Construction used to be a rare sight in Zephyrhills.
Not anymore.
“Right now we have more homes under construction in the downtown district than we’ve had in the last 10 years,” says Gail Hamilton, the Director of the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
Spurring the change isn’t just the end of the economic Recession, but a new city program that makes buying previously abandoned properties a little easier.
Now the city has launched what they are calling a “lien forgiveness program” in hopes of attracting developers and families to the historic town.
It’s working.
“Now we’ll have families here that have jobs and children and will shop in the stores and that’s what it was about,” says Hamilton. “It’s a great community, a great historic downtown. It still has that small-town charm that people are looking for.”