TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa is one of the fastest-growing cities in America.

However, Community advocate Sandra Sroka says that the infrastructure and accessibility for differently-abled residents like her have not improved simultaneously.

She believes that a millage increase could help fill the sidewalk gaps throughout the city of Tampa and make it more accessible for everyone.

Mayor Jane Castor is addressing the pressing need to fill sidewalk gaps throughout the city of Tampa.

From working families to school children and differently-abled individuals, the mayor says sidewalks are a lifeline to independence and a source of safety for many residents who rely on walking or biking as their means of travel. Through a proposed millage increase, the Mayor says the city can improve from building point five miles to more than 17 miles of sidewalks per year. 

The Mayor says it is long overdue. 

“We know that this is a burden in some instances, nobody ever wants to raise the millage rate,” said Mayor Castor. “I wish that we didn't have to. But, the traditional funding streams that we have seen through communication, through tax, through gas tax and other forms have gone away in most instances. And so we did receive more funding from the property taxes, and we have the ability to continue to provide the services at the level that we do right now. What we don't have the ability to do is address the additional individual goals that are moving to our community to provide those services, but most importantly, to address that deferred maintenance in the areas that are so important to our community. We've done four years of value surveys. The four top issues are the four issues we're addressing through this millage increase, and they're the top for every single year. And that is paving. Public safety, parks and recreation and housing. Those are the four critical issues for our community. And we can't afford to continue to defer these. They've been deferred in the past because they're not the shiny new objects that we can cut a ribbon at.”

Mayor Castor says her proposed millage rate would cost the average household about $20 per month. 

Sandra Sroka has been navigating life in a wheelchair since she was three years old. 

She says accessible sidewalks are key in helping her get from Point A to Point B.

She says lack of repairs and aging infrastructure doesn’t always make that possible. 

“I almost went flying out of my chair at one location,” she said. “It just varies in different parts of town that may have sidewalks and other places that don't. One of the things, for whatever reason that happened in the past, is sidewalks would be put in for one stretch on one side of the road, but not on the other.”

The former Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator for Hillsborough County is now active with several disability alliances within the community.  

Tampa Mobility Director Vik Bhide says that includes residents who walk to their destinations. 

“We've got an area with relatively low car ownership rates. So access to food is done by foot in that case. And we have to make sure either foot or by wheelchair —we have to make sure these spaces are accessible,” said Bhide.

To ensure these spaces are accessible, the city of Tampa is working to bridge the gap in its sidewalk infrastructure through a proposed millage increase.

An idea that some people support, while others oppose it. 

“Well, it is a difficult issue,” said Sandra. “I think we need to look at the total picture and look at where things have been, where things are now, and as a community, we need to look to the future.

And where our community is going and where we would like it to go.”