Over the past year, the Recreation Department and the Parks Department completed their transition into the reorganized Parks and Recreation Department, creating the city’s second largest department. There are over 900 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees as well as interns (678 full-time equivalents) working throughout Tampa’s parks, centers, playgrounds and pools. This department’s highest priority is to deliver consistent, quality service while maintaining the safety and appearance of parks and recreation facilities and instilling community pride. We take pride in our neighborhoods and the city is committed to cleaning up Tampa. The Neighborhood Environmental Action Team, more commonly known as N.E.A.T., plays an important role in helping us keep Tampa beautiful. This year, we have added four positions and additional equipment to focus on cleaning up our rights-of-way and medians. Operational responsibility for N.E.A.T. has been transferred to the Code Enforcement department so that they may work hand in hand to improve our community.

Tampa’s Parks and Recreation department is dedicated to providing quality parks and recreation centers in Tampa’s neighborhoods. For fiscal year 2005, 47 full and part-time positions have been added to staff the soon to open Cuscaden pool, playground and center in the V. M. Ybor neighborhood, Hunt Community Center at Al Lopez Park and Highland Pines playground and center. The Parks and Recreation Department is heavily involved in numerous capital improvement projects to maintain and improve existing facilities and parks throughout Tampa’s neighborhoods using various funding sources including Community Investment Taxes, Utility Taxes and Community Development Block grants.