Cesar Hernandez has a plan to revitalize Tampa’s Uptown district.
“What I see is a city. I see a city that can potentially be the hallmark of, not just the Tampa Bay region, but the state of Florida,” Hernandez said. “This is a geographically smaller area, and because of that, it can serve as a microcosm as to how to get stuff done.”
He's calling the area between I-275, N. 56th Street, Bearss Avenue and Busch Boulevard the Tampa Knowledge District.
He wants private companies to relocate to the district and spearhead improvements in transportation and mobility.
His hope is it will attract private businesses with a focus in technology, defense systems, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
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“I strongly feel that technology is the great equalizer,” Hernandez said. “So now we can empower people. You don’t need a master’s degree to learn how to utilize artificial intelligence.”
Hernandez is from Brooklyn, New York. He came to Tampa, which he calls the sixth borough, to attend USF.
“I feel it's an obligation for me to be able to give back by pouring in my knowledge into the area that has done so much for me in my life,” he said.
Like many students, Hernandez rarely left campus. The beaches that attracted him to the area were over an hour drive away and there was enough to do on campus.
But now he wants the area near USF to have more for students.
After graduating, he started working as a community organizer but knew he was only one paycheck away from being in the same “vulnerable” position as those he was helping.
“What we’re looking to achieve is a new model that doesn’t gentrify individuals,” Hernandez said.
He wants to create a technology workforce, give people the opportunity to find community and keep them from adopting a victim mentality.
“The people that are most disenfranchised end up here,” Hernandez said. “So what we’re trying to do is give them an opportunity, empower them and help them to be resilient so that they can become evangelists of this community and take out any bad actors that can potentially creep in.”
“We’re not looking to take over We’re not looking to compete. We’re looking to coordinate.”Cesar Hernandez
He said, working as a community organizer, he saw people who wanted to take ownership in the community, but were instead being taken advantage of by slumlords and drug lords.
He said he doesn’t just want to meet challenges, but take action in correcting issues.
Hernandez has launched a $50 million fund to acquire land and revitalize the area over the next 5-10 years. Then, they will focus on attracting businesses and private companies.
“We’re not looking to take over,” he said. “We’re not looking to compete. We’re looking to coordinate.”
Hernandez’ plan comes after Richard Birdoff, the president of RD Management, bought University Mall and rebranded it as Rithm.
Rithm, imagined as a mixed-use district, will include new student housing, some chain retail stores, a gym and a 100-room Residence Inn, which will break ground in September.
The effort to redevelop the area is not a new one — it dates back over a decade when Birdoff started purchasing sections of the mall.
In 2019, RD Management Developer Chris Bowen shared his goal for the mall area, featuring technology and innovation. He said the area was anchored by department stores in the 1970s, but the future of the area is in research.
Rithm is less than a mile from USF and less than two miles from the Museum of Science and Industry, which is planning to add an indoor sports complex.
Across from the university on Fletcher Avenue, USF is developing its own mixed-use district for the redevelopment of its golf course.
