Hyde Park Village’s Transformation Sparks Concerns Over Iconic Business Eviction

Hyde Park is going through a lot of changes recently. We said goodbye to some iconic Tampa restaurants like Goody Goody Burgers and Wine Exchange. There were also bulldozing rumors of the beloved CinéBistro and other spots to make room for more parking. Now the new victim to the Hyde Park Village changes is the popular Italian restaurant Forbici.

The popular and reputable Tampa Instagram page Tampa Tomorrow, which broke the news about the possible Irish 31 and CinéBistro closing is now reporting that Forbici is being forced out of their Hyde Park Village location. In a recent social post they said WS Development, the team behind the sleek evolution of Hyde Park Village, served an eviction notice or is asking for $800,000 in fines a breach of lease over “unauthorized seating expansion.”

So are they really punishing a restaurant because they are successful and accommodating their demand? Well some think there's more to it. Some speculation is that Forbici's current rent lease is way below market price, and this is a way for them to cough up more money.

A lot of people have voiced their concerns, and are on Forbici's side. "They want to put very high-end boutiques, which is fine, (but)  I feel a lot of small businesses will be pushed out." said Bianka Escourse, who works at the pop-up Silvia Tcherassi store, to Fox 13 News.

As for one of the most popular pizza spots in Tampa Bay, they aren't backing down without a fight. When asked if they would negotiate, Jeff Gigante, the founder of Next Level Brands Hospitality said "I believe we will reach a happy compromise that will keep operations mostly the same".