After months of deliberation and behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Big Bend Cares was approved for a $1.5 million investment from the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency on Thursday.
The nonprofit agency that serves people with AIDS and HIV will use the money to build a two-story, 25,000-square-foot medical center on South Monroe Street. According to Big Bend Cares Executive Director Rob Renzi, the project will cost $13 million, but the agency won’t take money from the CRA until after the building is constructed and occupied in 2017. The payment would be distributed over the following four years in increments of $375,000.
The vote was 6-2, but came with several objections from community members. In the weeks leading up to the vote, opponents distributed several scathing email criticizing the proposal.