TAMPA, Fla. — We’re highlighting the impact Latinos have had on Tampa for Hispanic Heritage Month.
"This is the story of a Tampa-born Latino who was a pioneer in local and state politics. " said historian Rodney Kite-Powell with the Tampa Bay History Center. “Bob Martinez was the first Latin governor, the first Hispanic governor that we had. He took office in 1987.”
Prior to being elected governor, Martinez was mayor of the city of Tampa from 1979 to 1986.
“He was, really, a visionary,” Kite-Powell continued. “Both as mayor of Tampa and as governor of Florida.”
“As mayor, he was very business minded, but also environmentally minded. He really led a great modernization of Tampa. And a lot of the things that are his legacy that we see today, like the convention center, not quite what became the River Walk, but things like that,” said Kite-Powell.
Kite-Powell said Martinez was also instrumental in making sure Tampa was in a good financial position by making it business-friendly.
Martinez also cared about protecting Florida’s environment.
“As governor, he, again, led a lot of environmental initiatives that we are still seeing the benefit of today, including something called Florida 2000, which was a way to use state funds to purchase environmentally sensitive lands that would, otherwise, be under development. And, so, it’s been an incredible benefit to the people of Florida.” Kite-Powell explained.
Bob Martinez is still with us today, living right here in Bay Area, where he was born and raised.
He’s currently a consultant at a local law firm. His legacy of becoming Florida’s first Hispanic governor continues to inspire all of us in the bay area of where hard work and determination can take you.
Governor Martinez is not just Hispanic history. He’s Tampa Bay history.
