Now Operating For The State Legislature, New Tampa’s Metropolis Councilman Is Nonetheless Out There Working For You!
For these of you who don’t know the story, District 7 Tampa Metropolis Council member Luis Viera and I had by no means met previous to his first run for his Metropolis Council seat again in 2016.
Viera was working towards Dr. Jim Davison, who was my neighbor in the identical subdivision in Hunter’s Inexperienced for greater than a decade (till I moved out in 2006). I additionally knew Dr. Jim from attending many Metropolis of Tampa and Hillsborough County governmental conferences with him, particularly on transportation points.
I used to be the moderator for the controversy between Dr. Jim and Luis, the highest two finishers within the particular election in November 2016 (Davison was first, by practically 2,500 votes; Luis was second). They each superior to the runoff election in December as a result of neither one acquired 50% of the Nov. vote.
Throughout that debate, I requested a query about whether or not or not the candidates would help New Tampa seceding from the Metropolis of Tampa and incorporating as its personal metropolis, an concept initially floated by former Dist. 7 Councilman (and Tampa Palms resident) Joseph Caetano.
Whereas Viera mentioned “Completely not. I’m working for Tampa Metropolis Council,” Davison mentioned that though he wasn’t in favor of the thought, he didn’t suppose seceding from the town must be taken off the desk. The Tampa Bay Occasions wrote an unfavorable editorial about Davison’s feedback following the controversy and Viera received the Dec. runoff — the place fewer complete votes had been solid than both candidate acquired in Nov. — by 65 votes.
Since then, Viera has saved his promise to be a hard-working councilman who builds bridges throughout political aisles. He additionally lastly received the town to fund the growth of the New Tampa Recreation Middle in Tampa Palms and construct the town’s first All-Skills Park on the Rec Middle property. Viera additionally remains to be preventing for a Tampa Hearth Rescue station in Ok-Bar Ranch on or close to Morris Bridge Rd., with the intention to enhance response instances in that group, since response instances from TFR Station No. 23 on Cross Creek Blvd. (greater than two miles away from the doorway to Ok-Bar) are too sluggish.
However, preventing for New Tampa (and North Tampa, the opposite a part of his district) is nothing new for Viera. He says he’ll proceed to combat for our space if he wins his subsequent election in Nov. 2026 — for the District 67 State Home seat at the moment occupied by his buddy (and State Home Minority Chief) Fentrice Driskell, who’s term-limited in 2026.
A Focus On Morris Bridge Rd.
Not like many elected officers, who actually solely make pubic appearances when they’re actively working for workplace, Viera has hosted extra group conferences/City Halls — round 85 — in his tenure as a Metropolis Council member than just about any “politician” I’ve met in my 31 years because the editor of this publication.
His most up-to-date group assembly was at Easton Park on Apr. 15, the place Viera mentioned the #1 subject for a lot of the residents was “Morris Bridge (MB) Rd. Folks had been simply expressing frustration over Morris Bridge, with the primary concept being that there’s a lot building and improvement that’s occurred and but, the street hasn’t actually saved up with that, so there’s a whole lot of concern there.”
Viera says he advised these in attendance concerning the county’s plans to enhance MB Rd., as we reported in our final subject, “And other people had been very, very joyful about that. $2 million is nice however my important subject I stress to folks is that I wish to put Morris Bridge on the radar of the Metropolis of Tampa, as a result of despite the fact that it’s a county street, it impacts our [city] residents. Quite a lot of instances, we defer solely to the county on Morris Bridge. I’m not calling out Hillsborough or Pasco, I’m really saying that the Metropolis of Tampa must step up and be collaborative on this street for our constituents as a result of it does impact our metropolis residents.”
As well as, Viera mentioned that many metropolis residents who attend Cypress Pointe or Heritage Baptist Church, the Islamic Society of New Tampa Mosque or the Sikh Gurdwara of Tampa Bay on the street, “have an curiosity in seeing Morris Bridge Rd. widened and made safer.”
He added that the residents in attendance on the Easton Park assembly mentioned they really feel that MB Rd. is, “very unsafe. They wish to see incremental and structural modifications — like short-term affect and long-term analysis modifications. So, they had been very proud of the short-term modifications that the county is doing and I, after all, shared these modifications with them intimately.”
He mentioned that long-term, nevertheless, a number of of the residents questioned what might be completed long-term “to rework Morris Bridge Rd. from the ‘rural’ street it nonetheless is in the present day to a extra fashionable street. And, these are questions that transportation engineers and professionals have gotten to reply.”
He additionally famous that one of the crucial vital issues the town can do is, “proceed to have regulation enforcement presence on the market, as a result of a whole lot of the issues on the market are attributable to dangerous actors — rushing, distracted driving, unsafe passing — if we are able to handle that, we are able to handle a whole lot of the problems. However, the reality is that we are able to’t simply blame people. We’ve received to have a look at the street itself and be ready for people who find themselves dangerous actors.”
Viera additionally mentioned that he’s going to suggest composing a letter from the town to the county asking, “if it’s possible to construct a sidewalk from Easton Park to the Mosque and to Cypress Pointe Church. That is essential as a result of lots of people stroll to their home of worship. It’s not my jurisdiction, however we are able to at the very least request that to the county. I imagine we’re all on the identical staff. All of us wish to defend our constituents.”
Along with MB Rd., Viera mentioned that a number of folks on the Easton Park assembly had been curious about Viera’s efforts to get some kind of emergency automobile someplace close to the connection of MB Rd. and Ok-Bar Ranch Pkwy. to attempt to get higher response instances for the Ok-Bar and Easton Park communities. “They had been very curious about that,” Viera says. “I really texted [Tampa Fire rescue] Chief [Barbara] Tripp about that re-zoning we authorized virtually a 12 months in the past to get a standing replace on whether or not that ‘security connection’ you guys reported about will probably be made.”
“We additionally had Tampa Police Division officers (picture) readily available on the assembly to speak about crime. Folks all the time are joyful to get updates from the police on that.”
Election Results?
One subject Viera is aware of he has to take care of is that, now that he’s introduced he’s going to run for a unique workplace, how does he proceed to see his pet initiatives and concepts by way of to fruition?
“Effectively, I do have one other 12 months and a half or so on Metropolis Council, so I’ve received loads of time to get issues completed,” he mentioned. “However after all, we could have an election for my seat and most of the issues I’ve been preventing for, together with Morris Bridge Rd., are actual points so it’s vital for my constituents to speak to those candidates and ensure New Tampa’s points are on the minds of the candidates.”
Along with Morris Bridge., Viera says he has had constituents come to him about, “stormwater points, getting a [city] pool for New Tampa and others,” he says. “These are points that I can work on now, to a level, however a few of them must be completed or adopted up by the following councilman. So, it’s vital for these candidates to have these points pressured to them by residents.”
And, talking of elections, Viera mentioned that a number of of the residents had been curious about getting extra concerned in metropolis politics.
“I mentioned, ‘Good!,” Viera says. “Check out the voting document in New Tampa in metropolis elections. The numbers aren’t excellent. New Tampa must become involved in metropolis elections.”
Viera admits that he has, “wielded a really huge hammer on behalf of New Tampa, however we have to have an even bigger voice from the folks. We vote OK in even-year elections (county and state) however not in odd-year metropolis elections.”
His proposal to maneuver metropolis elections to even-numbered years, which he says would save the town “about one million {dollars} each 4 years per election, received one vote — mine. It’s a type of fights I’ve fought the place I’ve mentioned, ‘We fought the nice combat, however we don’t received it.”
As for his announcement about in search of Chief Driskell’s seat, Viera says the response to date has been, “Very constructive. A ton of elected officers have given me their help. State Legislators haven’t been capable of endorse but, as a result of they’re in session in Tallahassee, however I’ll hold everybody up to date on my supporters as we undergo the method. Plainly lots of people had been joyful to listen to that though I’m term-limited out of Metropolis Council, that I’m not planning to go away politics.”
He added, “Look, a whole lot of politicians, once they run for workplace, they step it up — going to group occasions and such. However, I try this in the middle of my work in workplace. I’m all the time assembly with constituents. That is how I’m constructed. I’m the son of Cuban immigrants, so I work laborious and that’s what I’m going to do, God-willing, in Tallahassee, with the help of individuals within the New and North Tampa areas.”
About Harrison Boonstoppel
One of many points he didn’t should combat for was that Viera made a movement to rename the New Tampa All Skills Park in honor of Harrison Boonstoppel, the 20-year-old harmless bystander who was fatally shot in an Ybor Metropolis gunfight on Oct. 29, 2023, after a combat broke out. Harrison and his associates had simply arrived in Ybor Metropolis minutes earlier than the photographs rang out. In all, 16 folks had been injured and one other 14-year-old teenager additionally was killed.
On Mar. 28, Viera made the movement to rename the All Skills Park for Harrison, whose life was, “a testomony to resilience and dedication, exemplifying the facility of laborious work, together with the help of his household. Regardless of dealing with many bodily and developmental challenges, Harrison overcame many obstacles with unwavering perseverance. He graduated from Pepin Academies in 2022, a exceptional achievement. Honorably remembering Harrison exhibits that with laborious work, help and constructive outlook, one can overcome a lot adversity.”
Harrison, who was born untimely and barely survived his first few months within the neonatal ICU, wanted a feeding tube till he was three years previous. He developed a listening to dysfunction and would put on a cochlear implant at age 5. He started center college weighing solely 60 kilos and was developmentally delayed at college.
Viera, who has gotten to know Harrison’s mom Brucie and his twin sister Ava, has a developmentally disabled brother Juan, so, “That is very close to and pricey to my coronary heart.”
