https://www.wsj.com/articles/tampa-fl-new-development-11657728015

Bryan Pascual loves his hometown of Tampa, Fla., visiting often from his current home in Puerto Rico. But the 41-year-old entrepreneur is the first to admit that for much of his life, Tampa was “an A-minus, if you will, or even a B-plus” city with a nondescript downtown and a down-market reputation.

The Gulf Coast city has sparkling bays and white sand beaches within easy reach, but it didn’t have the five-star hotels, buzzy restaurants and hip downtown districts so crucial to a city’s cool factor. For many, Tampa was best known as the birthplace of Hooters—spawned in neighboring Clearwater—and as the backdrop for “Magic Mike,” the 2012 male-stripper movie shot in and around Tampa Bay’s tatty nightclubs and sports lounges.

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