EAST TAMPA, Fla — Plans to replenish a "food desert" in East Tampa are now on the table. Councilman Luis Viera said people living there have few to no options for fresh food and produce.
If you drove around parts of East Tampa, you'd see plenty of mini-marts and stores like Gator Express or Ten Star Deli and Supermarket.
"A lot of people still use the Mini Marts because they've been dealing with them for so long and those relationships are built. That's where they would rather spend their money at," Kelo Langston explained.
But when Langston was growing up he said things looked a little different.
"When we were growing up, we had multiple selections of grocery stores... We had Winn Dixie around. We had Price Chopper..." Langston added.
In high school, Langston and many of his friends worked in grocery stores. However, over the years, he's watched one store after another leave town.
"This is an issue of basic dignity and respect. Too many people in the East Tampa area, as well as Sulpher Springs, don't have access to a traditional grocer," Councilman Luis Viera said.
Viera said he's working with other council members to bring a major chain to the area hopefully.
"Many of us live within five minutes of five or six grocery stores, but there are people who have to take a bus to get to a grocery store about 15-20 minutes away, and with that bus ride, it becomes a two-hour endeavor," Viera added.
He said he hopes to have a grocery store dedicated to East Tampa within the next one thousand days.
Meanwhile, people living in the area tell me that while they cherish their relationships with the local mini-marts and corner stores, there is a need for healthier food options within close proximity.
"Corner stores do have vegetables and fruits, but they don't have it in abundance. Meaning once it comes in and sells out, they have to wait for another delivery. A grocery store where its continuously in there when they run out, they can go in the back and restock again," Langston said.
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