The Florida City Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) presented some of its accomplishments and goals during a recent Commission meeting.
CRA Executive Director Jon Ward made the presentation. Ward said the single most important economic maintenance effort of
Fiscal Year 2020-21 and continuing into 2022 is the struggle to deny the construction of the proposed flyover of the Florida Turnpike at Palm Drive and U.S. 1.
CRA and City officials have strongly campaigned to stop this flyover component. Most people in the public and private sectors view this as an existential threat to the continued viability of the commercial corridor.
Ward stated that the proposed Turnpike flyover would have been a major problem the business community of Florida City because millions of drivers would simply “fly over” the city and not be able to stop and buy from local businesses. They might see a restaurant or a store as they drove on the Turnpike, but they would not turn around and drive back to visit the business.
Over the past ten years, the CRA has assembled 32 lots in a section of the city known as the “Snake Pit”, along Lucy Street and Seventh Ave. The CRA has had the goal of acquiring and assembling properties in this area.