Tampa Streamlines Permitting With Web-Based Document Management Solution

By Karla Paris

Accela solution replaces outdated software while providing online access to permitting and licensing information.

In 2011, the City of Tampa, FL began creating a master plan for Tampa’s Center City, spanning from downtown to Ybor City on the east, Armenia Avenue on the west, and north along historic Nebraska Avenue to Hillsborough Avenue. The end goal was for Center City Tampa to be a community of livable places, connected people, and collaborative progress that embraces and celebrates its river and waterfront.

From the completion of the Tampa Riverwalk, the restoration of the Federal Courthouse, the evolution of its business district, and the construction of downtown residential towers, Tampa’s Center City plan is actively taking shape. However, all of this building activity created one problem that the city was in desperate need of fixing … streamline citywide permitting.

The City of Tampa partnered with Accela, the leading provider of civic engagement solutions for government, to go live with Land Management solutions on the Accela Civic Platform. The solution replaces outdated software and is designed to provide businesses, homeowners, and contractors with online access to permitting and licensing information. The goal is to help the City of Tampa make government processes transparent and available 24/7.

Tampa’s economy is founded on a diverse base that includes tourism, agriculture, construction, finance, healthcare, and technology. To serve Tampa’s growing population, the Departments of Planning and Development and Code Enforcement selected Accela Land Management to streamline permitting, development review licensing, code enforcement, and other civic processes.

With the Civic Platform, agencies have more capabilities, flexibility, and scalability to enable innovation over time without the need to invest in new technology.

Agencies, like those in the City of Tampa can:

• Streamline and accelerate services through online access, mobile solutions, efficient workflow, and the elimination of paperwork.
• Improve access to information while building transparency and trust with CivicData.com, a free open data portal.
• Speed innovation and implementation with a quickly expanding ecosystem of developers and partners.

Citizens of Tampa can engage and have easy access to the City of Tampa government when and how they want it including:

• Anytime access and instant response with citizen access and mobile apps.
• Streamlined engagement with government through two-way conversations via social media integration and citizen engagement apps, as well as have the ability to track statuses and participate in the government decision-making process.
• Transparency, trust, and a voice in the community with open data and Civic Hero, an enhanced 311 app that is the easiest way to report community issues such as graffiti, potholes, or damaged property to local government. The app sends reports to the appropriate local government agency and allows citizens to track the status of the issue.

SOURCE: Business Wire