In bid for $40 million federal grant, St. Pete looks to gondolas, Tampa to smart technology

ST. PETERSBURG — St. Petersburg is going for the unconventional and fanciful: gondolas. Tampa chose a more earthbound approach: infusing projects with gadgetry. Both cities are among 70 applicants vying for the $40 million “Smart City Challenge” federal grant that emphasizes alternative and innovative transportation. Close on the heels of Clearwater’s flirtation with a mode…

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Construction to start on downtown Tampa apartment, retail tower

TAMPA — The lofty expectations for downtown Tampa residential construction are beginning to meet reality, with developers and city officials celebrating this morning the groundbreaking for a 23-story apartment tower in the North Franklin neighborhood. Nine15, which will house 362 apartments and 8,000 square feet of street-level retail, is under construction on the block bordered…

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Setting up shop downtown

Construction on downtown Tampa’s first Publix Super Market is expected to begin as early as this spring, executives for Tampa real estate developer Mercury Advisors said this week, as early permits were approved. The 37,600-square-foot Publix is expected to open in the fall of 2017 at the corner of E Twiggs Street and N Meridian…

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Airport CRA extends sunset date

SEBRING — Successful civic and industrial expansion has spawned some reorganization in both Avon Park and Sebring. Sebring Regional Airport asked for and got an extension of its Community Redevelopment Agency timeline from 2026 to 2045 at Tuesday’s county commission meeting, which should give the CRA time to complete several projects now in the works.…

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CRAs: Economic Opportunity Creators – A Message from the Florida Redevelopment Association

On Feb. 3, 2016, the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury filed a report entitled “CRAs: The Good, the Bad and the Questionable.” This misguided report makes inaccurate claims and falsely asserts that the highest priority of Florida’s Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) should be affordable housing. This narrow view of CRAs reduces and mistakes their value and…

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