Jack Harris takes his walk of fame proposal to Tampa City Council

Jack Harris, recently fired longtime morning radio host, presented his proposal for a Tampa Walk of Fame at the City Council workshop on Thursday.

Council members wished him good luck.

“I just think it would be great for the tourists we have,” Harris said in his presentation. “And at the same time, it would be great for the people in Tampa, the local residents.”

Harris brought longtime friend and business partner Ken Walters, who runs the website tampawalkoffame.com, and his former iHeartRadio colleague Aaron Jacobson, who is promoting the idea on the air.

Harris told the City Council his group is still figuring out the details of the walk of fame, including where it would be located and who would pay for it. Right now, he said, their biggest priority is assembling a committee to determine who would be included, and what the requirements to qualify would be.

After the meeting, Walters said they aren’t sure if they should limit it to celebrities actually born in Tampa or include those who spent time here. Keeping the qualifications loose would enable the effort to include the likes of actor Channing Tatum and supermodel Lauren Hutton, who spent parts of their early years here.

It could even include Ray Charles, famously born in Georgia, who reportedly made some of his first records in Tampa, and Terry Bollea, better known as the wrestler Hulk Hogan. Looking across the bay would allow actor and Boca Ciega High alum Angela Bassett.

Some City Council members had their own ideas on who should be included. Charlie Miranda, who represents District 6, which includes much of West Tampa, suggested a sports section for the walk. He noted that Tampa Bay has an impressive number of baseball hall of famers, such as Al Lopez and Tony La Russa.

Luis Viera, who represents northern Tampa neighborhoods of District 7, suggested Harris consider adding veterans, especially considering Harris himself served before beginning his radio career.

Though council members were unsure if they would be able to help the group’s efforts, they suggested a few alternative routes for funding, encouraging Harris to get more of the public involved.

“If anybody has any ideas on what it should be, or where, or how to structure it, please let us know,” said council member Bill Carlson, who brought Harris in. “We also need to talk to staff about what role, if any, the city ... might have.”

Harris said they’re considering reaching out to investors in the area, because if they form a committee, they need a “man with money” to get behind it.

Jacobson, who co-hosts a morning sports show on 95.3 WDAE, said that he personally wants Harris and his former co-host, the late Ted Webb, added to the walk.

Though Harris said he doesn’t want to be included, for lack of national fame, he did say that a “Ted Webb Avenue” sounds like a great next project.