How Tampa has changed

The change I have seen in Tampa has been very drastic from a nice little city to a place where transplants swear it the next Miami. Now remember change is good, it isn't always bad, as long as it is the right change. And I know the first thought is who determines "right" vs "wrong". Everyone has a different opinion as to right and wrong. But I think a patient stated it the best. People move to Tampa and try to make it the city they want instead of assimilating to the city it is and the residents who are there already make the city unique. The fist time I came down to explore Tampa while preparing to go to school at USF was an experience I won't forget. Tampa had an amazing feel to the city it was like a small town that had a big city downtown. It was a very wonderous place to live. Ybor was right down the interstate, International Mall was about 15 minutes from USF campus and you could've always walked to the university mall. Maybe it was a simpler time in life.... But fast forward to present day and Tampa has turned into a traffic jam Frankenstein of a city. Tampa has become a "tale of two cities". And what I mean by that is Tampa has giant new buildings and modern new homes, but it is just sprinkled about the city in no cohesive way. And yes I know everyone will say, "We are an emerging city” and gentrification is a tale as old time. Everyone in Tampa gets that I just think the people who have been here know and have watched the city grow through the years have seen how the development has just been a patchwork of projects to redeveloped areas. I think one of the biggest things between "Tampa natives" and people who have just moved here is the traffic problems. As I said early when I came down to Tampa to go to USF in 2000, you could get anywhere in Tampa or even out to Brandon within 15 minutes. Now you can't get from one light on Dale Mabry to the next light in 15 minutes.   This is just part one of the discussion.