Will Tampa be getting a giant wheel in the sky?

Developer Tony Miller wants to bring a 250-foot-tall observation wheel to the Channel District in Tampa. 

Miller will be meeting with the Tampa City Council twice in October to seek approval for the Tampa WOW! (Wheel Over Water) project. If approved, the scheduled opening for the attraction is fall of 2026. 

For Miller and the project’s ownership group, the $20 million private venture is about enhancing the downtown Tampa experience. 

“An observation wheel is really nice for all the families and the visitors who don’t get the opportunity to actually get up to the 25th or 30th floor in one of the downtown towers and experience what, I think, are pretty awe inspiring views.” 

The wheel, if approved, will be located north of the Florida Aquarium near Port Tampa Bay. This area was chosen strategically. 

“The wheels that have done very well in other locations have typically been around water,” Miller explained. “We see downtown having the river and the bay. So, there’s a lot there.” 

He provided the Seattle Great Wheel as an example. It is located in the city’s waterfront area. 

The wheel for the project will be acquired, Miller added. It is currently in Munich, Germany; the process to bring it to Tampa will take about a year. 

“It really helps us fast track the ability to get the wheel up and operating,” he said. “If we had to manufacture one from scratch, it would probably take two years. It’s pretty new itself, but it will be fully refurbished.” 

Selecting the size of the wheel was also a carefully considered choice. One of the first modern observation wheels to have success was the London Eye in England. It is approximately 440 feet in height. 

Wheels of that size have key drawbacks. 

“Those wheels are incredibly expensive,” Miller explained. “On an order of magnitude, they are ten times the expense of what a 200 or 250-foot-tall wheel would be. They are really just not commercially viable.”  

A smaller wheel can still show great views of the city, while being more cost-effective, he said. 

Miller also stressed that Tampa WOW! will be fully hurricane rated. An emergency plan has already been created to remove and store the wheel’s climate-controlled gondolas if necessary. 

Adding Tampa WOW! to the city’s downtown would give residents and visitors another family-friendly attraction to explore, he explained. 

“I think one of things that people may or may not understand is that doing the wheel is a bit more of an impulse purchase. You’re there already in the area and you decide to do the wheel as an add-on to whatever experience you’re there for. 

“We’re not really creating any new traffic, we’re just leveraging the traffic that is already downtown,” Miller continued. 

Tampa WOW! will offer guests 20 to 30 minute rides. At the base of the attraction, a concession area is planned for food and beverages. Additionally, luggage storage will be available on the property for individuals taking cruises.