TAMPA, Florida. – A Tampa city councilman is working to bring a traditional grocery store to East Tampa, a city considered a “food desert.”

Luis Viera, councilor of the 7th district, said this has been a problem for the municipality for many years.

“Many parts of our city of Tampa have a grocery store,” he said. “There’s nothing like that in East Tampa.”

READ: Tampa Heights is transforming into a prime neighborhood with a bright future

Instead, the area’s tens of thousands of residents rely on corner shops or mini-markets.

“…which are often very unhealthy. To me, that is a sign of the lack of respect and dignity towards many working-class families who live in East Tampa,” Viera said.

Some residents accept a long journey to the nearest grocery store.

“Imagine you’re a mom or dad raising a child, a senior, and to go to the grocery store, you have to take the bus and it takes 20, 30, 40 minutes to get to a location,” Viera said. “You spend 30 to 40 minutes getting your groceries and then you drive 30 to 40 minutes home. That’s two hours.”

MORE: Tampa family mourns Bucknell University football player who died after collapsing during first practice

He is working with other city council members and the CRA to use public incentives to attract a major chain to the area.

“I want to make sure that with this grocery store, the good people of East Tampa get a traditional style grocery store,” Viera said. “One that is built on entrepreneurship and economic transactions, etc.”

On Monday, he and other officials toured a property at North 29th Street and East Lake Avenue that could serve as a site for such a building.

“We should create a path here in the city of Tampa,” Viera said.

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: