Buckhorn announces creation of Neighborhood University

As he campaigned in 2011, Buckhorn said he wanted to empower current and emerging neighborhood leaders by establishing a Neighborhood University.

On Feb. 22, 2013, Buckhorn announced the creation of the program. The idea, he said, is to build a generation of activists ready to take on leading roles.

"The neighborhood leaders I started with back in 1987 are still the neighborhood leaders today,” said Buckhorn, a special assistant to former Mayor Sandy Freedman in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The goal is to "ensure some continuity” of leadership.

The model for the university is the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Tampa program for business professionals. A year ago, City Hall provided PolitiFact Florida with a draft plan for the university showing that the program would include an explanation of neighborhood associations and how they can improve communities; an introduction to city government; leadership training; and communications advice.

It will be free, Buckhorn said, but many other details remain to be worked out, including how people in the class will be selected and how big the class will be.

The curriculum is in the works, and Buckhorn expects it to include instruction on zoning and land use, code enforcement, how various agencies work with each other, how to interact with the City Council and information about community development grants. Buckhorn said he hopes the first class would start within a couple of months.

As a candidate, Buckhorn promised to create a Neighborhood University to help civic leaders learn their way around City Hall. The program he has announced matches the basic promise, but details about when it will start and how it will work are sketchy at best. Until we see more, we continue to rate this promise In the Works.