Franklin Street could be revitalized through action plan

Trevor Sochocki
·2 min read

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For decades, Franklin Street has been the place to be in Tampa, and now it could be getting a facelift.

“Over the years, as downtown has evolved and grown, we now have seven neighborhoods in downtown,” said Shaun Drinkard. “Franklin Street still is a really important piece of our urban core, but it’s time to take a look at it and reinvest in it.”

Photo of Franklin Street from 1918, colorized. (USF Special Collections)
Photo of Franklin Street from 1918, colorized. (USF Special Collections)

Drinkard is the interim president of Tampa Downtown Partnership. The reinvestment of Franklin Street is taking form through the Franklin Street Action Plan, a way to beautify, enhance and preserve the many blocks of Franklin Street from Jackson Street through Scott Street and possibly beyond.

The plan is to protect historical buildings and increase available pedestrian activity, among other developments.

“You’ll see substantial difference in the hardscape, the lighting, the shading, the landscaping,” Drinkard explained. “Investments where we can look for opportunities for historical preservation.”

For Kim Puleo and her business, 1205 on Franklin, the improvement couldn’t come at a better time.

“I’ve owned my business for five-and-a-half years,” Puleo said. “And probably five of those years I’ve personally been advocating for three main things that this plan encompasses.”

Those three things are safety, beauty, and redevelopment. Puleo renovated a historic building and now leases space to various businesses inside it.

“It’s going to activate the street, because we have a lot of visitors that come,” Puleo said. “So, it’s really a plus for the visitors, the businesses.”

She said she’s looking forward to the improved safety and beauty of the area.

“Franklin Street, you know, it’s a historic corridor,” Puleo said. “We need to give it love, we need to nourish, it’s the core of downtown.”

The Downtown Partnership will take the project to the Community Redevelopment Agency on June 13, where it will look to get approval for the $6 million plan.

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