Haines City, Florida, is embarking on a significant initiative to rejuvenate the historic Oakland community’s business district, a move that’s stirring excitement among both former business owners and residents alike. This effort, led by the Haines City Community Redevelopment Agency, aims to restore the vibrancy of an area that was once the heart of the African American community in the 1950s but experienced a sharp decline in the mid-1980s. Retired business owner Bennie Prichett, who owned a club and restaurant on what was once Eleventh Street, now Martin Luther King Way, reflects on the area’s golden years and its subsequent downturn.
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