The fair place to meet is Charlotte, NC — the city closest to the midpoint of Detroit and Tampa. From the farther side that’s about 10 hr 44 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
Charlotte, NC
From Detroit
10 hr 35 min
505 mi to Charlotte
From Tampa
10 hr 44 min
512 mi to Charlotte
That’s an even split — both sides drive within 9 min of each other. Detroit and Tampa are about 994 miles apart.
Detroit and Tampa are about 994 miles apart by road. Split the difference and you arrive near Charlotte, the city closest to the halfway point between them. That splits the trip almost evenly — about 10 hr 35 min from Detroit and 10 hr 44 min from Tampa.
Over this distance most people will fly rather than drive the whole way. Charlotte still makes a fair, central place for Detroit and Tampa to converge, splitting the travel instead of asking one side to cross the country.
If Charlotte doesn't have what you're after, Atlanta and Raleigh are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between Detroit and Tampa.
Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. With a population of 874,579 at the 2020 census, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., seventh-most populous city in the South, and second-most populous city in the Southeast. Read more →
Detroit is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario. It is the 26th-most populous city in the United States and the largest U.S. Read more →
Tampa is a major city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Hillsborough County. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Read more →
City descriptions adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); photos via Wikimedia Commons, credited above.
Estimates use straight-line distance and typical road speeds; real drive times vary with route and traffic.