link

April 27 – Pasco County Pasco Sheriff’s Office – 10370 Charles Bo Harrison Way, Land O’Lakes, FL 34637 Registration link

April 29 – Cirtus County Citrus EOC – 3549 Saunders Way, Lecanto, FL 34461 Registration link

May 1 – Hernando County Hernando EOC – 18900 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601 Registration link

To learn more about Project Phoenix, visit: https://phoenix.tbrpc.org/