The Argus foundation will be hosting former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn to share his experiences as an executive mayor and more at their first Meet the Minds event of 2021. Bob Buckhorn served as the 58th mayor of Tampa—the nation’s 49th largest city and 3rd largest in Florida—from April 2011 to May 2019. During his time, Buckhorn led the city out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression. Upon taking office, he faced a $30 million deficit and managed to balance the city’s $1 billion budget for eight straight years, making strategic investments in infrastructure and preparing the City for its future. One of his first acts as mayor was to establish a diverse panel of local business leaders and community activists to help reshape the way their city hall did business. He led the development of the Invision Plan, a blueprint for the development of Tampa’s urban core, and successfully worked with the Obama administration to secure a grant to complete the Tampa Riverwalk—named by the American Planning Association as 2018’s National Great Places in America as a “People’s Choice” winner. Mayor Buckhorn set a tone of inclusiveness in Tampa city government, which laid the foundation for the establishment of one of the state’s first domestic partnership registries. 

Meet the Minds event to be held at Michael's on East Ballroom, 1212 South East Ave., Sarasota on Tuesday, August 31, from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Community members interested in this event must register to attend. Seating is limited. For more information, visit http://argusfoundation.org.