RNC traffic, security concerns may empty downtown Tampa

By RICHARD MULLINS | The Tampa Tribune 
Published: June 13, 2012

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TAMPA --

Charlotte Baker has heard enough about the Republican National Convention coming in August to close up her downtown office that week and head for the hills.

First, there's the traffic. Second, her building managers may not let in clients that week for security's sake. Third, and finally, police warned that her office tower could be a target for protesters.

"It's just made us feel like this may not be a safe place to be," Baker said, noting that her call center can easily work remotely. "My employees – they're dads and moms and husbands and wives. It's just not worth it. We're definitely moving out that week. That could be overdone, but better safe than sorry."

Tampa's official message about RNC week is, "Open for business, but not business as usual," Mayor Bob Buckhorn said. He encourages companies to stay open downtown, partly so the world sees a vibrant city hosting a major event.

Police and security officials, meanwhile, are holding briefings for downtown companies that are spooky enough to persuade some companies to go on hiatus.

"We all recognize that this is the biggest thing Tampa has ever undertaken, and the dynamics are different than a Super Bowl," Buckhorn said. "Some companies will decide to take vacations. Others will be down here as if it's a normal day."

If the mayor is expecting a variety of responses, he won't be disappointed.

Companies ranging from communications giant Verizon to the law firm Gray Robinson to the real estate firm Dohring Group are going in different directions. Some are staying to celebrate, some are leaving, some are setting up shuttle buses for employees who park remotely, and some may wrap their property in fences. Others haven't been able to decide until the city decides on parade routes and whether to close the Fort Brooke garage.

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For Digital Hands and Charlotte Baker, a culmination of factors forced her hand.

Her building managers say they'll likely close the doors to anyone except employees, so no customer or vendor visits. Security staff recently retook photos for all employee IDs to ensure current records, and police said the tower could attract protesters.

Luckily, the 30-person call center specializes in high-end support for technology firms. Customer calls can be rerouted instantly, Baker said, or transferred to a location in Colorado.

"This is a good exercise in disaster recovery," Baker said.

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Verizon operates both a customer call center downtown and a large networking hub, so the company started planning long ago.

For customer service operations, some work shifts may start earlier in the day because most RNC events will happen at night, said spokesman Bob Elek.

Some employees covering 24-hour operations will relocate out of downtown. All downtown employees will have the option of parking at three lots outside downtown and riding company-provided buses to work. As a last resort, Verizon could reroute calls to other centers.

Any technical support teams working on RNC events will be on foot rather than driving company vehicles. For extra security, there will be temporary fencing around parking lots and extra guards.

That fits with a new Tampa code that allows companies to erect temporary riot fences around buildings during RNC week without going through typical permit channels.

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Brenda Dohring Hicks owns a small building downtown with a restaurant on the ground floor. She made her decision partly out of civic excitement.

"We decided we want to be here," she said. "We only have 15 or so people, and we're excited about the RNC. This is a time and place in history, and we want to be a part of it.''

That decision matches the hopes of Ken Jones, president and chief executive of the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee.

"We encourage local citizens and business owners to utilize downtown Tampa to the extent practical during the week of the convention," Jones said. "We want to encourage businesses and economic development downtown."

To help, the committee is helping produce a discount card for anyone to use at restaurants and stores across the region during RNC week.

Bank of America has been the target of protesters before, but company officials declined to say what their plans are for the company's tower downtown, its retail bank branch on the ground floor or the Hyde Park branch location.

The Haneke Design company plans to keep working at its location just north of downtown, but that may change with traffic. "We will have everyone set up to work remote in the case we run into any issues," said founder Jody Haneke, "but I consider that Plan B."

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Hillsborough County officials already settled on their plan: Leave.

The main County Center building downtown will be closed and left protected by security guards.

"We're still working during the RNC," said spokeswoman Lori Hudson. "We're just moving services to other existing sites … This is a great opportunity for our citizens to learn about our website."

The main public library downtown will be closed.

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The Gray Robinson law firm downtown could have some lawyers working remotely, said David Smith, managing shareholder of the Tampa office.

"We really have not decided yet," Smith said. "We're really waiting to see what the city does when they firm up all their plans."

The biggest variable, Smith said, is parking.

Most of the roughly 45 people in his office park in the Fort Brooke garage, and the city hasn't decided whether to close it because the RNC may need space. The location could also be a security issue.

Smith has long worked in government, so he understands how the planning process unfolds.

"I've seen this all work in-house," Smith said. "When you're on the inside, you don't want to conclude your plan prematurely. But when you're on the outside, you want as much warning as possible to figure out what you're going to do."