District 7 Tampa City Council member and New Tampa resident Luis Viera says he hasn’t made a decision yet, but he is looking at either a State House of Representatives or Hillsborough County Commission run in 2026, before his current City Council term expires in March of 2027.
While introducing Viera, who was the guest speaker at North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce’ (NTBC)’s monthly Business Breakfast on Feb. 4, NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy mentioned that she had heard Viera might be considering a run for Mayor of Tampa, but Viera said he was more interested in a run for the District 67 State House seat currently occupied by House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, who will reach her term limit with the Nov. 2026 election.
Since that Feb. 4 meeting, Viera says he has been approached by multiple media outlets about his plans going forward. He says he is mulling over the possibility of running not only for Driskell’s Dist. 67 State House seat, but also for one of the County Commission seats up for election in 2026. “I haven’t made a decision yet,” Viera says. “But, once I announce which of those offices I will choose to run for, I will have to give up my City Council seat before my term ends.”
Even though he is a registered Democrat (City of Tampa elections are all nonpartisan), the 47-year-old Viera also discussed his ability to work with other political office holders — including reaching across the political aisle — in Hillsborough and Pasco counties, as well as with Rep. Driskell, Dist. 20 State Senator Danny Burgess and with Dist. 15 U.S. Congresswoman Laurel Lee. He also talked about New Tampa’s status as the “Alaska” of the City of Tampa, was well as zip code 33647’s cultural diversity, as well as what he has accomplished in the nine years since first winning election — by 65 votes in the two-candidate Special Election runoff in Nov. 2016 — in his first election over fellow New Tampa resident Dr. Jim Davison.
Look for a full recap of Councilman Viera’s Chamber breakfast chat, and more information about his political plans, in the March 4 New Tampa Neighborhood News Issue #5-25.
Freedom High chorus students last got to visit New York City in 2023. In a couple of months, 33 Freedom students will be taking a trip to the Big Apple to perform in the National Concert Chorus at the renowned Carnegie Hall, but they need some financial assistance. (Photo provided by Amber Faircloth)
Freedom High chorus students are preparing for the experience of a lifetime — an upcoming trip to sing at the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Amber Faircloth, the school’s choral director, says Freedom students will perform in the National Concert Chorus, singing a variety of choral repertoire numbers under the direction of esteemed directors, along with several other high schools from across the country.
The trip will include three days of rehearsals with the students from other schools. The students, their chaperones and teacher also will see the musical “Hadestown” and do some sightseeing. They’ll have a dress rehearsal and concert in Carnegie Hall, then attend a reception at the Hard Rock Café, where the venue will be shut down exclusively for them from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The event is put on by National Concerts, an organization that aims to “provide impactful performance opportunities for musicians, empowering them to reach their highest potential through innovative collaborations.”
Of about 70 total students in Freedom’s chorus program, 33 will attend the trip Mar. 29-Apr. 2. The National Concert Chorus performance will be held on Tuesday, April 1.
Faircloth says her goal is to do a big trip every year. She wasn’t able to lead trips during and shortly after Covid but, in 2023, she took students to New York City to do a Broadway tour, where they saw three shows and participated in a workshop. Last year, they went to Williamsburg, VA, where they participated in the Williamsburg Heritage Festival and were evaluated on their performance.
“The performance part of the Williamsburg trip made it so much more special because they had something to work toward,” Faircloth says.
This year, she is thrilled to take them to the next level. “Carnegie Hall is a very special venue they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to perform in,” she says.
Faircloth has taught at Freedom since her graduation in 2018 from Florida State University in Tallahassee with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She’s made it a goal to give her students memories that will last a lifetime, like the ones she had as a student in Hillsborough County’s Newsome High in Lithia.
“My high school chorus teacher gave me the best chorus experience,” she says. “I remember in vivid detail my madrigal dinners and competitions and trips. I want to give my students memories they can take and live with the rest of their lives.”
She says chorus also offers students a positive experience and something fun in their day to look forward to, and exposes them to new things they can be successful with, such as Freedom’s own annual madrigal dinner, as we reported last issue.
A madrigal dinner, an evening of Renaissance-style entertainment, may be something students are not familiar with until they join chorus, she says, but “it’s a fun, festive way to ring in the holiday season.”
Upcoming performances that are open to the public include a coffeehouse fundraiser with solo and small group performances at Lutz Community Church on Friday, April 11, 6 p.m. “Shrek the Musical” will be held in the Freedom auditorium the weekend of May 1-3 and the chorus spring concert will be Thursday, May 15, 6:30 p.m.
Please Help!
Faircloth says Freedom is looking for community support to help her chorus students take the trip of a lifetime to perform at Carnegie Hall.
Students have already paid $1,725 each to attend, but that is well short of the actual cost of the trip. “A lot of students have taken up jobs to pay for the trip themselves, and their families are working very hard for them to have this opportunity,” Faircloth explains. “We’ve done quite a bit of fundraising and applied for grants to cover the cost as much as possible.”
Faircloth says she’s hoping additional community support could help to limit the amount students have to pay for New York City’s famously expensive meals and activities.
To support the students’ trip, visit FreedomHSChoralBoosters.square.site and choose the “Donate” option. Businesses that are interested in sponsorship opportunities, which will include recognition on social media and in concert programs, can email AmberFaircloth@HCPS.net for more information.
