Tampa, Florida

==History==
{{Main|History of Tampa, Florida}}
{{For timeline}}

===Indigenous peoples and European exploration===
{{main|Tocobaga|Pohoy}}

The shores of [[Tampa Bay]] have been inhabited for thousands of years. A variant of the [[Weeden Island culture]] developed in the area by about 2000 years ago, with archeological evidence suggesting that these residents relied on the sea for most of their resources, as a vast majority of inhabited sites have been found on or near the shoreline and there is little evidence of farming. At the time of European contact in the early 16th century, several chiefdoms of the [[Safety Harbor culture]] dominated the area.<ref name="milanich1998">{{cite book |last1=Milanich |first1=Jerald T. |title=Florida's Indians from Ancient Times to the Present |date=1998 |publisher=University Press of Florida |location=Gainesville |isbn=0-8130-1599-5}}</ref>

Early Spanish explorers interacted most extensively with the [[Tocobaga]], whose principal town was at the northern end of Old Tampa Bay near today's [[Safety Harbor, Florida|Safety Harbor]] in [[Pinellas County]]. While there is a substantial historical record of the Tocobaga (and the [[Calusa]], who lived to the south), there is less surviving documentation describing the [[Pohoy]], who lived near the mouth of the Hillsborough River near today's downtown Tampa. However, evidence suggests that the language and culture of the Pohoy and other lesser-known groups around the bay were very similar to that of the Tocobaga.<ref>Milanich, Jerald T. 1995. ''Florida Indians and the Invasion from Europe''. University Press of Florida. {{ISBN|0-8130-1360-7}}.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Childers |first=Ronald Wayne |title=Historic Notes and Documents: A Late Seventeenth-Century Journey to Tampa Bay |journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly |date=Spring 2002 |volume=80 |issue=4 |pages=504–24 |jstor=30146374}}</ref>

Expeditions led by [[Narváez expedition|Pánfilo de Narváez]] and [[Hernando de Soto]] landed near Tampa, but neither [[conquistador]] stayed long. There is no natural gold or silver in Florida, and the native inhabitants repulsed Spanish attempts to establish a permanent settlement or convert them to [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]. The fighting resulted in a few deaths, but the many more deaths were caused by infectious diseases brought from Europe, which devastated the population of Native Americans across Florida and the entire Western Hemisphere. The indigenous cultures of the Tampa Bay area had collapsed by around 1600, leaving the west coast of [[Spanish Florida]] largely depopulated and ignored for more than 200 years.<ref name="Mulder, Kenneth 1990">Mulder, Kenneth. ''Tampa Bay: Days of Long Ago''. P&M Pub. Co., 1990.</ref>

In the mid-18th century, events in the American colonies and the early United States drove the [[Seminole]] people into northern Florida, but they did not move into central Florida until after the United States gained control of Florida in 1821.<ref>{{cite web |title=European Exploration and Colonization – Florida Department of State |url=http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-history/a-brief-history/european-exploration-and-colonization/ |website=dos.myflorida.com |publisher=Florida Department of State |access-date=May 9, 2018 |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509151025/http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-history/a-brief-history/european-exploration-and-colonization/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.johnhorse.com/black-seminoles/faq-black-seminoles.htm |title=FAQ on the Black Seminoles, John Horse, and Rebellion |publisher=johnhorse.com |access-date=December 25, 2009 |archive-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402112945/http://www.johnhorse.com/black-seminoles/faq-black-seminoles.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Before the American period, the Tampa Bay area had a handful of residents: [[Cubans|Cuban]] and Native American fishermen who established small seasonal camps called "ranchos" on the shores of Tampa Bay. The largest was at the mouth of Spanishtown Creek in today's [[Hyde Park (Tampa)|Hyde Park]] neighborhood along [[Bayshore Boulevard]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kite-Powell |first1=Rodney |title=Tampa and Cuba connected through time |url=http://www.tbo.com/health-lifestyles/tampa-and-cuba-connected-through-time-20160410/ |access-date=May 9, 2018 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=April 10, 2016 |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509150916/http://www.tbo.com/health-lifestyles/tampa-and-cuba-connected-through-time-20160410/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===U.S. control===
[[File:Ft. Brooke Cannon.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|right|A surviving Ft. Brooke cannon on the [[University of Tampa]] campus]]

After purchasing Florida from Spain in 1821, the United States built [[Fortification|forts]] and [[trading post]]s in the new territory.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/07/Tampabay/Excavators_seeking_fr.shtml |title=Excavators seeking freedom pioneers |newspaper=St. Pete Times |access-date=April 17, 2011 |archive-date=September 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901175153/http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/07/Tampabay/Excavators_seeking_fr.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Fort Brooke]] was established in January 1824 at the mouth of the Hillsborough River on Tampa Bay, in [[Downtown Tampa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.museumofcigars.com/fort-brooke.htm |title=Fort Brooke |publisher=Museumofcigars.com |access-date=February 23, 2010 |archive-date=January 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105034735/http://www.museumofcigars.com/fort-brooke.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Fortbrooke.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Brooke]] circa 1840|center|196x196px]]

Tampa was initially an isolated frontier outpost. The sparse civilian population practically abandoned the area during the [[Second Seminole War]] from 1835 to 1842, after which the Seminoles were forced out and many settlers returned.<ref>Brown, Cantor. ''Tampa Before the Civil War''. [[University Press of Florida]].</ref>

[[Territory of Florida|Florida]] became the 27th state on March 3, 1845. On January 18, 1849, Tampa was officially incorporated as the "Village of Tampa." It was home to 185 civilians, or 974 total residents including military personnel, in 1850.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-travel-guide.co.uk/travel-guide/tampa-florida-travel-guide.html |title=Tampa travel guide&nbsp;– Tampa tourism and travel information |publisher=City-travel-guide.co.uk |access-date=February 23, 2010 |archive-date=August 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830053628/http://www.city-travel-guide.co.uk/travel-guide/tampa-florida-travel-guide.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1850c-11.pdf |title=1850 Census of Population |access-date=April 17, 2011 |archive-date=October 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026062601/http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1850c-11.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Tampa was reincorporated as a town on December 15, 1855.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/previous_mayors/joseph_lancaster.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615171102/http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/previous_mayors/joseph_lancaster.asp |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |title=Joseph B. Lancaster&nbsp;– 1st Mayor of Tampa |publisher=Tampagov.net |access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref>

===Civil War and Reconstruction===

{{Main|Florida in the American Civil War}}

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Florida seceded along with most of the southern states to form the [[Confederate States of America]], and Fort Brooke was defended by Confederate troops. [[Martial law]] was declared in Tampa in January 1862, and Tampa's city government ceased to operate for the duration of the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/previous_mayors/No_Municipal_Form_of_Government.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070923073552/http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/previous_mayors/No_Municipal_Form_of_Government.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 23, 2007 |title=Military Rule of Tampa During Civil War |publisher=tampagov.net |access-date=February 23, 2008}}</ref>

In 1861, the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] Navy set up a [[blockade]] around many southern ports to cut off the Confederacy. Several US Navy ships were stationed near the mouth of [[Tampa Bay]], but small [[blockade runners|blockade running ships]] were often able to slip by the blockade to deliver cattle to Spanish Cuba, earning gold for the Confederate cause.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/previous_mayors/james_mckaysr.asp |title=James McKay, Sr.&nbsp;– 6th Mayor of Tampa |publisher=tampagov.net |access-date=February 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615171041/http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/previous_mayors/james_mckaysr.asp |archive-date=June 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/fl/fl002.html |title=Florida Civil War Battle Tampa Bay American War Between the States |publisher=americancivilwar.com |access-date=February 24, 2008 |archive-date=April 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425075041/http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/fl/fl002.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/fl002.htm |title=Battle Summary: Tampa, FL |publisher=nps.gov |access-date=February 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218024028/http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/fl002.htm |archive-date=February 18, 2008}}</ref> On June 30, 1862, the gunboat [[USS Sagamore (1861)|USS ''Sagamore'']] sailed into [[Tampa Bay]] and opened fire on Fort Brooke, which returned fire. The ''Sagamore'' withdrew after a few hours, and the [[Battle of Tampa]] caused little damage. During the [[Battle of Fort Brooke]] on October 16 and the [[Battle of Ballast Point]] on October 18, 1863, Union forces inflicted serious damage to the city's economy when, under the cover of another bombardment of the fort, troops landed and destroyed two blockade running ships that had been hidden upstream along the Hillsborough River.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/article516881.ece |title=Hull of Civil War sloop likely found in Tampa river&nbsp;– St. Petersburg Times |work=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=February 23, 2010 |archive-date=February 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202153138/http://tampabay.com/news/article516881.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 1864, Union troops landed again and took Fort Brooke largely unopposed. They destroyed much of the fort's facilities and confiscated the remaining military supplies other than the canons, which they tossed into the Hillsborough River, then left the "desolate" town after two days.<ref name="attack">{{cite news |last1=Morelli |first1=Keith |title=Tuesday marks anniversary of Union attack on Tampa |url=https://www.tbo.com/news/florida/tuesday-marks-anniversary-of-union-attack-on-tampa-20140504/ |access-date=August 3, 2018 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=May 4, 2014 |archive-date=August 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803133915/https://www.tbo.com/news/florida/tuesday-marks-anniversary-of-union-attack-on-tampa-20140504/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Appomattox Court House National Historical Park|Civil War ended]] in April 1865 with a Confederate defeat. In May 1865, federal troops arrived in Tampa to occupy the fort and the town as part of [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]]. They remained until August 1869.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

During the immediate post-war period, Tampa was a poor, isolated fishing village with about 1000 residents and little industry. [[Yellow fever]], borne by mosquitoes from nearby swamps, broke out several times during the 1860s and 1870s, causing more residents to leave.<ref>Brown, Cantor. ''Tampa During the Civil War and Reconstruction''. [[University Press of Florida]].</ref> In 1869, residents voted to abolish the city of Tampa government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/archives/City_of_Tampa_Incorporation_History.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824182934/http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Clerk/Information_resources/archives/City_of_Tampa_Incorporation_History.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 24, 2007 |title=Archives, City of Tampa Incorporation History |publisher=tampagov.net |access-date=February 23, 2008}}</ref>

The population of "Tampa Town" was about 800 by 1870 and dropped to about 700 by 1880. Fort Brooke was decommissioned in 1883, further impacting the local economy in the short run but opening up the waterfront for development. Except for two [[cannon]]s displayed on the [[University of Tampa]] campus, all traces of the fort are gone.<ref name="attack"/>

===1880s economic prosperity===
[[File:Port Tampa Inn.jpg|right|thumb|Port Tampa Inn, with rail line in front of hotel, c. 1900]]

In the mid-1880s, Tampa's fortunes took several sudden turns for the better. First, [[phosphate]] was discovered in the [[Bone Valley]] region southeast of Tampa in 1883. The mineral, vital for the production of [[fertilizer]]s and other products, was soon being shipped from the Port of Tampa in great volume. Tampa is still a major phosphate exporter.

The discovery of phosphate, the arrival of Plant's railroad, and the founding of Ybor City and West Tampa—all in the mid-1880s—were crucial to Tampa's development. The once-struggling village of Tampa became a bustling [[boomtown]] almost overnight and had grown into one of the largest cities in Florida by 1900.<ref name="Lastra, Frank 2006"/>

====Plant's railroad====
[[Henry B. Plant]]'s narrow-gauge [[South Florida Railroad]] reached Tampa and its port in late 1883, finally connecting the small town to the nation's railroad system after years of efforts by local leaders. Previously, Tampa's overland transportation links had consisted of sandy roads stretching across the Florida countryside. Plant's railroad made it much easier to get goods in and out of the Tampa Bay area. Phosphate and [[commercial fishing]] exports could be sent north by rail,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baysoundings.com/sum05/phosphate4.html |title=About Bone Valley |publisher=Baysoundings.com |access-date=April 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707214707/http://www.baysoundings.com/sum05/phosphate4.html |archive-date=July 7, 2011}}</ref> and many new products were brought into the Tampa market, along with the first tourists.
[[File:Yborcigarfactory.jpg|thumb|right|[[Vicente Martinez Ybor|Ybor's]] first cigar factory c. 1900]]

====Ybor's cigars====
{{See also|History of Ybor City}}
[[File:Lewis Hine, Cigarmakers, Tampa, Florida, 1909.jpg|thumb|right|Rolling cigars, 1909. Photo by [[Lewis Hine]].]]

The new railroad link enabled another important industry to come to Tampa. In 1885, the Tampa Board of Trade enticed [[Vicente Martinez Ybor]] to move his [[cigar]] manufacturing operations to Tampa from [[Key West, Florida|Key West]]. Proximity to [[Cuba]] made importation of "clear Havana tobacco" easy by sea, and Plant's railroad made shipment of finished cigars to the rest of the US market easy by land.<ref name="Lastra, Frank 2006">Lastra, Frank. ''Ybor City: The Making of a Landmark Town''. 2006. University of Tampa Press.</ref>

Since Tampa was still a small town at the time (population less than 5,000), Ybor built hundreds of small houses around his factory to accommodate the immediate influx of mainly Cuban and Spanish cigar workers. [[Ybor City]]'s factories rolled their first cigars in 1886, and many different cigar manufacturers moved their operations to town in ensuing years. Many [[Italians|Italian]] and a few Eastern European [[Jews|Jewish]] immigrants arrived starting in the late 1880s, opening businesses and shops that catered to cigar workers. By 1900, over 10,000 immigrants had moved to the neighborhood. Several thousand more Cuban immigrants built [[West Tampa]], another cigar-centric suburb founded a few years later by Hugh MacFarlane. Between them, two "Latin" communities combined to exponentially expand Tampa's population, economic base, and tax revenues, as Tampa became the "Cigar Capital of the World".<ref>Mormino, Gary. ''The Immigrant World of Ybor City''. [[University Press of Florida]]</ref>
[[File:TampaFranklinStreetNorth.jpg|thumb|right|Franklin Street, looking north past the [[old Hillsborough County Courthouse]], Tampa c. 1910s–1920s]]

===Early 20th century===
During the first few decades of the 20th century, the cigar-making industry was the backbone of Tampa's economy. The factories in Ybor City and West Tampa made an enormous number of cigars—in the peak year of 1929, over 500 million cigars were hand rolled in the city.<ref>Lastra, Frank, ''Ybor City: The Making of a Landmark Town''</ref>

In 1904, a civic association of local businessmen dubbed themselves [[Ye Mystic Krewe|Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla]] (named after local mythical pirate José Gaspar), and staged an "invasion" of the city followed by a parade. With a few exceptions, the [[Gasparilla Pirate Festival]] has been held every year since.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gasparillapiratefest.com |title=Gasparilla Pirate Festival&nbsp;– Tampa, Florida |publisher=Gasparillapiratefest.com |access-date=February 23, 2010 |archive-date=February 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225142224/http://www.gasparillapiratefest.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Bolita and organized crime===
[[File:Downtowntampa1913.jpg|center|thumb|Panorama of Downtown Tampa taken in 1913|853x853px]]

Beginning in the late 19th century, illegal [[bolita]] lotteries were very popular among the Tampa working classes, especially in Ybor City. In the early 1920s, this small-time operation was taken over by [[Charlie Wall]], the rebellious son of a prominent Tampa family, and went big-time. Bolita was able to openly thrive only because of [[Kickback (bribery)|kick-backs]] and bribes to key local politicians and law enforcement officials, and many were on the take.<ref name="ReferenceA">Kerstein, Robert. ''Politics and Growth in 20th Century Tampa''. University Press of Florida. {{ISBN|0-8130-2083-2}}.</ref>

Profits from the bolita lotteries and [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]]-era bootlegging led to the development of several [[organized crime]] factions in the city. Charlie Wall was the first major boss, but various power struggles culminated in consolidation of control by [[Sicily|Sicilian]] [[made man|mafioso]] [[Santo Trafficante Sr.]] and his faction in the 1950s. After his death in 1954 from cancer, control passed to his son, [[Santo Trafficante Jr.]], who established alliances with families in New York City and extended his power throughout Florida and into [[Fulgencio Batista|Batista]]-era [[Cuba]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Deitche |first=Scott |url=http://www.weeklyplanet.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A317 |title=The Mob |publisher=Weeklyplanet.com |access-date=April 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315022914/http://www.weeklyplanet.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A317 |archive-date=March 15, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_101.html |title=Feature Articles 101 |publisher=AmericanMafia.com |access-date=April 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206141849/http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_101.html |archive-date=February 6, 2010}}</ref>

The era of rampant and open corruption ended in the 1950s, when [[Estes Kefauver]]'s traveling [[Kefauver hearings|organized crime hearings]] came to town and were followed by the sensational misconduct trials of several local officials. Although many of the worst offenders in government and the mob were not charged, the trials helped to end the sense of lawlessness which had prevailed in Tampa for decades.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Mid to late 20th century===
[[File:Macdill-worldwarII.jpg|thumb|[[MacDill Air Force Base]] during World War II]]

Tampa grew considerably as a result of [[World War II]]. Prior to the United States' involvement in the conflict, construction began on [[MacDill Air Force Base|MacDill Field]], which served as a main base for [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] and later [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]] operations just before and during World War II, with multiple auxiliary airfields around the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. At the end of the war, MacDill remained as an active military installation, while the auxiliary fields reverted to civilian control. Two of these auxiliary fields would later become the present-day [[Tampa International Airport]] and [[St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport]]. With the establishment of an independent [[U.S. Air Force]] in 1947, MacDill Field became [[MacDill Air Force Base]].

During the 1950s and 1960s, Tampa saw record-setting population growth that has not been seen since. This growth spurred expansion of the city's highways and bridges, bringing thousands into the city and creating opportunities for Tampa business owners, who welcomed the influx of tourists and new residents. It was during this time period in the city's history that two of the most popular tourist attractions in the area were developed&nbsp;– [[Busch Gardens]] and [[Lowry Park Zoo|Lowry Park]]. Many of the well-known institutions that play an important role in the economic development of the city were established during this time period.<ref name="arcadiapublishing.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.arcadiapublishing.com |title=Vintage Tampa Signs and Scenes |access-date=March 23, 2018 |archive-date=April 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420011135/https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[University of South Florida]] was established in North Tampa in 1956 and opened for students in September 1960.<ref>{{cite web |title=USF History |url=http://www.usf.edu/about-usf/history.aspx |work=usf.edu |publisher=University of South Florida |access-date=August 16, 2015 |archive-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821053340/http://www.usf.edu/about-usf/history.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> The school spurred the construction of several residential and commercial developments in the previously agriculture-dominated area around the new campus. Overall, Tampa continued to expand away from the city center during the 1960s as new hospitals, schools, churches and subdivisions all began appearing to accommodate the growth. Many business offices began moving away from the traditional downtown office building into more convenient neighborhood office plazas.<ref name="arcadiapublishing.com"/>

In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau reported city's population as 80.0% white and 19.7% black.<ref>{{cite web |title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref>

Four attempts have been made to [[Consolidated city-county|consolidate]] the municipal government of the city of Tampa with the county government of Hillsborough County (1967, 1970, 1971, and 1972), all of which failed at the ballot box; the greatest loss was the most recent attempt in 1972, with the final tally being 33,160 (31%) in favor and 73,568 (69%) against the proposed charter.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Johnson |first=Linda S. |title=Constitutional Change in Local Governance: An Exploration of Institutional Entrepreneurs, Procedural Safeguards, and Selective Incentives |chapter=Consolidation of City and County Governments: Attempts in Five Cities |date=2005 |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=Florida State University |access-date=August 28, 2012 |chapter-url=http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04152005-170723/unrestricted/05_lsj_CHAPTER_4_b.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120034927/http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04152005-170723/unrestricted/05_lsj_CHAPTER_4_b.pdf |archive-date=January 20, 2013}}</ref>

The biggest recent growth in the city was the development of [[New Tampa]], which started in 1988 when the city annexed a mostly rural area of {{cvt|24|sqmi|km2}} between [[Interstate 275 (Florida)|I-275]] and [[Interstate 75 in Florida|I-75]].{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

[[East Tampa]], historically a mostly black community, was the scene of several [[race riot]]s during and for some time after the period of racial segregation, mainly due to problems between residents and the [[Tampa Police Department]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guzzo |first=Paul |date=June 8, 2017 |title=Racism in Tampa boiled over 50 years ago into Central Avenue riots |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/racism-in-tampa-boiled-over-50-years-ago-into-central-avenue-riots/2326360/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 27, 2021 |work=Tampa Bay Times |publisher=Tampa Publishing Company |language=en |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327141515/https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/racism-in-tampa-boiled-over-50-years-ago-into-central-avenue-riots/2326360/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Momodu |first=Samuel |date=December 25, 2020 |title=Tampa Bay Race Riot (1967) |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/tampa-bay-race-riot-1967/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 27, 2021 |website=Blackpast |language=en-US |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126185536/https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/tampa-bay-race-riot-1967/ }}</ref>