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More than a decade ago, then-City Councilman Bob Buckhorn cast the lone vote against starting the Tampa streetcar.
Buckhorn worried the streetcar lacked a viable business model. He opposed taxing businesses in Ybor City and downtown to pay for the line. The federal money underwriting the project could be better spent elsewhere, he said at the time.
"Everything I said bad about it back then came true," said now-Mayor Buckhorn. "The problem is now it's mine to fix."
Tampa's streetcar line faces falling property tax revenue, and its $5 million endowment has all been used. The 1998 agreement that created the streetcar line puts the city on the hook should the streetcar's budget come up short, which it routinely does.
However, shutting it down could prove even more costly. Uncle Sam would expect to get back part of the federal government's $55 million investment in the system.
"It's running," Buckhorn said of the streetcar. "We've got to find a way to make it successful."
The emphasis is on the "we." The streetcar is managed by the nonprofit Tampa Historic Streetcar board and operated by HART. Tampa owns the tracks and stations.
For the full article, visit the Tampa Tribune.
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