As high temperatures blanket the Tampa Bay region, and residents look for ways to keep cool during the hottest months of the year, the City of Tampa is eager to unveil its first Heat Resilience Playbook. Created in collaboration with researchers at the University of South Florida and Resilient Cities Catalyst, a nonprofit that helps cities advance resilience work, the playbook outlines policies, projects, and programs the city plans to implement in order to protect its most vulnerable communities from the effects of extreme heat.
Focusing primarily on East Tampa, the playbook includes 18 actionable steps to increase access to spaces of refuge, enhance and protect the tree canopy, and integrate heat resilience components in projects, whenever possible. Although heat is impacting residents citywide, some neighborhoods and communities are disproportionately impacted due to differences in physical infrastructure, such as tree canopy coverage, and concentrations of at-risk groups, such as seniors, children, outdoor workers, and those with underlying medical conditions such as asthma.
"The dangerously high temperatures we are experiencing make heat resilience one of our most urgent matters," said Mayor Jane Castor. "Tampa's first Heat Resilience Playbook will be a great resource as we enhance our strategy to provide long-lasting, as well as immediate, relief, particularly within our most vulnerable communities."
As noted in the playbook, since 2016, Tampa’s heat index has consistently exceeded 100 degrees for over 45 days per year. This number spiked in 2022, with Tampa experiencing 89 dangerous days with the heat index exceeding 100 degrees. In 2023, the trend became more dangerous. July 2023 was Tampa’s hottest July on record, reaching 2.7 degrees above normal with an average high temperature of 93.3 degrees Fahrenheit and an average low of 79.7 degrees Fahrenheit, minimizing the City’s ability to cool off overnight. To help decision-makers target the neighborhoods with the most heat-related challenges, researchers at the University of South Florida's Florida Center for Community Design and Research in the College of the Arts developed the Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI). The assessment tool combines several data points to help city leaders and partners determine which areas need the most investment and assistance.
"Although the playbook was created through a lens of equity, the policies and tools included in the playbook can be applied to all areas of the city, while also educating residents citywide with tips and programs to keep themselves, their homes, and their communities cool,” said Whit Remer, Sustainability and Resilience Officer for the City of Tampa.
To kick-off the launch of Tampa's Heat Resilience Playbook, on Friday, July 12, 2024, the City of Tampa, along with other participating organizations, including Tampa Family Health Centers, Hillsborough County, among others, will be hosting a community event at 2106 E. Osborne Ave. Tampa, FL 33610 from 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Identified by the playbook as one of the areas in most need of heat relief, the event will feature a cool corridor simulation along North 22nd Street that will include interventions such as tree-shaded sidewalks, hydration stations, misters, community gardens, and heat stress education. Attendees are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle and dress in loose-fitting, lightweight, and light-colored clothes. The city will be distributing cooling packs to attendees that will include items such as sunscreen and cooling towels.