On Sept. 23, Tampa Electric, along with the Ybor City Community Redevelopment Agency, recently accepted the 2023 Ybor City Business Impact Award for the 7th Avenue archway lights.
If you’ve been to Tampa’s Ybor City, you probably noticed the decorative, lighted archways along 7th Avenue. Well, did you know, the iconic archway lights are award-winning thanks, in part, to Tampa Electric?
We're excited to announce that along with the Ybor City Community Redevelopment Agency, we recently accepted the 2023 Ybor City Business Impact Award for the 7th Avenue archway lights. These welcomed fixtures of Ybor City underwent an aesthetic rejuvenation earlier this year.
The original 7th Avenue archways were installed in 1990 during Ybor City’s centennial celebration. Thirty years later, the archway lights reached the end of their lifespan and needed to either be replaced or removed. Tampa Electric helped design and install 21 new iconic lighted archways.
The new archway lights are equipped with LED lighting and digital technology that automatically turns on and off from dusk to dawn with a daylight sensor. Additionally, the new archway lights are more structurally sound than their predecessors. The project also included the installation of new black-coated TECO poles supporting the archway lights and sidewalk enhancements.
Crews completed the $2.4 million multi-year project last March. It was primarily funded through Ybor City Community Redevelopment Area Tax Increment Finance funds and City of Tampa Mobility general funds.
Congratulations to the hard-working Tampa Electric team members responsible for helping create these environmentally sustainable lighted structures that span Ybor's premier corridor. A trip to Ybor City means so much more now!
Ybor City Community Redevelopment Agency Board Member Lynn Hurtak, Tampa Electric President & CEO Archie Collins, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and former Ybor City CRA member Joseph Citro unveiled the rejuvenated iconic 7th Avenue archway lights on April 19.
