Community Service – Networking, Relationship Building & Funding

We would like to thank all members of our community for their outstanding support. Volunteers’ input, their time, business sponsorship, and community funding are critical to keeping Dana Shores one of the most sought-after waterfront communities in Tampa. Together, we continue to accomplish a great deal.

In addition to working well together, we also look outward. This perspective gives us a better better sense of ourselves, our opportunities, and our  partners. It  changes what we do and how we do it. Instead of just building a strong neighborhood, we work to build a stronger Rocky Point community.

Vision — Including Ongoing Operations

1. Continue to grow our volunteer base and regularly disseminate important information to the neighborhood via the Shore Lines newsletter, email, the Dana Shores Neighbors-Only Facebook page, and this website. (ONGOING)
2. Collect $100 annual dues per household and judiciously direct these funds toward improvements within and around Dana Shores. (ONGOING)
3. Continue to supplement our dues with grants as we find funding opportunities that align with our community needs and qualifications. (ONGOING)
4. Sponsor and coordinate fundraising events and other opportunities (e.g., Bi-Annual Neighborhood Business Auction, Upper Tampa Bay Golf Tournament). (ONGOING)
5. Continue to increase broad community participation in local government boards, councils, committees, educational opportunities, and advisory groups. (ONGOING)
6. Share best practices and identify synergies with nearby communities on a regular basis. (ONGOING)
7. Create opportunities for increased interaction among residents of nearby neighborhoods (e.g., Rocky Point Golf Scramble, neighborhood parties, Skyway Family Fun Day, joint Town ‘N Country improvement initiatives). (ONGOING)
8. Established and continue to foster positive relationships with surrounding businesses, governmental offices, organizations, and neighborhoods, including Bay Crest, Bayport Plaza, Double Tree, Hillsborough County Commissioner Board of County Commissioners, Hillsborough County Office of Neighborhood Relations, Island Club at Rocky Point, Pelican Island, Post Bay at Rocky Point Apartments, Post Rocky Point Apartments, Rocky Point Golf Course, Sweetwater, Tampa City Council, Tampa International Airport, Tampa Sports Authority, The Cove at Rocky Point, Twelve Oaks, Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, Westshore Alliance, Westin, and various governmental offices.(ONGOING)

Completed Items — Community Highlights 

1. Designed and implemented a comprehensive communication strategy. Increased use of the neighborhood newsletter and grew neighborhood email distribution list nearly 8-fold over the last few years from 65 addresses to roughly 500 addresses.  Developed the DanaShores.com website and redesigned our online social media presence. Designed the New Neighbor Brochure to help welcome and onboard new residents.
2. Applied for and have been awarded several grants valued at more than $50,000 from Hillsborough County, FDOT, and other sources. These grants supplement residents’ annual dues, allowing us to do more while keeping residents’ costs down. Grants have helped us plant fifteen additional oaks along Dana Shores Drive, add the Dana Shores sign and logo, construct the Rocky Point monument, install bat houses, develop our website, improve landscape borders, rent dumpsters each year for community clean-ups, add irrigation at Doral, offer bicycle helmets, and install a xylophone at the park. Upcoming funding will be pursued for water quality initiatives and additional tree plantings. Due to strict parameters on how specific grants can be used and the typical requirement for matching investments, grants will not and cannot replace our annual dues.
3. Expanded neighborhood representation on Tampa Airport’s Community Noise Consortium, Tampa Sports Authority’s Citizens Advisory Board, the Citizen’s Advisory Committee to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, and the Courtney Campbell Scenic Highway Corridor Advisory Committee. Between 2016 and 2017, we have seen additional investments in our area. The County invested $1.2M in amenities for the causeway trail. FDOT invested $13.5M to build a span in the causeway that has promoted better water quality on our side of the bridge. Rocky Point Golf Course has constructed an outdoor patio, has near-term plans to upgrade their kitchen, and their investment of $700k in their greens, tee boxes, and bunkers has been a great hit with golfers.