Tampa Monitor

08/20/2026

It might be time for Tampa Monitor to take a break.

I apologize for reporting incorrectly the vote today by Bill Carlson. At the end he agreed to move the funding agreement forward with a status update next month.

The original post has been pulled.

08/19/2026

A reminder Tampa Monitor isn't possible without the support of the community. If you find the work published useful and informative, please consider supporting the on going work.

Reader funding keeps Tampa Monitor independent. Give once or monthly — Stripe handles the payment, so we never see your card.

08/18/2026

RE: questions about tax revenue

I wrote before the budget was presented "my preliminary look at the tax roll showed the real-property taxable value is $63.94 billion for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27), up 4.3% over FY26, with an expected tax revenue of $396 million."

The mayor's budget has $396.9 million.

08/17/2026

Chief of Staff John Bennett said TPD handles about half a million calls a year. Tampa Monitor started tracking them to get a glimpse into what those calls are.

TPD handles about half a million calls a year. Tampa Monitor started tracking them to get a glimpse into what those calls are.

08/17/2026

Tampa Monitor will have community sponsor opportunities available again starting in September. If you have an event you'd like to promote or a small business you'd like to get in front of an engaged Tampa audience, please reach out.

08/16/2026

Wrapped up the main budget overview series and added a glossary. Partly so I can just link to some of it in the future and not repeat myself and partly to help anyone who wants to understand the budget more.

FY, FTE, CIP, millage, carryforward — the vocabulary you need to follow Tampa's budget, explained.

08/12/2026

The city is forging ahead with a plan to shoot treated wastewater into the aquifer. Just don’t call it PURE.

"Unlike PURE, the Aquifer Recharge Project does not include recovering this water for minimum flows for the Hillsborough River."

Mayor Castor's FY27 budget includes plans for underground injection wells for aquifer recharge of treated wastewater.

07/31/2026

A lot of great research and further reading gathered here while debunking the talking points most pro-stadium proponents regurgitate.

What economic research shows about stadiums, jobs, tax revenue, development, public subsidies, and common economic impact claims.

07/30/2026

as the subject of the city's budget comes into view, a reminder that Tampa Monitor is solely reader supported. I don't flood subscribers or social media with fund raising emails or posts (weekly newsletter subscribers get exactly 1 email a week for the preview).

But I'd like to continue building on the work I've done and be able to make some hardware investments. That's only possible with your support.

07/30/2026

Shoutout to the city staff who were working until midnight last night on this morning's budget roll out.

I see you 11:51 PM timestamp