Clearwater leaders approved steps this week tied to a proposed 83,000-square-foot entertainment center downtown, including vacating streets and an alleyway and selling city-owned land for the project. The proposal calls for an EVO Family Entertainment Center at Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue, with a multiplex featuring what backers describe as the world’s largest screen as…
A proposed private social and wellness club in downtown Boca Raton is moving forward after receiving unanimous approval from the city’s planning and zoning board. The eight-story project, planned near Sanborn Square, would add restaurants, fitness and wellness facilities, and rooftop amenities to an area already experiencing significant redevelopment. The proposed club would replace an…
A downtown lot the city has spent more than a decade trying to redevelop moved a step closer to becoming a boutique hotel when the Planning and Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval of the Tarpon Registry’s site plan. The City Commission is scheduled to consider the site plan at its Oct. 13 meeting. The project…
The much-anticipated opening of the Coral Springs Museum of Art’s new downtown gallery is now set for next week with a major exhibition of 57 Pablo Picasso original works. The gallery moved from Coral Springs Drive to the Cornerstone development at the corner of University Drive and Sample Road, and it opens the doors Friday,…
Plans for a new community opera house and amphitheater near Naples are advancing. There is hope of securing the land for it by January, if not sooner. Opera Naples is pursuing the multimillion-dollar development — called Theater in the Garden — in partnership with two other nonprofits, Theater in the Garden Inc. and the Luciano…
✨ FRA Newsletter Highlights | October 1, 2026 🌴 2026 FRA Annual Conference Registration is Open 🗓 October 20–23 | Charlotte Harbor The 2026 FRA Annual Conference is just a few weeks away! Join redevelopment professionals from across Florida at the Sunseeker Resort for expert speakers and panelists, best practices, legislative updates, networking opportunities, and…
The Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency discussed and made a decision on gateway signs for placement on North and South Ridgewood Drive for a visual impact in welcoming motorists to downtown. Apparently now there is no big or small “Welcome to downtown Sebring” sign on Lakeview Drive nor South Ridgewood Drive. Mayor John Shoop said on…
The Community Redevelopment Agency is preparing to distribute money to 22 businesses for equipment and facility upgrades. The program is designed to help local businesses take on improvements that can otherwise be expensive. Back in 2024, Kena Bwembya, the Owner of Bwembya’s Market, received a CRA grant to help make improvements to her business. She…
The Bradenton City Council hosted a public hearing with their Community Redevelopment Agency identifying areas in the city that need to be redeveloped or rehabilitated in the interest of public health, safety, and welfare for the city. A 2023 study identified and documented the existence of slum and blighted conditions across 16 sites in the…
One of the more innovative strategies the city of Orlando has taken to help homeless people get off the streets is on track to surpass its goal of housing roughly 400 people over a three-year period. The city announced Thursday that the city’s “dignity bus” program — offering overnight shelter on two retrofitted Greyhound buses…
✨ FRA Newsletter Highlights | September 25, 2026 🎉 Thank You for an Incredible Redevelopment Week! FRA extends a huge thank you to Community Redevelopment Agencies across Florida for making Redevelopment Week a success! From sharing success stories to highlighting community transformations, CRAs across the state demonstrated how redevelopment strengthens neighborhoods, supports local businesses, and…
✨ FRA Newsletter Highlights | September 17, 2026 🎉 Celebrating Redevelopment Week! Communities across Florida came together September 14–18 to celebrate Redevelopment Week and highlight the projects, partnerships, and investments that demonstrate how redevelopment strengthens communities. FRA’s Redevelopment Week resources remain available for members to use and share. 🌴 2026 FRA Annual Conference Registration is…
Built in 1947 as the Ebenezer Methodist Church, the historic building in the heart of Overtown was redeveloped by the Overtown Community Redevelopment Agency a decade ago to become the Overtown Performing Arts Center, or OPAC. It has since become the heartbeat of the neighborhood. “One piece of the bigger picture was the CRA’s vision…
If you’ve ever dreamed of running a restaurant at historic McCollum Hall in Fort Myers, now is the time to act. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is accepting proposals for a restaurant. The CRA also wants bids to operate a music and performing arts center at the hall. The agency said ideally that center…
A new riverfront hotel could soon grace the Downtown Jacksonville skyline. Gateway Jax is looking to build a hotel at Riverfront Plaza, and the Downtown Investment Authority is expected to vote to approve millions of dollars in incentives to bring it to life. City Councilman Jimmy Peluso, whose district includes Riverfront Plaza, believes this will…
The City of Gulf Breeze is taking steps to make daily commutes safer. The city is investing in a new multi-use paths in high-traffic areas. This is just phase two of the project. The idea is to create an entire network of paths throughout Gulf Breeze. Whether you’re walking by foot, taking an e-bike or…
Construction is underway on the massive renovation of Camping World Stadium, but the stadium itself isn’t the only thing changing in the area. The City of Orlando has expanded the boundaries of its Downtown Community Redevelopment Area, adding roughly 20 acres surrounding the stadium. That change could eventually allow Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, money…
After homes flooded for decades, one of Naples’ historically Black neighborhoods will become a city priority, with more than $38.2 million targeted for streets, stormwater and other improvements. Naples City Council on Sept. 16 ranked Pape-Dawson Consulting Engineers the top bidder and approved paying it $2,031,448 as a professional services consultant overseeing street, stormwater and…
Just over a year ago, the owners of six businesses gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Styx Promenade in the Historic Northwest District, just blocks north of downtown West Palm Beach. The cluster of nine buildings, designed in the shotgun architectural style, is the home of a town-square collection of urban entrepreneurs, including a…
‘The need for quality, affordable housing in communities like Hallandale Beach is profound, and it’s growing.’ Hallandale Beach is ordering its next 53 affordable apartments off a production line. The Hallandale Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (HBCRA) and Vessel Technologies announced a partnership to build two affordable housing developments totaling 53 homes on agency-owned land. One…
The Apopka, Bartow, Orlando and Winter Haven Community Redevelopment Agencies recently participated in “Where Redevelopers Meet – Orlando CRA Connect 407 Tour,” an opportunity for community redevelopment professionals to explore innovative redevelopment and housing initiatives taking place in Central Florida. The tour brought together CRA representatives for a firsthand look at projects and programs addressing…