President Kennedy in Tampa Florida on November 18, 1963, just a few days before he was shot in Dallas on November 22, 1963, there was a hit on for Tampa but it failed. His visit was the first by a sitting president to the city, and he was greeted by large crowds during his motorcade and spoke at several locations, including Al Lopez Field to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first commercial flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa.  Video; JFK rode in an open motorcade through the city, along Franklin Street and Grand Central Avenue (which is now Kennedy Boulevard ), waving to enthusiastic crowds. Some theories suggest a plot by the mob was called off at the last minute. According to a theory presented in the book "Ultimate Sacrifice," mob boss Santo Trafficante Jr. may have planned an attack from a window of the Floridan Hotel , similar to the eventual attack in Dallas, but a law enforcement informant alerted authorities, causing the plot to be abandoned. The Tampa plot — ...