The Big Story: Pissing off Ikea
January 18, 2008 at 10:11 am by Wayne GarciaYes, I know, the furniture retailer Ikea is a phenom; people line up for days to get in when it opens new stores, as was the case recently in Orlando. But still, given some of the response over at Tampa City Hall to Linda Saul-Sena’s criticisms of 
the planned Ybor City Ikea, you’d think that landing Ikea was our make-or-break moment.
Saul-Sena (full disclosure here: I did political consulting work for her before returning to journalism in 2004) rightly points out that Ikea’s design is not real green. She lost a city vote to force the retailer to up its game, so she has sent a letter with a more pointed message, threatening to post a critique of Ikea’s plan on YouTube.
You go, digital girl.
This, of course, has some in the city in a snivet. Here’s the Trib’s account:
As Thursday’s council meeting wound down, Councilman Joseph Caetano requested that the city council attorney write a letter to Ikea reaffirming the council’s approval of the company’s plan to build a store in Tampa.
Caetano is upset that Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena wrote a letter on council stationery to Ikea last month threatening to post a video on YouTube about the project.
During rezoning hearings last summer, Saul-Sena cast the lone no vote, saying the project wasn’t environmentally friendly.
“It was a 6-1 vote,” Caetano said, clearly annoyed. “It’s a dead issue.”
The city’s economic development butt-smoochers (at least when it comes to large, out of town companies; when it comes to local businesses, it’s a different story) already have sent an abject apology to Ikea for Saul-Sena’s stridency, but Caetano wanted Council members to join in apologetica. His motion failed to get the required four votes as two Council members were absent. So it appears the Council will be about the only folks not to pile on Saul-Sena; the Tribune editorial board, never noted for its commitment to change, blasted her as well:
Ikea is an economic powerhouse that creates jobs, stimulates other businesses and attracts out-of-town visitors. Landing one of the chic Scandinavian furniture mega-stores causes most any city official in America to jump up and down with joy.
But Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena is stomping her feet, threatening to embarrass the company that plans to build a store on Adamo Drive near Ybor City.
In doing so she is embarrassing herself, the city and her environmental cause.
Hogwash! This kind of attitude begs the larger question: How long do we have to wait in Tampa for the public to demand its city government be something better, something innovative, something sustainable? How long do we continue to accept mediocrity and laziness? Having an Ikea is fine, and it will offer a new retail option and draw some shoppers here. But the larger principle remains: if the hipper, cooler businesses won’t go green, won’t try innovation, how in the hell can we expect to force the Wal-Marts and chain restaurants of the world to do likewise?
Saul-Sena and colleague Councilman John Dingfelder have been more strident than the Pam Iorio administration about moving toward greener, more environmentally friendly designs in urban planning and construction. They may be ruffling some feathers, but from what I hear out there in the neighborhoods and among activists, there’s room for a little ruffling.
