Dog Park Located In Unlikely Place — Beneath Selmon Expressway

TAMPA, FL — If you're looking for someplace to take Fido this Fourth of July weekend, you might want to check out a little-known dog park located in an unlikely place — beneath the shade of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

When Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy John Robert Kotfila Jr. lost his life to a wrong-way driver on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in March 2016, the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority (THEA) wanted to do something to honor his legacy.

After staff learned of the strong bond between Kotfila and his German shepherd, Dexter, they decided to dedicate the Selmon Greenway dog park in his honor.

The Deputy Kotfila Memorial Dog Park has plenty of room for dogs of all sizes to socialize, with separate play areas for small and large dogs. THEA installed top-of-the-line canine turf called K9Grass, which is safer for puppy paws, more durable and requires less maintenance — all under the shade of the Selmon Expressway. Unlike other generic artificial grass, K9Grass is softer and won’t cut or damage the paws of smaller dog breeds.

Other innovative elements include water fountains with built-in pet bowls and large bench-style seating throughout the park.

The dog park is THEA’s first Selmon Greenway Pocket Park, a way to make use of the empty space beneath expressways that tend to become blighted.

It is located at 705 Raymond St., Tampa, underneath the Selmon Expressway behind the Bell Channelside Apartments.