Preservation board starts landmark review for Port Tampa's Fitzgerald Building; Ybor design rules get first rewrite since 2003
The Historic Preservation Commission also saw a draft of new Ybor City design standards that staff hope to take to City Council in summer 2027.
TAMPA - The City of Tampa Historic Preservation Commission voted Tuesday, Nov. 10, to have city staff start the review process for designating the Fitzgerald Building in Port Tampa as a local historic landmark, according to the meeting recording.
The building, on South Kissimmee Street, likely dates to about 1887 and is the neighborhood's oldest masonry vernacular building, said Elaine Lund of the city's Historic Preservation staff. Lund said staff was asking only for authorization to begin the review, not for a recommendation on designation.
A co-owner told the commission the owners are paying for the rehabilitation themselves and hope to use the building for a community-serving business such as a coffee shop.
The motion directs staff to begin the designation review and prepare documentation under the city code. The chair said it passed with no opposition. The vote starts the review; it does not designate the building.
In the same meeting, Historic Preservation Specialist Heather Bonds presented a draft of updated design standards for the Ybor City Historic District. Staff said the existing guidelines date to 1986, were last revised in 2003 and need clearer, more usable direction. Staff called the draft an overhaul that adds newer topics such as solar panels and vinyl fences.
Staff asked commissioners to return marked-up drafts at the January meeting. Public outreach and review by the Barrio Latino Commission would come before revisions, with a final draft back to the preservation commission in May and a goal of taking it to City Council in summer 2027. Bonds said the draft will be posted for public comment as outreach begins, expected around January.
The commission also heard an update on the Tampa Heights Historic District map and inventory.
Source: City of Tampa Historic Preservation Commission meeting video, Nov. 10, 2026 (landmark item at 18:15, motion at 52:38, Ybor standards at 53:30, timeline at 1:11:53); transcript via Citizen Portal (machine transcript, credit Citizen Portal).