I hope this finds you, your family and colleagues well and above all else healthy.

It has been a wild few months. We kicked off the year with a hugely successful Trends Conference. We knocked our attendance out of the park. The energy level was buzzing and there was palpable excitement about the future of Tampa Bay. Mitch Rochelle announced that we were in the top eleven markets in the country and optimism was swelling. Fast forward to today where a cloud of uncertainty still hangs over us, but rays of hope are shining through.

In just a few weeks, we convened more than 1,000 industry professionals online to share and learn about a range of topics from a peek into the economic and market reality facing us to insightful considerations of what is to become our new normal. The rapidly shifting landscape did not stop us, it only motivated us to be relevant and remain the premier organization for our industry.

Thank you to our staff and countless members who have offered to experiment and create new opportunities on timely topics. We figured out how to stay connected while we distance. We reinvented our venue to deliver essential industry knowledge. ULI Tampa Bay was one of the first District Council’s in the country to launch digital programming. And, in partnership with ULI Florida and ULI at the national and global levels, we can continue to offer topics, speakers, and lessons from around the world.

We seek to deliver timely, thoughtful deep dives into a wide range of sectors. Our Women’s Leadership Initiative, Young Leaders, Mentorship programming, community impact initiatives are all being reconfigured to adapt to this new era. And, while our new reality is still unclear, we are on track to posting the largest annual audience we have ever experienced – and our membership continues to grow.

I want to personally thank our sponsors who have stood by us over the years and continue to demonstrate their support by their continued giving and sponsorship renewals. We are blessed to be going into this with such dedicated partners.

ULI’s members are shaping the industry response to COVID-19 and charting the path forward. We’d love to hear from you and better understand how you and your company are navigating the current crisis – and more importantly how ULI can help. If you can find a spare moment, please reply to this email with your thoughts or complete this quick member survey.

As we head into the summer months and our future remains a bit wobbly, I am certain that Tampa Bay will forge ahead and our market will remain a leader in the US. Thank you for your continued support of ULI Tampa Bay. Wishing you health and wellness.

With warmest regards,

Lucia E. Garsys,

ULI Tampa Bay Chair

Deputy County Administrator,

Hillsborough County