TAMPA — Many Hillsborough County neighborhoods continue to be victimized by illegal dumping, overgrown lots and dilapidated houses. When conditions like these persist, experts say, crime proliferates and a general sense of hopelessness overcomes a community. Hillsborough’s Code Enforcement Department is launching new initiatives aimed at attacking blighted conditions quickly before they worsen. Assistant County…
The city of Sanford plans to team with a developer with the hope of turning a stagnant pocket near the Lake Monroe waterfront into a vibrant area filled with homes, restaurants, shops and a hotel. The plan is part of a push to spark development along Sanford’s scenic waterfront and also to sell off a…
The job of reviving downtown Clearwater is so big that it’s hard to know where to start. It has now been five months since a panel of outside experts with the Urban Land Institute presented the city with a slew of far-reaching recommendations for its downtown. That time lag has downtown boosters champing at the…
SARASOTA – Tatyana Sharoubim may be in her third trimester, but that doesn’t deter the 28–year-old mom-to-be from wearing heeled wedges and thigh-high boots to work every day. “We sell a lot of shoes just because our clients see us wearing them,” said Sharoubim, the owner of T. Georgiano’s Shoe Salon, an upscale boutique at…
Downtown Orlando’s recent rebirth is exciting – and bittersweet — for entrepreneur Bob Snow, who brought the area to life in the ’70s with Church Street Station. “It was singers and dancers and red hot girls and jugglers and bag pipe players, and about 25 buses on a Saturday night,” Snow reminisces. “We had Col.…
The Bo Diddley Community Plaza will undergo significant renovations next year, which means the Union Street Farmers Market and other events typically held there must find new homes downtown until the plaza reopens. Construction on the plaza is expected to begin by March and will probably take a year to complete, said Sarah Vidal-Finn, manager…
Jacksonville University is taking visible steps to expand its riverfront Arlington campus. The private school will demolish 10 buildings at the former Boys’ Home Association Inc. property it bought immediately south of its campus. The home closed several years ago. Those buildings sit on the 38.6-acre site that JU acquired in June for $3.3 million.…
SEBRING — Decades ago, Sadie Kahn, who along with her husband, Mike Kahn, were pioneer residents of Sebring, allowed the city to use a small plot of land near the Nan-ces-o-wee Hotel as a park area, provided that it was maintained. “They didn’t take care of it very well,” recalled Marvin Kahn, a son of…
DELAND — The Volusia County Council on Thursday approved Edgewater’s first Community Redevelopment Area, a 20-year plan that’s designed to rejuvenate an ailing stretch of U.S. 1 and create a downtown area. The County Council voted 5-1 to grant a delegation of authority for city officials to create a new redevelopment district that will total…
Ybor City’s cigar industry origins are the subject of A Legacy of Smoke, a documentary short making its Tampa premiere 4 p.m. Sunday at the appropriately historic Tampa Theatre. This one-time-only screening is sponsored by El Centro Español de Tampa, billed as Tampa’s oldest ethnic social club, incorporated in 1891. A Legacy of Smoke chronicles…
SEBRING — Two long-vacant historic hotels in downtown Sebring may soon have a new owner with plans for using the buildings. The Sebring City Council will hold a special meeting Dec. 8 to hear about the developer’s plans for the former Santa Rosa Hotel at 509 North Ridgewood Ave., and the former Nan-ces-o-wee Hotel at…
The idea to make downtown Fort Myers a vibrant, entertainment area hasn’t dimmed. Local business owners have come up with a plan that they hope will drive in more late-night patrons. The plan still revolves around allowing open alcohol containers on the street during events such as Art and Music Walk. As well as “soft…
Seminole, Florida — Seminole Mall developers are asking the city of Seminole to help convince county commissioners to approve millions in tax rebates from Pinellas County for the mall’s redevelopment. TheTampa Bay Timesreports Primerica Group One gave the city an economic analysis that estimates the value of the redevelopment at $58.1 million. It also projects…
TEMPLE TERRACE — Taking a step designed to get the long-stalled Downtown Temple Terrace project moving again, the City Council voted this week to pay $1.6 million to sever the troubled partnership with its developer, Vlass Temple Terrace. The council voted unanimously on Tuesday to pay Vlass to settle dueling lawsuits, in which each side…
Downtown’s residential development boom is in full swing. Three apartment buildings are completed, four more are in various stages of construction and six condo projects are under way. By the time they are all finished, 2,031 new homes will be added within less than a mile of downtown’s waterfront. The developers hail from Largo to…
DELAND — The Volusia County Council on Thursday approved Edgewater’s first Community Redevelopment Area, a 20-year plan that’s designed to rejuvenate an ailing stretch of U.S. 1 and create a downtown area. The County Council voted 5-1 to grant a delegation of authority for city officials to create a new redevelopment district that will total…
The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA), in Margate, Florida is seeking development partners to finance, build and operate compatible commercial, residential or office development(s) as part of an overall Margate City Center. The site is located at the intersection of Margate Boulevard and State Road 7 and includes the northwest and southwest corners, a vacant…
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority approved the sale of the former Main Street sewage treatment plant property at their Thursday yearly organizational meeting. The 19-acre site is being purchased by Quint and Rishy Studer for $5.2 million. The property has been vacant since 2011 when the sewer plant — known as “Old Stinky” — was…
WEST PALM BEACH — A new city program will give incentives to arts-based businesses similar to those already offered to other types of businesses, West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio said Thursday. Muoio made the announcement at Thursday’s grand opening of the new Arts and Entertainment District. Incentives include those for hiring and for space buildout,…
MAITLAND – Maitland’s downtown may actually become a downtown after City Council approved a controversial mixed-use development at a special meeting that lasted into the early morning. The $65 million Maitland City Centre would include a six-story, 250-unit residential complex and a seven-story, 505-spot parking garage with retail space, all on a 3.2-acre parcel between…
MOUNT DORA — You might already consider downtown a great place. Now it’s official. The Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association recently announced downtown Mount Dora as the first winner of the Florida Great Places — People’s Choice Award. An award presentation took place late last month at Sunset Park. Downtown Mount Dora — which…