Author Archives: FRAstaff

A Performing Arts University in Downtown Bradenton? Manatee OKs First Step

A historic building in downtown Bradenton could become the first part of a performing arts university campus next year. Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved the transfer of the former General Telephone (GTE) Building, located at 1009 Fourth Avenue W., to the City of Bradenton to be used as a performing arts conservatory for Point Park…

Tampa City Council’s 4-3 Vote to Approve Rays Stadium Funding is Just The First of Many Steps

Tampa City Council, on a 4-3 vote with Council Members Charlie Miranda, Guido Maniscalco and Lynn Hurtak voting no, approved the funding and development agreement with the Rays at their August 27, 2026 meeting. Despite the language in the agreement being altered right up to the morning of the vote, Council Members Bill Carlson, Luis…

Opinion: Apopka’s CRA Has the Money… Now It Needs a Transformative Mission

The Apopka Community Redevelopment Agency enters FY2027 with something many redevelopment agencies would envy: money. Its adopted budget totals nearly $7.85 million, including approximately $6.13 million in reserves and carryover funding. That balance partly reflects the CRA’s difficulty completing projects as quickly as revenue has accumulated, although a recent progress report shows meaningful work is…

Tampa CRA Opens Applications for Two New Commercial Grant Opportunities

The Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has opened applications for two grant opportunities designed to support commercial property improvements and help businesses overcome development barriers within the City of Tampa’s designated Community Redevelopment Areas: Central Park, Channel District, Downtown, Drew Park, East Tampa, Tampa Heights Riverfront, West Tampa and Ybor City. Together, the grants provide…

Coral Springs CRA Sets Aside $3.3 Million for Downtown Infrastructure in New Budget

Almost 60 cents of every dollar in the Coral Springs Community Redevelopment Agency’s new budget goes to a single line that reads “Infrastructure.” The CRA Board adopted the $5.6 million plan Monday night. It covers Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. Inside that total, $3.3 sits on the budget line that reads capital outlay. However, it’s…

Pensacola’s Historic Alice S. Williams Library Reopens as Childcare Center

More than 128,000 children lack access to childcare, according to the “Children’s Movement of Florida.” Resources are now expanding in Pensacola to address the need. This week, the city is celebrating the official opening of the Alice S. Williams Center. This building was once the first Black library in Pensacola before it shut down in…

Trattoria Napoli Opens in Zephyrhills With Help From City Grant Program

A new Italian restaurant is now open in Zephyrhills, and the city helped make it happen. Trattoria Napoli, located on 7th Street, held its grand opening with the help of a $50,000 commercial improvement grant from the City of Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency. Owner Matthew Zappoli is a chef with more than 30 years of…

Apopka CRA Adopts $7.8 Million Budget, Redirects Money to Park and Sidewalks

The Apopka Community Redevelopment Agency approved a nearly $7.85 million budget Monday night while redirecting money toward park improvements and sidewalks, moving forward with one property purchase and abandoning another. The FY2027 budget includes approximately $6.13 million in reserves and carryover funds. Through June 30, the CRA had spent $870,286 of its $6.43 million revised…

Fort Lauderdale Museum Builds 4,500-Tile Beach Mural, Snags World Record

A beach scene built entirely out of children’s building blocks now holds a Guinness World Record in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The Museum of Discovery and Science assembled a magnetic tile mosaic depicting a sunny beach using 4,500 individual tiles, and Guinness has officially certified it as the largest magnet mosaic image ever made. The record,…

Winter Garden Sends 2050 Growth Blueprint to State, Bracing for 66,000 Residents

Winter Garden has officially sent its long-range vision for the next three decades to state regulators, kicking off a review process that will determine how the city handles a population expected to swell to as many as 66,306 residents by 2050. The Winter Garden City Commission unanimously approved an ordinance addressing state statute changes to…

Margate Streetscape Project Nears Completion

The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) improvement project that runs along Margate Boulevard between State Road 7 and East River Drive and on Northwest 58th Avenue between Park Drive and Northwest 12th Street could be completed by the end of September, according to Lisa Huriash, public information officer. The contract for the Margate Boulevard project…

Miami-Dade Public Agency Advancing $126.4M Affordable Housing Project

The Housing Trust Group has been chosen by the Naranja Lakes Community Redevelopment Agency to move forward on a 328-unit affordable housing venture. If the vote goes as expected, the CRA will award the developer land and a $7 million loan in exchange for the development. The S. Florida Business Journal reports that this continues…