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<\/a><\/p>\nHe credited Castor with making large, less visible investments in infrastructure that he said will benefit whoever takes office next, particularly in stormwater systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has really been focused on investing in infrastructure, the stuff that\u2019s not sexy, particularly stormwater and, to some degree, transportation\u201d Buckhorn said. \u201cIt will be her legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Buckhorn\u2019s first two terms<\/a> were closely associated with downtown redevelopment, including the completion of the Riverwalk and major waterfront investments, he said his next chapter would place greater emphasis on connectivity and neighborhood equity.<\/p>\n Buckhorn described a vision of Tampa that physically connects major redevelopment areas, from Water Street<\/a> to the Channel District<\/a>, Gasworx<\/a> and Tampa Heights<\/a>, while ensuring growth reaches historically underserved neighborhoods.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to leave anybody behind,\u201d he said. \u201cThere aren\u2019t guaranteed outcomes, but there ought to be guaranteed opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n A new term could also present new opportunities. The Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> have new ownership and are again exploring stadium options<\/a> throughout the Tampa Bay area after a St. Petersburg-based plan broke down last year.<\/p>\n Though the possibility of a return to St. Pete<\/a> has not been fully ruled out, Buckhorn views the Rays\u2019 future as one of the most consequential decisions facing Tampa \u2014 framing it as both an economic and urban-planning opportunity rather than simply a stadium debate.<\/p>\n He said he is optimistic about the Rays\u2019 new ownership group and described its approach as markedly different from past efforts. Buckhorn said the group has shown a willingness to engage with the city and explore multiple options rather than pushing a single proposal.<\/p>\n While acknowledging the financial challenges of a stadium deal, Buckhorn said he believes a workable solution is possible if structured correctly and doesn\u2019t place an undue burden on taxpayers.<\/p>\n \u201cI am optimistic about this group,\u201d Buckhorn said. \u201cI have spent time with the new owners. They wisely got a lot of Tampa investors to invest with them, which I think was smart. I think they want to be in Tampa. \u2026 They\u2019re asking all the right questions, they\u2019re doing their homework on multiple sites.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think even though it\u2019s going to be a heavy lift financially \u2026 if the Rays ownership is willing to be creative, I think there\u2019s a way to get this done that doesn\u2019t burden the taxpayer and there\u2019s shared sacrifice,\u201d Buckhorn added.<\/p>\n Buckhorn envisions a broader development strategy to accompany a Rays baseball stadium in Tampa, creating a new mixed-use district similar to The Battery Atlanta<\/a> built around Truist Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think their idea of doing a district similar to what Atlanta has, The Battery, rather than just a stadium plopped down in the middle of somewhere really has hugely positive economic potential for Tampa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Buckhorn said a Rays-related district could follow a similar model, with private development carrying most of the cost and public dollars focused on infrastructure that benefits the broader community.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can create a whole live-work-play environment with office, residential, retail and commercial, with the baseball stadium just as part of it, not the entirety of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He cited Water Street Tampa as an example of how targeted public investment in infrastructure can generate long-term returns.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city of Tampa invested $50 million and the county invested $50 million in Water Street, not in the buildings, but in the infrastructure around them,\u201d Buckhorn said. \u201cThat Water Street development, $100 million total, will throw off, over the next 24 years, a billion (dollars) for taxes. It was a pretty good investment.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rays discussion, Buckhorn said, is emblematic of a larger question about Tampa\u2019s trajectory and how the city approaches major investments in its next phase of growth.<\/p>\n \u201cIt starts to make sense when you look at expanding the scope and the scale, with the real estate largely funded by private developers but with the county and the city and the state making appropriate investments,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Buckhorn framed his return not as a revival tour, but as unfinished business shaped by new and unanticipated challenges.<\/p>\n He said a future administration would need to address transportation, traffic congestion, housing affordability and permitting delays, issues he said threaten to undercut Tampa\u2019s growth if left unaddressed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be in a situation where we spent a decade to attract bright young people here and then find them priced out of the market,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a supply and demand issue.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CFPA-Digital-Ad-Sunburn-728x90-1.jpg\")
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