State Rep. Says Regent Board Owes Community Apology

State Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Riverview, wants to know why a taxpayer-funded facility is being used for private parties and weddings instead of community functions, as it was intended.

Burgin, who lives in Winthrop Town Centre less than a mile from The Regent on Watson Road, lambasted The Regent’s board of directors for catering to posh parties instead of nonprofit events.

The board that operates the banquet facilities at The Regent, called the Brandon Community Advantage Center Board of Directors, has not commented on Burgin’s accusation that it has turned what was supposed to be a community center into a country club.

The nonprofit board has closed its monthly meetings to the public. Board member George May said the reason for the closed meetings is to allow the board to discuss confidential rental arrangements.

But Burgin, who previously sat on the Brandon Community Advantage Center board, believes the board owes the community an apology. Noting that the $6 million facility was built with public money, she says it should be open for the public to use.

Several nonprofits in the community have had events at The Regent, including the annual Center Place patron party in April. Those groups paid a nonprofit rate to rent The Regent for the evening.

Other nonprofits declined to use the facility for their big events, citing the expense. Among them was the LifeCare of Brandon, which was quoted a price of $3,000 to hold its annual ladies tea at The Regent. Instead, the nonprofit opted to hold its event at Bell Shoals Baptist Church.

"It is obvious that it has been forgotten who this building belongs to," Burgin said in a letter to the center's board of directors. "This greater Brandon/Riverview community is outraged at the lack of access that they have to the community center that was purchased with taxpayer dollars."

The Regent, which also doubles as a hurricane shelter, opened in January. The first big event held there was the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet.

Among those on hand at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Regent was former Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon, who helped secure the initial $2 million in state funds for The Regent. Lee noted that the community had long complained that it had no venue large enough for community gatherings, like the annual Center Place patron party or the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet. Organizations were forced to go outside Brandon to hold events.

The project received another $1.5 million in matching funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to build the center to withstand hurricanes. It's the only shelter in Tampa Bay built to current FEMA standards to withstand winds of up to 190 mph.

The remaining funds were secured with the help of Mark Thornton, director of the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, who proposed diverting Community Investment Fund dollars from the defunct $40 Championship Park project to the Brandon Community Advantage Center, giving the project the $2.5 million additional funds it needed to build.

The Brandon Community Advantage Center board then formed a partnership with Hillsborough Community College, agreeing to donate the building and land to HCC with the provision that the BCAC board be able to lease the building for $10 a month for 40 years.

Under the agreement, HCC pays 90 percent of the operational costs of the facility and funds any repairs.

In return, HCC retains ownership of the building and uses its lower floor for six general education classrooms.

The building contains 30,000 square feet of air-conditioned space, including a 3,500-square-foot multipurpose room downstairs.

At the grand opening, May, then chairman of the Brandon Community Advantage Center board, said the board had two goals for The Regent, which it accomplished.

“It wanted to deliver to the community a building that was paid for and it wanted to make it affordable enough for the community to use,” he said.

The banquet facilities can be leased for public or private events at a rate that's competitive with other banquet facilities in Tampa Bay, said project manager Ron Pierce. However, Brandon area nonprofits wanting to use the facility get a 25 to 50 percent discount, depending on need.

In response to Burgin's criticism, The Regent's board changed the mission statement on its Website. 

The new mission statement reads: "The Regent will meet the needs of the Greater Brandon community in Eastern Hillsborough County with a focus on artistic, civic, cultural, educational, historic, philanthropic, and social purposes, including classes, meetings, events, and performances.

"Beyond a place to house events, The Regent takes to heart its mission in becoming for the citizens of Greater Brandon a place for diverse interests to come together and build connections and a sense of civic pride."