New City Of Tampa Mobile App Makes Services More Accessible

Megan Hendricks | Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Have you ever driven through a pot hole or seen a street light out and wanted to report it to the city, only to forget about it later?

A new mobile app from the City of Tampa makes it easier to report issues that require the City’s attention in real time, as well as to connect with City government.

"The goal is to give residents and visitors another way to interact with the city," says Ali Glisson, public affairs director for the City of Tampa.

The most popular feature is the “service requests” area, which allows you to report malfunctioning street lights, water department issues, code enforcement inquiries, parking issues and other needs. Citizens can now be the city’s eyes and ears and give them a better view of what’s going on in neighborhoods through the immediate accessibility. There is also a way to send a picture of the incident, which provides GPS coordinates and allows for a quicker response.

Additional features include a full list of city events, including public meetings and special events, instant access to news and press releases, job openings and ways to connect with Mayor Buckhorn via social media.

The app was developed in-house by city staff and is available free of charge for Android and iOS-based smart phones and tablets.

"Mayor Buckhorn has been very focused on upgrading the city’s technology infrastructure, so we’ve been trying to make progress in improving technology across the city," says Glisson.

Future plans for the city’s technology initiatives include integrating a billing system into the app that allows residents to pay water and utility bills through their smart phone. There are also plans to place Wi-Fi in riverfront parks.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Ali Glisson, City of Tampa

Read more articles by Megan Hendricks.

A Florida native and longtime Tampa Bay resident, Megan Hendricks graduated from the University of South Florida with a master's degree in business administration. She worked at the USF College of Business and has extensive community experience including the Tampa Bay Partnership's Talent Dividend Advisory Board, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Emerge Tampa Bay, Ekhos, and Bar Camp Tampa. She is a former board member and newsletter editor for Creative Tampa Bay. Megan enjoys telling the stories that make Tampa Bay a unique, diverse cultural experience.