First lady lauds Tampa for preservation

TAMPA -- First lady Laura Bush has designated Tampa as one of the country's newest Preserve America Communities.

The recognition honors the city for its historic preservation rules, along with community efforts to protect historic resources and educational programs that promote Tampa's past. The application for the designation highlighted, among other things, Plant Hall at the University of Tampa, the Tampa Bay History Center, and Ybor City, one of Florida's few national historic districts.

Tampa joins a handful of other Florida cities that have received the designation in the past, including St. Petersburg, Miami, Dunedin, Kissimmee and Sanford.

- Janet Zink, Times staff writer