TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County is taking steps to revitalize the Wimauma community. It started a year ago when county leaders created an action plan.

What You Need To Know

  •  Hillsborough County Leaders created a master plan in January of 2023 to help revitalize Wimauma
  •  Now county leaders are helping establish a library in its Bethune Park Master Plan
  •  The temporary library is expected to be completed by fall of 2025

Since then, there have been several meetings to help reimagine the Bethune Park area. One of the focal points in this transformation is the creation of a temporary library.

Every photo tells a story. For Jackie Brown, her photos tell the story of her Wimauma community.

“I’m very blessed to have been able to live through that time period and I can share these stories,” she said.

Through her startup, “Discover Wimauma,” she dives into the history of the area she grew up in.

It’s part of the reason behind her interest in not just the past but the future of her community.

“Our kids here, they need to know the stories of their ancestors and know that it is because of their ancestors that we can have Hillsborough County come a build a library,” she said.

Wimauma has never had a library, according to John Patrick, the division director for the Hillsborough County Community and Infrastructure Planning Department.

He says the master plan in Bethune Park is a way to get input from residents about what they want to see, and the library is a big part.

“We would like that to be more of a community center," Patrick said. "Libraries have been changing. It is no longer just a place where we have books, but a place where people go to socialize."

The temporary library will be placed at the existing senior center.

It will provide computer access for families, and will be a place where community members can learn the history of Wimauma.

Because it’s through this park that Jackie says has been part of her story.

“It gave us some place to go, it gave us purpose and now here we are,” she said.

As she continues her research, she hopes it will live on through this library for generations to come.

Completion of the library is estimated to be the fall of 2025.

There will be more opportunities for residents to place their input on the master plan for Bethune Park on Saturday, May 18.