One year ago, our leadership team was putting the finishing touches on Future Ready: Tampa Bay, our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan. which positions us to compete in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing global economy.
We organized our work around three goals—Business Development, Talent and Place—and seven target industries, supported by catalyst initiatives in areas that will have an outsized impact on our future competitiveness. Just as importantly, we committed to becoming an even more research-driven organization. With Jennifer Burrington now serving as our Vice President of Research and Strategy, business intelligence and economic research are increasingly informing our strategies, priorities and conversations with community leaders.
In Year One, we’ve made meaningful progress. We have advanced the conversation around digital infrastructure, bringing nationally recognized expert Buddy Rizer to Tampa Bay and traveling to Atlanta and Loudoun County to study best practices firsthand. We’ve shared what we’ve learned with local policymakers to help our community better understand both the opportunities and considerations associated with the next generation of digital infrastructure.
We’re also leaning into Tampa Bay’s potential as a center for blue technology and the maritime economy. Our collaboration with the St. Petersburg Innovation District and Tampa Bay Wave’s Blue Tech Accelerator has expanded, we’ve drafted a maritime workforce strategy, and we recently hosted former NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad to help us explore how Tampa Bay can develop the talent needed to capitalize on this growing sector.
Our work on place and economic opportunity is advancing as well. We recommended Qualified Opportunity Zones and Maritime Prosperity Zones to the State of Florida, while Opportunity Tampa Bay, Inc. is partnering with Integral and the City of Tampa on Ashley East Tampa, a 118-unit affordable housing development. And through our enhanced CertUp Tampa campaign, we continue connecting residents with awareness of fast-track education and training opportunities that can lead to better-paying, in-demand careers.
At the same time, our core business development engine remains strong. Manufacturing is generating significant project activity, foreign direct investment interest remains robust, and defense technology companies are making substantial investments here. XTEND and Orion Edge are two recent examples—and we have more opportunities in the pipeline.
Future Ready was designed around a simple premise: Tampa Bay cannot wait for the future to arrive and then react to it. We must anticipate what’s coming, invest in our competitive strengths and prepare our community to seize emerging opportunities.
One year in, that work is well underway. And we’re just getting started.
Craig
