Sarasota mansion teardown part of a trend? SARASOTA – Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s decision to raze a perfectly livable — and relatively new — St. Armands Key mansion may have set Southwest Florida real estate watchers abuzz, but the demolition won’t be the opening salvo of a new trend involving upscale homes, local professionals…
‘Unsightly’ ship vexes Panama City PANAMA CITY — After spending upward of $100,000 to remove more than 20 derelict boats from Watson Bayou, Panama City has been left with one behemoth of an eyesore, city officials said. El Dorado, also called the Sun Dancer, is formerly a luxury cruise liner transferred from the St. Andrews…
Gerald Ensley: ‘The urban myth’ of Gaines Street, Tallahassee A couple of weeks ago, I made the mistake of posting on Facebook a few words of admiration for the opening of Bass Pro Shops in Tallahassee. I don’t hunt, fish or camp. But I know a dazzling retail operation when I see one. Of course,…
St. Pete Beach begins detailed study of downtown, Corey areas ST. PETE BEACH — A $280,000 consultant study is expected to produce a definitive plan for revitalizing the city’s downtown and Corey Avenue areas. “This is more than talk about ideas and ending up with a list of 10 things that are important,” City Manager Mike…
Wise investments for downtown Zephyrhills The city of Zephyrhills is advancing a downtown improvement plan that amounts to out with the old and in with the old. It’s a welcome convergence as the city seeks to preserve its history while simultaneously refurbishing aging building exteriors in its business district. Last week, the City Council, sitting…
Gainesville commission gives first approval to Butler Plaza ordinance Changes to the future redevelopment and expansion of the Butler Plaza retail district along Archer Road continue to advance through the City Commission. The first vote Thursday evening on an ordinance to make modifications passed 5-1, with Thomas Hawkins in dissent and Randy Wells absent. The…
Milton City Council approves riverfront master plan Milton City Manager Brian Watkins said today that the five-year plan to improve the city’s riverfront and downtown is underway. “We’re hoping to encourage economic development, tourism and economic activity in the downtown area,” he said. Watkins said the master plan will develop recreation facilities, infrastructure and investment,…
Fort Pierce transfers funds to maintain redevelopment administration, Sunrise Theatre Despite cutting back on operating expenses in all departments to meet the deficiencies in projected revenues for the year, city officials still needed to find additional funds to maintain the Urban Redevelopment Administration and the Sunrise Theatre. Read full story
Center of Bonita Springs undergoing a facelift to attract new tenants The sounds of concrete breaking and smashing to the ground fill the air as high-reach demolition machines rip apart an old Bealls department store. The business, like many retailers at this struggling 25-year-old Bonita Springs shopping center, closed years ago to move to a…
Largo Tri-City 8 movie theater is closing; center to be redeveloped LARGO — The AMC Tri-City 8 movie theater has been around for decades. It doesn’t have stadium seating or 20 theaters, just big, crisp screens showing the latest flicks at a cozy location right off U.S. 19. But the Tri-City 8 is closing by the…
Cape looks to revise sign regulations The city of Cape Coral is again looking at its sign ordinance with new regulations targeting both sign-wavers on public rights-of-way and the amount of signage in windows – something many small businesses, especially those in the downtown Community Redevelopment Agency district, say could force them to move or…
Palmetto debates funding strategy for nonprofits PALMETTO — The Palmetto City Commission approved the first reading of its$22.4 million budget proposal Monday evening during a special meeting. Funding nonprofits properly became a point of discussion. Commissioner Brian Williams said the city is shortchanging its representation at the Manatee County Fair. He said the city should…
