I can spend 2,000 to 2,500 USD on whatever flight I take including bussiness. I am based in TPA.

I suggest that you look at the number of segments that you have as well. For example, lets say you have 40 segments and are 20 short for gold status. If you are flying full fare (y or h) then you get double segments for your flight. Furthermore, you get to sit up front if you book Y fares! (However, make sure that the first class fares are more than full Y fare. For some odd reason, CO sometimes has cheaper first class fares than unrestricted coach fares. Go figure.)That means that you need to take 10 flights (a total of 5 segments out and 5 segments back) to accomplish your goal. With $2500 to spend, I think you should be able to do this easily. Go to the MR section of this forum and let the experts help you.