Does downtown Tampa work at the office or go hybrid? Survey has answers

What do downtowns look like in a post-pandemic shutdown world? A recent survey of workers and residents in downtown Tampa offers this glimpse.

Very few employees — only 8% — reported that they worked fully from home in 2022, a notable drop from the 28% who said they worked totally from home in 2020.

But plenty of workers — 43% — have been embracing the hybrid model of working both at home and in the office, up from 34% in 2020.

Those numbers are part of a survey conducted every two years by the Tampa Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit that manages the downtown district through an agreement with the city.

Asking questions about dining, parks, transportation options and business growth, the survey is designed to take the pulse of what’s become a fast-growing downtown by polling the people who live or work there. The survey had more than 2,000 responses.

Tampa’s growth is reflected in the fact that this was the first time the results could be separated into distinct downtown neighborhoods, including the River Arts and Channel districts.

Another interesting tidbit from the survey: More than 90% of workers and residents want to see more of the Riverwalk that winds 2.6 miles from Armature Works to near the Florida Aquarium along the Hillsborough River and the channels. More than a third of them listed the Riverwalk as Tampa’s greatest asset.

According to the survey, residents of downtown neighborhoods and the Channel District had a median household income of $150,000-$199,999 and pay an average of $2,464 in rent. For residents of nearby Tampa Heights, it was $100,000-$149,999 and an average $1,380 in rent.

“Affordable and attainable housing remain challenges for downtown,” the report said. “Both residents and workers agreed that downtown is not ideal for low-income and working-class people.”

Concerns expressed by specific neighborhoods included pet waste and cleanliness in the Channel District, personal safety and homelessness in downtown neighborhoods and mobility and personal safety in Tampa Heights.

Nearly half the workers surveyed said they didn’t want to move downtown because they “prefer the suburban lifestyle,” the report said.

More than 90% of both residents and employees would recommend downtown as a place to live or work. The survey results were shared as part of Friday’s Downtown Development Forum.