Written by guest contributor: Bobby Creighton
There is perhaps nowhere in the City of Tampa with a more unshakeable stigma than Nebraska Avenue. Stagnant economic development, blighted conditions, and the perception of danger divert consumer dollars elsewhere. On a street where drivers roll up their windows and lock their doors, who wants to take out their wallet?
Recognizing the benefit of a platform for businesses to advocate with a unified voice, the team at Urban ReWorx has launched the Nebraska Avenue Business Association (NABA). This new extension of Urban ReWorx’s intentional, community-driven mission furthers a long-standing legacy of citizen-led representation for the Nebraska Avenue corridor. Let’s dive into the history.
The Hillsborough County Growers and Shippers Association
The organization of an association to advocate for business interests on Nebraska Avenue is evidenced as early as 1888. A small group of orange growers, many with groves on Nebraska Avenue, broke quarantine restrictions during a yellow fever epidemic to unite the county’s citrus industry and negotiate for fairer shipping prices. The meeting resulted in the formation of the Hillsborough County Growers and Shippers Association. The group elected as their chairman a Nebraska Avenue citrus grower with a grove in today’s Ybor Heights neighborhood.
Nebraska Avenue Improvement Association (NAIA)
The Nebraska Avenue Improvement Association formed in 1906 as the orange groves transitioned into suburban real estate. The association championed the widening of Nebraska Avenue’s right-of-way to 80 feet. Almost two decades later, influential residents and a developer building subdivisions along the corridor launched a massive campaign for widening. This added fuel to an explosion in land value. New connections to a state road and big plans for stores and apartments along Nebraska Avenue won over politicians. By 1926 the paving had begun. These boosters saw vehicle access as key to development and Nebraska Avenue’s economic future.
Economic Decline
Nebraska Avenue took a series of hits through the following decades. The Great Depression, flight to the suburbs, and interstate highway construction pummeled the corridor and surrounding neighborhoods. Auto-serving businesses proliferated while those serving people sputtered out. Vacancy rose and up-keep fell. The disinvestment and neglect opened a black market for drug dealing and prostitution. Nebraska Avenue sunk into economic despair.
Nebraska Avenue Business Association (NABA)
After fifty years of faltering, Nebraska Avenue may now be closer than ever to finding its footing again. Investment at the southern end of the corridor and on the west side of I-275 portend greater attention to this gateway to Downtown Tampa, historic Ybor City and East Tampa. NABA’s advocacy will amplify the chorus of voices calling for change and carry forward a tradition of business stewardship to uplift the Nebraska Avenue corridor.
