As a child growing up in South Hillsborough County, I remember people not having much, but they took pride in what they had and maintained a clean community. A lot has changed over the years. The Giant’s Camp Restaurant and Marina are gone, the local grocery store and pharmacy no longer exist, and Twin Oaks Plaza has fallen into despair.
The Florida Moments Blog said, “If you decide to visit Gibsonton (or “Gibtown”), you won’t find much left. The town itself doesn’t have much to offer in the way of entertainment, either. The residents have a hard time finding work and staying above the poverty line.”
I’ve never liked the word “Gibtown” but what is sad about the story is “…. residents have a hard time finding work and staying above the poverty line.”
Why has this happened? Well, the carnival business is not what it used to be, the Greatest Generation no longer exists, and many residents no longer take pride in ownership, or lack ownership completely. But wait, what about our government, do they have culpability in the demise of Gibsonton? YES, they do.
Over the last 20 years I have seen South Hillsborough infrastructure steadily crumble before our eyes. Just look at the bridge over Bull Frog Creek on US HWY 41. Someone from the government thought one side should be painted a nice neutral color and the other side “yellow”. I don’t know about you, but this looks terrible and shows the complete lack of respect for our community.
What about our local roads? For some time now, if you start your journey on US 301 and turn West on Riverview Drive, Gibsonton Drive, Symmes Road, and even Big Bend Road, as soon as you pass under I-75 these roads fall apart. I’m sure my friends in Riverview will say it’s just as bad on their side but, I’m here to tell you, It’s worse on the Gibsonton side.
While some of the blame can be set squarely on the feet of our State Officials, most of our anguish should be directed to our local elected commissioners. In Hillsborough, we have seven County Commissioners, four represent specific Districts and three represent the entire County.
Most of what we call Gibsonton is represented by District One. The current District One County Commissioner has been in that seat for 10 years and has served as Chair on two separate occasions. While District Five, Six, and Seven represent the entire County, only one of these Commissioner have been in that role longer than two-years. Hard to hold them accountable for the complete lack of regard for our community.
Personally, I have lived outside of Gibsonton all my adult life but have farmed in this community until 1996. However, my wife and I are members of the First Baptist Church of Gibsonton and recently, due to the death of both of my parents, we have been refurbishing my child-hood home.
Lastly, just in the last few years, we have also seen an explosion of homelessness in our community. Couple that with poverty, the lack of job opportunities, and Gibsonton being a “food desert”, our immediate future is not promising.
While I am disappointed in “some” residents not taking pride in what they have, not cleaning up their land, letting their buildings fall apart, and so on. I am even more disappointed in our local elected representatives.
For years our community has been neglected by Hillsborough County Government. Our infrastructure is falling apart, homelessness continues to explode, and business (any business) takes one look at Gibsonton and say’s “no thanks”.
Please, if you have interest in this little part of South Hillsborough County, I encourage you to get involved with the Concerned Citizens of Gibsonton. But, more importantly, I encourage you to reach out to the Hillsborough County Commission and voice your concern.
