Rising 300 feet above Tampa’s Westshore District, the Midtown East office tower boasts an impressive view. Step off the elevator to the empty 14th floor, currently the only space left to lease, and floor-to-ceiling-windows offer a panoramic 360-degree view of downtown Tampa, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa International Airport, South Tampa, Westshore, the Bay, and, across the bridges, St. Pete.
The impressive view from Midtown East. (Carole Devillers)
“Because we’re in the middle, you get this really cool vista of Tampa Bay,” says Nick Haines, CEO of Midtown Tampa developer Bromley Companies. “I think the views are like no other building in Tampa.”
To show off the view, there’s outdoor space on each floor, with large areas on the third-floor and the rooftop.
These days, the view is good inside Midtown East too. A joint venture of Bromley and Highwood Properties, the 18-story, 440,000 square-foot class A office tower opened in the spring and is more than 90 percent leased. German-based global technology and digital workplace solutions firm TeamViewer is the latest company to sign on, leasing 26,389 square feet to move its U.S. headquarters across the Bay from Clearwater. TeamViewer joins Tampa Electric Co. and Peoples Gas, Energy Insurance Mutual Limited, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Insight Global at Midtown East.
TECO, the anchor tenant, has two-thirds of the building. Just like mixed-use Midtown Tampa is like a mini city within a city, Haines says TECO’s space is essentially a building within a building, with its own reception desk, security, and elevator bank.
Midtown East stands out at a time when many office markets around the country remain slow as companies struggle to get their employees back in the office after years working at-home or hybrid because of COVID-19. Leading a media contingent on a tour of the office tower, Haines and Highwoods Properties Senior Vice President and Tampa Market Lead Lauren Coup point out several features that set Midtown East apart from the pack.
There’s the central location, accessible from across Tampa Bay, in close proximity to the airport, and in the heart of a vibrant, walkable mixed-use community with restaurants, a grocery store, retail shops,fitness and wellness studios, and other amenities.
It’s also a brand new state-of-the art building where the layout, furniture, and decor create the relaxed, comfortable feel of a living room. The Conservatory, a first-floor lounge area, is a prime example. It’s decorated with indoor plants, furnished with comfortable couches, and has breakout rooms, a podcast studio, and an AV wall with a giant video screen.
The Conservatory (Carole Devillers)
While the traditional conference room is stiff and stuffy, Coup says this one has the look and feel of a comfortable lounge area.
For companies like TECO and Booz Allen, which does consulting work for the government, Haines says resiliency and sustainability are also key selling points. Haines says the site is 26 feet above sea level and has never flooded in the 30 years his family’s real estate company has owned the property. There are two electric substations so Midtown East and its corporate tenants don’t lose power in a hurricane.
Haines says Bromley Companies started looking at different development scenarios for the Midtown property 25 years ago. Now that its crown jewel office tower is complete, the journey is nearly finished. A lot behind the Shake Shack location in Midtown is the only place left for a new building to go. Just what that building is going to be, they haven’t decided.