Community gardens have been part of the vision for sustainability and resilience in the City of Tampa since 2021. The goals and objectives from strategic plans can be found below:
- Resilient Tampa (2021): Action 2.2.6 Nurture Community Gardens that Grow and Distribute Healthy Food
- Tampa Climate Action & Equity Plan (2023): Goal F1 Support and Promote Local Food Programs
City of Tampa’s Growing our Community Gardens and Education Initiative
As part of the vision for community gardens, the City of Tampa was awarded a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2022 called the “City of Tampa’s Growing our Community Gardens and Education Initiative”. The main partner on the grant was the Coalition of Community Gardens, as well as key partnerships with the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension/Homegrown Hillsborough and the University of South Florida’s Patel College of Global Sustainability. The grant ended on July 1, 2025, with a new community garden, West Tampa Grows Healthy, being established at the City of Tampa’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Complex.
Another key accomplishment of the grant included two cohorts where several dozen graduates earned their Urban Agriculture Specialist Certification through the Coalition of Community Gardens. UF/IFAS created the online course required for the certification, Community Garden Specialist Training, which is available for anyone to take for free.
Interested in Starting a Community Garden?
Anyone interested in starting a community garden in the city is encouraged to take the following into consideration.
- Interested applicants should take the Community Garden Specialist Training, which is available for free through UF/IFAS, to understand the process and responsibilities of starting a community garden in the City of Tampa.
- Connect with the resources and experience of other gardens through the Coalition of Community Gardens.
Review the community garden ordinance and special use permit needed for community gardens in the City of Tampa as outlined in Sec. 27-132. - Regulations governing individual special uses (scroll down until you see “Community Gardens”) in the City of Tampa’s Code of Ordinances.
- Determine if the land being proposed for a community garden is eligible for a community garden special use permit. Please note that properties zoned as RS-150, R-100, or RS-75 are not eligible for community gardens under the current ordinance. To look up zoning for your neighborhood or property, please visit the interactive zoning map here.
- If you are interested in leasing city-owned property for use as a community garden, please contact sustainability@tampagov.net. All interested lessors must review steps 1-4 and their associated documents before city staff will discuss potential land opportunities.