Welcome, Commissioner Benson!
Appointed by the City of Tampa, Stephen Benson, AICP, CNU-A, was sworn in as the newest member of the Planning Commission at our October 14 meeting. Only 25 years old, Benson is the first member of the millennial generation to serve on the Planning Commission.
Benson, a fourth generation Tampa native, spent most of his life in Tampa, graduating from Plant High School and attending the University of South Florida for both his undergraduate and graduate studies, earning a B.A. in Geography and his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. Commissioner Benson is a certified urban planner who specializes in multimodal transportation planning and bicycle and pedestrian safety. Other professional affiliations include serving as Chair of the Florida Young Planners Group of the American Planning Association, on the Urban Land Institute’s Young Leader’s Group, and on the leadership committee for the Congress for New Urbanism’s Tampa Bay Group.
Regarding his inspiration to become a Planning Commissioner, “I felt like there was a need for my generation to have a voice on how the future of our community is going to be planned out.” He is most looking forward to “20 years from now, seeing something I contributed to having been implemented and making a positive impact on our community. That is what I’m most excited about.”
And, we’re excited to see the vision for our community through your eyes.