Bring Them Home

As he approaches his second anniversary in office, Mayor Bob Buckhorn has already led a fruitful effort to bring fresh residential development to downtown Tampa after the lean years of recession.

He has invigorated the arts district and seen the Riverwalk pedestrian project become reality 40 years after preceding mayors first envisioned the corridor. But that's just the start.

Buckhorn has miles to go, in his view, as he seeks to transform Tampa into an economic powerhouse and a more dynamic place to live. His hardest challenge is to find a way to keep bright young people from abandoning the city, to bring them back once they set off for universities in cities that offer the jobs and pay scales for which they have been educated, and the stimulating nightlife that keeps them absorbed after hours.