Whether or not Vincent took that European/Cuban cruise on the Giuseppe Verdi from NY in 1921 remains to be confirmed, but three years later Vincent came to Tampa in late Feb. 1924 with his wife and two children.  By August of that same year, one of his brothers-in-law along with his wife decided to move to Tampa from New York.  Thomas La Pia was a little more than a year younger than his brother Raymond La Pia (and about two years younger than their sister Judith, Vincent's wife.)   In the late 1910s and early 1920s, Vincent and Judith had lived with Raymond in the Bronx. 

Vincent was listed on the Tribune's "Tourist Arrivals" section for Feb. 28, 1924 and for the first time was mentioned as an attorney.  By August of that year he and his brother-in-law Thomas La Pia, a broker and realtor in NYC, opened a law office in Ybor City. La Pia was well known in the real estate business.

THE FLORIDA LAND BOOM - FLORENCE VILLA and DAVIS ISLANDS

The Florida land boom was at a frenzied high in 1924 when Vincent and his wife, Giuditta (Judith) Sempreviva, teamed up with real estate developer R. C. Dotson and J. H. Letton to plan the first real estate development in east Tampa, east of Ybor City.  They incorporated in the name of "SUBDIVISION DEVELOPERS, INC." in Sept. 1924.   Dotson served as the president, Judith Sempreviva was Vice President, Letton was treasurer, and Vincent was Secretary and a director.

The 1924 through 1926 newspapers of Tampa buzzed with countless numbers of articles and classified ads telling of new subdivisions, huge sales figures, property sales and realtor successes.  In addition to Vincent's success, D. P. Davis was all over the press with his planned development of Davis Islands.

Portions of the above article have been removed, you can read it in its entirety here.  Once it opens, click it again to see full size.

FLORENCE VILLA EXPANDS

Originally consisting of a sixty-acre project, forty more acres were purchased by early October.  The article is in error concerning who was vice-president.  It was Vincent's wife, Judith, who was vice president.  Vincent was the Secretary and a director.

Clearly targeting the a Latin community of Tampa, Florence Villa promised to be a "strictly high-class subdivision, made beautiful with touches reminiscent of Sunny Italy and Old Spain..."  It was going to have a man-made lake named Caruso Lake, for the famous opera singer.  There would be a pier and a pavilion, and "the sweet music of the Latin race may be played and radioed on the night breezes to every corner of the subdivision.

Sempreviva & La Pia's office was located at 1723 E. Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, one building west of the Italian Club.  Together with Dotson & Co., they were in business as "Subdivision Developers, Inc."

1931 Sanborn Fire Insurance map from University of Florida digital library map collection.

Great things were planned for Florence Villa.  It was to be "a strictly high class subdivision" with "touches reminiscent of Sunny Italy and Old Spain."  It was to have wide streets and avenues, a plaza with a children's park, and an artificial lake named for the great opera singer Enrico Caruso.  A pier and pavilion was to be built on the lake, with a sound system that played Latin music "on the night breezes to every corner of the subdivision."

The lots were to be on the average fifty feet of frontage and one hundred thirty four feet deep. There would be electric lights, hard surfaced streets, sidewalks, and shade trees.  A business section was planned for stores, cafes, restaurants and general business purposes.

A two-story brick edifice was planned to be the first building constructed at Florence Villa. This ad was arranged in one column and spanned from the top to the bottom of the page. It has been split into two columns here to better use vertical space.

In late October of 1924, the president of a tobacco company returned to Tampa from New York City with news that northerners were intensely interested in Florida's land investment opportunities.  He claimed that after he put an ad in the NY Times offering info about Florida's land boom, a constant stream of visitors responded for more info.  This included stock brokers from Wall St, motion picture magnates, contractors, lawyers, and people for every walk of life.  He urged Times readers to enlist the interest of the Tampa Board of Trade to begin a fall and winter advertising campaign in New York City.

By Nov. 15, the construction on Florence Villa had started.  Properties had been staked out, streets were being graded and ready for hard surfacing.  Sidewalks would soon be laid, and house construction would then start. The ad claims many lots had been sold and the development featured hard surfaced streets, sidewalks and electric lights at no cost to the buyer.

LOCATION OF FLORENCE VILLA TODAY

The ArcGIS map below shows a measurement of 2,000 ft. along Columbus Drive from 50th Street ends a few feet east of 53rd St.  The Oct. 10, 1924 article is the first to mention a planned lake but there is no mention of a park.  Later, a 3-acre park is promoted in an ad but no mention of the lake.  According to the ArcGIS map area measurement tool, the area inside the curving roads is 2.88 acres.

Using the same ArcGIS map to measure area, along with knowing the general shape of the property from the 1924 ad map, the boundaries of Florence villa can be determined with a good degree of accuracy.  Later, a promotion for a new development called GRANT PARK mentions that it borders Florence Villa.

THE BEGINNINGS OF TAMPA BEACH
In what would be advertised within a year as just about the greatest development to civilization since the Roman Empire, Tampa Beach had its seed sown when this huge real estate transaction in the article below was carried out.  The land involved is today the eastern coast of McKay Bay and East Bay from the Palm River within a couple of miles north of Gibsonton, which is nearly directly across Hillsborough Bay from Ballast Point. The 1892 map at right shows Hillsborough Bay before the onset of major dredging and land filling of the 1920s.  The two small grassy islands in the bay become Davis Islands in 1926.  (Prior to this, the smaller island to the north of it would first be cut through so ships traveling the Hillsborough River would not have to sail around it.  The west half of it would incorporate into Davis Islands, the east half of it would become Seddon Island.)  SEE HARBOUR ISLAND HISTORY here at TampaPix.com. The article claims that the East Tampa Bay Land Co. (ETBLC) INCREASED its holding to a total area of 2,400 acres by the purchase of a large tract from the American Agricultural Co. of NY.  Then it says this purchase adjoins a 3,000 acre tract they already owned "on the eastern boundary" the Tamiami Trail (Now US 41.)  We can only assume the article should have read "have increased their holdings BY 2,400 acres. It gave the ETBLC ownership of property on both sides of today's US 41. The statement of the property "bisecting the eastern section of Hillsborough Bay" may be a reference to the purchased land running half the length of Hillsborough Bay.
Among the purchasers were Wm. F. Stovall (owner of the Tampa Tribune,) W. B. Gray, Mrs. Florence M. Hall, and B.C. Skinner of the ETBLC, and James F. Taylor and Earl Moore.  The new property would be handled by a company separate from the ETBLC. It is important to note that this transaction came on the heels of the approval by the citizens of Hillsborough County for the construction of a causeway across Hillsborough Bay. Within the next week, the grand opening ceremonies of the Gandy Bridge, the first across Tampa Bay, would be held.  SEE GANDY BRIDGE HISTORY here at TampaPix. The plans for the causeway were already under way and being conducted by the ETBLC who owned the land where the causeway would start on the west shore of Hillsborough Bay.  It was planned to make a magnificent entrance to the new property.  When the fill and seawall were completed along the bay front, the ETBLC would own 7,000 acres in this area.

More about Tampa Beach to follow

1925

THE CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE SEVENTH AVENUE BY WIDENING AND PAVING

It's was this time that the east Tampa development clubs were in the news about their meetings of approving proposals for various improvements to Seventh Avenue and Broadway as well as the entire east Tampa area.  None yet had the approval of the city or the county, but this didn't seem to matter when it came to promoting their real estate interests in the area.  Especially in the Tampa Times, articles appeared with large headings claiming proposals had been approved, but not mentioning by what authority until the details were mentioned in the article.  To a reader skimming over the article titles, it would look as if the approvals were made by city or county commissions with the authority to approve.

EAST BROADWAY CIVIC SOCIETY TO SPONSOR WIDENING OF SEVENTH AVENUE FROM 23RD ST TO PLANT CITY

Support for the project would come from membership fees.  Over five hundred people attended the meeting and pledged support.  Another project of the club was to get the Tampa Electric Co. to extend street car or bus service from the present terminus to Six Mile Creek.  Mr. Glover pointed out that a large number of residents of east Tampa had to walk as far as two miles to reach the streetcar line to and from work.  Plans were also discussed concerning encouraging manufacturing projects in the area.

APPROVAL FOR PAVING, GRADING AND CURBING OF SEVENTH AVENUE

The City Commissioners met on May 26th, 1925 and decided on having eight streets paved.  The rest of the article describes issues with the authorization of such work due to a transition of city administration over a period of an old law and a new law.  Approval was deferred until City Attorney Doyle E. Carlton could issue his opinion.  No mention is made of any influence coming from the actions of any east Tampa improvement clubs.

SEVENTH AVENUE CIVIC ASSOCIATION BECOMES THE EAST BROADWAY CIVIC ASSOCIATION

The recommendation of the association's executive committee was overridden by its members when they voted to change the name of the association.  The club also voted to ask the City Commission to change the name of Seventh Avenue to Broadway but much objection was raised at the meeting by those who had lived on Seventh Avenue for many years.

 

The Tribune article below describes action taken by the County Commission to approve plans for the widening of Seventh Avenue.  It also mentions that two weeks earlier, the City had approved this for the portion of the street within the city limits, but no article has been found for this, unless this refers to the May 27th Tribune article "Paving Of Eight Streets Ordered."  Widening is not mentioned.  The County Commission's approval was given at the request of committees representing the East Broadway Civic Association.  Details are then described as widening and paving to Six Mile Creek (Palm River) and widening with partial paving from that point to Plant City.  The rest of the article concerns plans for other streets. This is an important article to read carefully because it would appear again four days later IN THE TAMPA TIMES.

THE GRAND BROADWAY ILLUSION

In an ad that can at least be described as deceptive, the TIMES printed an ad by the East Broadway Civic Association which contained the above Tribune article reprinted, pointing to it as if it was evidence that the name of Seventh Avenue has now been changed to Broadway.  The article above has been reformatted to better fit this page; the ad below shows it in its original format.  The only part of the article above that pertains to 7th Avenue is highlighted, and none of it mentions anything about the street being renamed. The request that was granted was the widening project.

The installation of an electric White Way had no approval whatsoever by the city or the county.  Point #3 shows only that an estimate of costs had been made by the civic association.  ("White Way" was the term being used all over the country in the 1920s as more main thoroughfares began to install electric street lighting.  In comparison to gas lights, the electric lighting lit up the streets as no one had ever seen before, like a great white way.

This was clearly an ad to boost sales of property along Seventh Avenue.

This ad would be a cause of confusion for years to come. Many businesses along the heart of 7th Avenue began advertising a Broadway address.  Some advertised both by including "Formerly Known As 7th Ave." and others did not change.

PALACE OF FLORENCE, DAVIS ISLANDS

In June 1925 Sempreviva, along with other fellow Italians of the community led by Phillip Licata, formed "Tampa Investment Co." to build an apartment building on Davis Islands.  The Palace of Florence drew its inspiration from the Palazzo Vecchino in Florence, Italy. Designed by Athos Menebun and M. Leo Elliot for Philip Licata of the Tampa Investment Company, the Palace of Florence incorporated a variety of materials, such as terra cotta, wrought iron and stucco and boasted a tower on each end of the front elevation.**  Elliot was a well-known architect of many beautiful buildings in Tampa, and the building still stands today.  Notice that Sempreviva's brother-in-law Thomas La Pia was not a stockholder in this corporation.

**By Rodney Kite-Powell, "Davis Islands in the 1920s."

EAST TAMPA PROPERTY SALES PROFIT SEMPREVIVA & ROGERS

"Seventh Avenue (Broadway)" was a hotspot of real estate activity.  Sempreviva and Rogers invested heavily in the area, claiming that "Tampa is going to grow very quickly as an industrial city, and the east part of the city is sure to be the industrial center."  Earlier, Sempreviva promoted east Tampa as a prime area for residential development, pushing his Florence Villa community fervently.  Take one look at the area today and it's obvious that the profits to be made were by selling to commercial industry and not the suburban family community.

Apparently Vincent's brother-in-law, Thomas La Pia, was no longer in business with him and he was now operating as "Sempreviva & Rogers."  Thomas La Pia would soon return to New York.

The firm of Sempreviva & Rogers devoted the majority of their attention to acquiring properties along E. 7th Avenue, in the area where the thoroughfare was also named "Broadway."  The planned to establish a new office in downtown in the next few days.  Sempreviva planned on obtaining big investors from New York City to develop Tampa.

Rogers was a long time resident of Tampa and was well familiar with it.   He had acted as a trustee of numerous bankruptcy cases and practiced law with the firm of Gunby & Gibbons.  He was also chairman of the executive committee of the East Broadway Civic Association.

R. C. Dotson was the chief "money man" of developing the East Broadway area.  He was president of the Florence Villa Development Co. and owner of a large amount of property along East Broadway.  Dotson was a well-known and successful investor in the Lake County and Orange County area, having influenced thousands of northern investors and home seekers to that area in the past couple of years.  These were responsible for starting the big produce farms that made the area rich and famous.  Dotson personally funded a massive advertising campaign in the north promoting the central Florida area for the past eight years.  Dotson had partnered with J. H. Letton, a successful realtor in the area for over 10 years.

It was in Florence Villa where Vincent built his family a large home and financed the construction of homes and other buildings in that area.  This article is filled with glorifying descriptions of Florence Villa, and its raging success.  Starting off with sixty acres, it quickly acquired forty more acres all of which had been transformed into a "place of magnificence far exceeding the expectations of the the developer himself."

The article ends with Sempreviva's northern experience and once again erroneously claims that Samuel Greason Jr. was a professor of the NY City law school.  It claims he also has some sort of association with the former governor of Pennsylvania, who was also the ex-president of National League baseball, and hotel builder Charles McAlpin.

Vincent Sempreviva was the president of Sempreviva & Rogers.  He and his firm have been the major developer of the East Broadway section of Tampa and established one of the finest subdivisions of Tampa as Florence Villa.  He is credited with interesting a large number of investors and buyers to the area and has shown great faith in its development.  Once again, his northern affiliations are presented.  He "predicts great things for East Broadway and Tampa."

Steven Rogers was one of the moving forces with the East Broadway Civic Association, acting as their chairman of the finance committee.  A Tampa resident for twenty years, he has been a realty broker and developer with a large circle of friends.  He was a trustee in Tampa bankruptcy cases and a "dependable man in anything in which he places interest."

The firm decided to stay at 1723 East Broadway.  Notice the Trib has been sucked into the Broadway hoax by  stating "formerly Seventh Avenue."  Since the reorganization of the firm, several large interests in Tampa have "offered to enter the organization." This included several  prominent men in and outside of Tampa.

Mr. Barcellona had for the past eight years been with the Crenshaw Brothers Produce company.  He recently resigned from there to enter the real estate field.  He owned property in other parts of Tampa and was convinced that the Broadway area offered "the most interesting potentialities of any vicinity in Tampa"  He had recently been elected as president of the the Italian Club of Ybor City.

Rogers was preparing to go to New York to negotiate several important pieces of property on East Broadway and interest large manufacturers to establish plants in the area.

According to Rogers, "If all the people come to Florida that are expecting to, the State will see the greatest rush for property and land that the country has ever experienced."

TAMPA BEACH PLANNED - A SUBURB DE LUXE

No other development plan was as elaborate and highly hyped as was Tampa Beach.  This was no less than triple in size and scope of Davis Islands.  Sempreviva claimed that expansion of Tampa east of Hillsborough Bay was doubly guaranteed to be the most logical place to build a "suburb de luxe." 

SEMPREVIVA ET AL. ANNOUNCES TAMPA BEACH TO BE ITS SOLE SALES & PROMOTION PURPOSE

SR&B puts all its eggs in one basket when Sempreviva announced "I am so much impressed with Tampa Beach that my associate...and I are turning over our ENTIRE OFFICE and OFFICE FORCE for the exclusive sales of this property. He goes on to say "I cannot but feel that the future of this development is doubly guaranteed...It is seldom...that a proposition of this kind, so stoutly backed and ably financed, so modestly proclaims its intentions."