Good News From Florida’s CRAs

Leading a rush of new restaurants planned for the downtown Lake Wales Historic District, Downtown Pizza and Sports Bar is expected to open this month in a spacious suite of rooms on Stuart Avenue. The new restaurant is relocating from a much smaller space in Dundee that owner Kevin Rodriguez said was preventing him from…

The shovels were painted in August. On Sept. 10 they finally go into the ground. The City of Delray Beach and the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency have scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for the Pompey Park revitalization on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at 5 p.m. The ceremony will be held at Pompey Park, 1101 NW…

Improvements may be coming to downtown Coral Springs. During the September 2 meeting, the commission passed on the final reading of an ordinance to approve the rezoning of about 58 acres of properties within the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) – a local activity center located west of Coral Hills Drive and south of NW…

Riviera Beach plans to upgrade its two public gardens and create events there where people can connect. Why it matters: It’s an investment in third places in a city that is focused on strengthening the community. Driving the news: Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Gedel Merzius explained the program at the board’s Aug. 12 meeting.…

Construction on the first major downtown Orlando street to convert to two-way traffic is complete. Work on Magnolia Avenue, from South Street to Livingston Avenue, started in February and wrapped up in August. The project converted the stretch of road between the Orange County Courthouse and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, removing the…

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, 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

At Tuesday’s BOCC meeting, Manatee County Commissioners will be asked to approve the $0 transfer of a county-owned downtown Bradenton property appraised at $1.2 million to the City of Bradenton. Resolution R-26-97 would convey the former GTE building at 1009 4th Avenue West to the city. The three-story, 13,473-square-foot building has been the subject of…