TBD POD

Garrett Greco

The TBD POD is a weekly show featuring ambitious and interesting people influencing Tampa Bay. New episodes every Friday! Stay tuned for more.

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#213
Friday · 2 hr 24 min
Politics Has Changed (Breakdown)
Politics in Hillsborough County has changed, and a Democrat and a Republican who disagree on plenty break down how the Nov 3 election got here. Garrett Greco sits down with Jason, a Tampa Democratic political consultant and lobbyist, and Jake Hoffman, executive director of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, to look at a County Commission race won by 63,000 votes, why Hillsborough County went blue while Florida stayed red in the governor's race, what Amendment 3 could mean for the county's $12 billion budget, and why they say sprawl, the national mood and a growing distaste for new development shaped the results. 0:00 The Post-Midterm National Mood 13:26 Meet Tonight's Guests 18:58 The Socialism Attack Fell Flat 23:14 Redrawing the County Commission 33:34 Breaking Down the Governor's Race 43:06 Voters Want a Wrecking Ball 57:05 Inside the Tampa Races 1:12:17 Amendment 3 and Property Taxes 1:39:50 Bike Lanes and Traffic 2:00:28 Where Both Parties Go Next
#212
November 6 · 1 hr
Friday Stairs: The Fitness Movement Taking Over Tampa
Jovany Ruiz grew up in a Puerto Rico village of 127 people before playing Division I football and competing in track at the University at Buffalo, where he walked on as a wide receiver and earned a scholarship in 2020. He is one of four co-founders of Friday Stairs, a free, coach-led workout held at 7 a.m. every Friday on the Tampa Convention Center stairs. Its 250 weekly spots fill within minutes, and it has expanded to Miami Beach, with Atlanta, Los Angeles and Nashville among its announced next cities. 0:00 Cold Open and Introduction 1:10 What Inspired Friday Stairs 5:29 Growing Up in Puerto Rico 11:22 A Solo Trip to Bali 18:22 Friday Stairs Born in Thailand 21:20 Merging Groups and Expanding 27:17 A Community-First Business Model 32:15 Finding and Training Coaches 41:19 Safety and Tampa's Moment 50:48 Your City Is Your Gym
#211
October 30 · 1 hr 41 min
Franklin Street Is About To Change! Here's The Plan To Revive Downtown Tampa
Tampa Downtown Partnership President & CEO Kenyetta Bridges reveals the plans to revitalize Franklin Street, transform Downtown Tampa's North End, bring small businesses back to the urban core, and tackle the parking, housing, and development challenges shaping Tampa's future! Kenyetta Bridges is the President & CEO of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, an organization focused on improving the Downtown Tampa experience through economic development, community partnerships, transportation, and public-space improvements. With a background in Detroit's downtown revitalization and adaptive reuse efforts, she brings extensive urban development experience to Tampa as the city experiences rapid growth and transformation. 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:20 Detroit vs. Tampa growth 00:02:53 North End vision plan 00:04:13 Franklin Street's history 00:13:01 $6M CRA Franklin grant 00:36:11 Codes and small spaces 00:41:08 Downtown parking frustrations 00:55:41 West Tampa heritage district 01:04:26 Laurel Street east-west connector 01:29:23 Activating under I-275
#210
October 23 · 1 hr 22 min
$1.3 Billion Port Tampa Bay Deepening And Development Plan
Tampa Bay's shipping channel is getting its first deepening in about 50 years, and Patrick Blair of Port Tampa Bay joins Garrett Greco to explain what the $1.3 billion Tampa Harbor Navigation Improvement Project means for the cost of goods, gas and building materials across the region. He walks through how the Army Corps of Engineers will take the channel from 43 to 47 feet, why the work stays inside the existing footprint, and where the dredged rock and sand will go, from Egmont Key to 60 new acres at Eastport. Patrick also covers the port's next cruise terminal on the old banana docks site, the traffic plan around Channelside, why the port is running out of land, and how much of Florida's fuel comes in through Port Tampa Bay. It's for anyone who follows Tampa development, waterfront growth, or where the gas, cement and road base around them actually comes from. Patrick Blair is vice president of engineering at Port Tampa Bay, where he oversees permitting, construction, engineering and maintenance. He served four years in the Army, earned his engineering degree, and worked as a structural consultant designing mid-rise buildings in St. Petersburg before joining the port in 2010. 0:00 The Harbor Deepening Project 2:45 How Hydraulic Dredging Works 13:35 Creating and Permitting New Land 26:45 Expanding Cruise Capacity 31:22 The Waterfront Master Plan 37:59 Fuel, Tenants, and Neighbors 45:43 Traffic and the Riverwalk 50:26 Running the Port's Engineering 1:03:22 Dredge Material and Funding 1:15:48 Economic Payoff of Deepening
#209
October 16 · 1 hr 15 min
Tampa's Greek History, Disability Advocacy, And Downtown's First Skyscraper
D.C. Goutoufas joins Garrett on Tampa Bay Developer to discuss Tampa's Greek history, the Greek families who once owned property and ran businesses along the downtown riverfront, and how losing his hearing at four shaped his push for closed captioning in local government, plus the story behind Park Tower, downtown Tampa's first skyscraper. D.C. Goutoufas is a Tampa native and the Special Projects Analyst and Disability Outreach Coordinator at the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office. A former Wachovia branch manager and the founder of Gaspar's Cigar Shoppe, he advocates for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and his daughter Olivia joins him to interpret. 0:00 Tampa's First Greek Immigrant 5:55 Tampa's Lost Greek Riverfront 11:16 Park Tower and Family Businesses 18:16 Growing Up Deaf in Tampa 27:07 Bringing Captions to Government 31:40 Running for Council at 21 34:55 Tampa Greeks and Tarpon Springs 46:11 A Korean War Silver Star 50:12 Preserving the Park Hotel 1:03:36 Gaspar Cigars and Tampa Tobacco
#208
October 9 · 1 hr 53 min
Tampa's Development Crisis, City Spending, And The Future Of Public Transit
Akash Patel joins Garrett on Tampa Bay Developer to discuss why developers are frustrated with Tampa, where the city's money is going, and how permitting problems, suburban growth, and outdated transportation could impact Tampa's future. Akash Patel is the founder of Elevate Inc. in Tampa and creator of Noodles & Networking. As a Tampa business leader and entrepreneur, Patel brings a local business perspective to conversations about economic development, networking, infrastructure, and the challenges facing the Tampa Bay community. 0:00 Noodles and Networking Recap 18:22 Corporate Relocations and Wages 21:20 The Rise of Private Clubs 29:12 Placemaking and Downtown Traffic 41:39 The Rays Stadium Deal 52:00 Small Business Permitting Red Tape 57:23 Tampa's 2027 Mayor Race 1:14:22 City Versus County Funding 1:22:03 Amendment 3 and Taxes 1:29:52 Getting Involved Locally
#207
October 2 · 1 hr 38 min
Why Florida Homeowners Are Lifting Their Houses
Jeff Trosclair joins TBD Podcast to explain how house lifting is helping Florida homeowners protect flood-prone properties, what it actually costs to raise an entire home, and why Hurricanes Helene and Milton created enormous demand for home elevation across Tampa Bay.
September 30 · 1 hr 24 min
Why Young People Are Moving to Tampa and Building Community
The TBD POD goes live from Run Club for MFs That Don’t Run at 1920 Ybor City to talk with the people shaping Tampa’s culture about run clubs, Ybor City, development, community, small businesses, and why so many people are moving to Tampa.
#206
September 25 · 1 hr 30 min
Growing Up In West Tampa During The 1950s
George Guida Jr. joins the TBD Podcast to share the forgotten history of West Tampa, what it was like growing up among its immigrant families, cigar factories, streetcars and family businesses, the legacy of his father “Mr. West Tampa,” and the restoration of the historic Guida Home. 00:00 Intro 02:55 Cigars build West Tampa 10:45 Mutual aid societies 21:25 Childhood games and cork ball 25:26 The family home 30:21 Dad's hot pink fenders 41:31 Mr. West Tampa legacy 47:26 Restoring the family home 50:45 West Tampa's changing future 1:02:02 Streetcar memories
#205
September 18 · 1 hr 15 min
This Tampa Charity Has Been Protecting Children Since 1892
Taylor Cheeseman joins TBD to explain how the Children’s Home Network evolved from taking abandoned children off Tampa’s streets in 1892 to providing foster care, behavioral health, family support, special-needs services, and interventions designed to stop families from reaching crisis. 00:00 Intro 01:19 Carrie Hammersley's 1892 founding 05:10 From orphanage to cottage care 15:47 Securing the Memorial Highway campus 24:31 Specialized residential programs today 26:50 Community-based prevention programs 30:26 Navigating complex public funding 52:07 Public scrutiny of nonprofits 1:00:05 Private sector's moral obligation 1:08:38 Future plans and getting involved
#204
September 11 · 1 hr 31 min
How To Protect The Environment As Florida Continues To Grow
Conservation Florida President and CEO Traci Deen joins TBD Podcast to explain how Florida can handle explosive population growth while protecting the state parks, water, wildlife corridors, farms, ranches, and wild places that make Florida unique. 0:00 - Intro 1:41 - State park development controversy 10:06 - Florida's explosive population growth 17:16 - Balancing growth and conservation 31:02 - Data centers spark political debate 36:50 - Polk County conservation tax referendum 49:17 - Choosing which land to protect 54:42 - Military and ranching partnerships 1:00:35 - Turning stormwater ponds into parks 1:22:04 - Florida's story and culture
#203
September 4 · 1 hr 12 min
Lieutenant Dan, Barefoot Boston Marathon, and Working With Jake Paul
Tampa Terrence joins the TBD Podcast to reveal how he became one of Tampa’s biggest social media personalities, found the viral “Lieutenant Dan” during the hurricanes, ran the Boston Marathon barefoot, and ended up traveling across America working with Jake Paul. 00:00 Intro 02:50 Lieutenant Dan goes viral 14:02 University of Tampa series 18:44 Why he goes barefoot 21:17 Barefoot Boston Marathon 28:00 Jake Paul RV summer 38:25 What's next for Terrance 43:53 Tampa history and growth 51:25 Ybor City's future 1:05:43 Running for city council
#202
August 28 · 1 hr 57 min
Public Money, Private Development And The Future Of Tampa
Tampa entrepreneur Ed Buckley joins Garrett Greco to break down how Water Street transformed downtown Tampa, why Channelside struggled to create the same energy, what Gasworx could become next, and how walkability, restaurants, high-paying jobs, startups, and private investment are reshaping the city. 00:00 Intro 03:06 AI models and personalities 13:32 PureFit's college origins 24:14 Water Street and downtown Tampa 39:21 Rays stadium public funding 51:02 Dubai and the UAE 57:36 America's sovereign wealth fund 1:10:54 Tokyo and Japanese culture 1:44:45 Selling to Peloton 1:49:46 Scholar and education tech
#201
August 21 · 1 hr 54 min
Tampa Electric Company: The Cost of Energy
Tampa Electric CEO Archie Collins joins Garrett Greco on TBD Podcast Episode 201 to explain why Florida electric bills have risen, how Tampa Electric sets rates, what AI and data centers mean for the power grid, and the future of solar, nuclear energy, hurricane resiliency, and electricity in Tampa Bay. They discuss: ◼️ Why electric bills have increased and how investments in generation, storm recovery, fuel, and a stronger power grid ultimately affect what Tampa Electric customers pay ◼️ How Tampa Electric is using solar, natural gas, backup coal generation, underground power lines, and self-healing grid technology to make Tampa Bay’s electricity system more reliable ◼️ Why AI and massive data centers are creating unprecedented electricity demand, and why Florida law requires those data centers to pay the costs of the new infrastructure they require ◼️ How Tampa Electric is preparing for hurricanes by burying vulnerable power lines, replacing infrastructure, managing trees, and building a grid that can automatically isolate outages and restore power faster ◼️ What the future of energy in Florida could look like, including more solar through 2030, the possible return of nuclear power, free home energy audits, and programs designed to help Tampa Electric customers lower their monthly bills 0:00 Intro 0:21 Why electric bills rise 9:27 Clearwater's privatization debate 19:47 Fuel mix: gas, solar, coal 32:43 Giving the grid a brain 48:43 Solar limits, no wind 55:20 Nuclear power in Florida 1:02:33 Battery storage future 1:10:24 TECO history and streetcar 1:29:29 Home energy saving programs
#200
August 14 · 1 hr 37 min
Infill Development, Flood Rebuilds, and The Affordability Crisis
Domain Homes President Adam Mays and project manager and lot specialist Guy Frankenfield join Garrett Greco to reveal why Tampa Bay homes have become so expensive, how $400,000 lots, construction costs, city codes and flood regulations are reshaping Tampa and St. Petersburg real estate, and how builders are helping families rebuild after the 2024 hurricanes. 00:00 Intro 02:21 How city codes shape homes 10:18 Cost to build a home 21:40 CRA subsidies and affordability 37:34 Inherited lots and generational wealth 43:46 Flood zones and elevation costs 53:53 Rebuilding after Helene 1:07:14 Historic neighborhoods and design costs 1:17:02 The alleyway problem 1:31:21 Domain's podcast on a plane
#199
August 11 · 38 min
Rays CEO: The NEW Tampa Stadium Deal Explained
Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby and Tampa City Councilman Bill Carlson break down the NEW Tampa stadium proposal, how the financing has changed, where the tax revenue could go, and why the project could reshape Tampa far beyond baseball. Under Carlson’s new proposal, Tampa would eliminate the previously contemplated $80 million Community Investment Tax contribution and $100 million backed by future Drew Park CRA tax growth. Instead, a new 35-year tax-increment financing district would use property taxes generated by the private development surrounding the stadium, with revenue going to Tampa, Hillsborough County, and a new public Community Development District. The Rays have also asked Tampa to advance the CDD $80 million through four annual payments of $20 million, which the CDD would repay to the city from its share of future tax revenue generated by the district. Tampa’s share of the new revenue, combined with a proposed redirection of roughly half of future Downtown Tampa CRA revenue, would help create a citywide infrastructure trust fund that Carlson estimates could generate $1.5 billion to $2 billion over 30 to 35 years without raising taxes. 00:00 - Emergency episode, Rays deal 00:53 - Taxpayer concerns about ballpark 07:26 - Who's been negotiating this 12:35 - The infrastructure trust fund 14:17 - How the TIF works 16:43 - Parking lots generating zero taxes 20:18 - Development milestones and incentives 24:24 - Hillsborough College and tech jobs 26:37 - Not another Raymond James 32:59 - August vote, September shovels
#198
August 7 · 1 hr 42 min
Property Tax Referendum, Autonomous Transportation, and the Governor’s Race
Garett Greco and producer David break down the latest fight over the Tampa Bay Rays stadium, Florida property taxes, Ybor City’s transformation, AI data centers, Tampa transportation, Amtrak, housing affordability, and what Tampa needs to get right as the city continues to grow. They discuss: ◼️Why Tampa should understand the impact of Florida’s property tax changes before committing massive public dollars to a new Rays stadium ◼️How restoring Castle Lala and moving the TBD Podcast headquarters to Ybor City fits into his vision for preserving Tampa’s history while building its future ◼️Why Tampa Union Station, expanded rail service, walkability, and better connectivity could transform the way people move around Tampa and Florida ◼️Why AI data centers could create major questions around land, electricity, drinking water, infrastructure, and whether local communities actually benefit from them ◼️What Florida’s property tax amendment, rapid population growth, rising housing costs, and development pressure could mean for homeowners, renters, businesses, and local governments 0:00:00 - Intro 0:01:10 - Stadium & Development News 0:07:41 - Casa Da Lala Building Purchase 0:19:31 - Ybor Connectivity & Totem Grocery 0:25:02 - Miami-Tampa Train Ride 0:37:31 - Autonomous Vehicles & Robotaxis 0:53:22 - 9/11, Covid & Surveillance 1:05:10 - AI Data Centers Debate 1:11:35 - Florida Governor Race 1:25:37 - Property Taxes & Wrap-up
July 31 · 38 min
Ybor City Q & A
Hosted by Stephanie Harrison-Bailey, the neighbors of Ybor City sat down with Garrett Greco to ask questions about Ybor’s past, present, and future. Together, they explore the neighborhood’s history, redevelopment, nightlife, infrastructure, local government, and how Ybor can grow without losing the culture and character that make it unique. 00:00 Intro 00:24 Garrett's family history in Ybor 03:52 What makes Ybor special 06:07 Decades-long push to redevelop 09:22 Micro development and vacant lots 12:30 Origin of the podcast 19:36 Buying back family's Ybor building 23:12 Red tape and daytime business 29:36 Radical ideas for the district 33:08 Neighborhood activism and city council
#197
July 24 · 1 hr 13 min
How Cities Can Make It Easier To Start A Small Business
On TBD Podcast Episode 197, Garrett Greco and AJ DeSimone unpack how Cousin Vinny’s Sandwich Co. grew from a 100-square-foot Tampa ghost kitchen into a breakout Italian American restaurant brand, survived an 18-month storefront buildout, used social media and AI to maintain momentum, and prepared to expand across Tampa Bay. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:38 - How founders met 00:03:11 - Ghost kitchen testing begins 00:10:53 - Ghost kitchen not sustainable 00:16:29 - City permitting delays 00:35:02 - Opening day, huge lines 00:39:14 - "Cousin Vinny" name origin 00:48:07 - Everything made in-house 00:50:55 - New equipment, scaling production 00:53:00 - Two new locations announced
July 22 · 11 min
How Tampa Bay’s 3 Mayors Are Solving Regional Issues Together
Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater aren’t competing for growth, they’re solving Tampa Bay’s biggest regional problems together. Mayors Jane Castor, Ken Welch, and Bruce Rector break down how the three cities actually collaborate. 00:00 — Intro 00:21 — Rector: Not competing, we’re partners 00:51 — Welch: Quarterly lunches, strong relationships 01:22 — Castor: Not competing with Miami 02:11 — Rector: Solving regional workforce housing 02:52 — Welch: Downtown partnerships, tourism collaboration 04:45 — Rector: Global Tampa Bay economic trips 05:56 — Welch: Navigating the Rays stadium situation 06:48 — Rector: Protecting shared water quality 08:21 — Castor: Growing without losing our identity 09:15 — Rector: Closing message: we’re one team

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