Florida Brownfields Association Applauds Legislature’s Passage of Brownfield Legislation April 30, 2014 – The Florida Brownfields Association (FBA) applauds the Florida Legislature’s passage yesterday of new Brownfield legislation designed to further the cleanup and redevelopment of Brownfield sites, create jobs, and improve Florida’s communities. The legislation will soon be sent to the Florida Governor. “The…
AUBURNDALE | City officials want more restaurants, multifamily residences, offices and manufacturers downtown, and they’re willing to pay. Over the past 12 years, the city has been sprucing up its downtown with the help of its Community Redevelopment Agency. The focus has been on maintaining the area and making aesthetic improvements. Now, the CRA is…
ST. PETERSBURG — On a budget, the City Council will have to decide which parts of St. Petersburg’s coastline are worth including in long-term plans. Last month, the city contracted with AECOM, a Los Angeles-based global consulting firm that worked on Vision 20/20 to develop the city’s land use regulations, to devise a similar plan for…
Tallahassee’s Community Redevelopment Agency on Thursday swapped property with Florida State University in a move officials said would benefit efforts to develop Cascades Park and the Civic Center. The CRA unanimously accepted transfer of the Firestone Building and the Bloxham Annex along East Gaines Street from FSU in exchange for a 5.3 acre lot next…
SPRING HILL — Although it may be difficult to imagine today, 25 years from now Spring Hill’s original town center — Kass Circle — could be full of thriving businesses, green spaces, bike paths and a community center. At least that’s the picture University of South Florida professor Trent Green painted Wednesday evening for about…
LAKE WORTH — Near the corner of Second Avenue North and North H Street, 9-year-old Aida was getting her hand painted by an AmeriCorps volunteer, just after she had run around the new shiny playground. When asked if she had fun at the new park, she answered, “Yes!” with a big smile, nodding her head…
The developers of the massive, multiblock Miami Worldcenter complex are asking the city to turn over sections of three downtown streets for inclusion in the project, raising sharp objections from some nearby business owners and activists who call the proposed deal a giveway. Miami Worldcenter representatives say they need control of the streets to create…
Downtown Delray business owners who have questions about city rules now have a place to find all the answers: The ‘Practical Guide for Downtown Delray Beach Businesses.’ The Downtown Development Authority, a special taxing district responsible for promoting downtown Delray and working with businesses to keep the ‘village by the sea’ atmosphere rolling, created the book to…
LAKELAND | A nearly $1 million project to restore the old, downtown federal building started earlier this month. It’s the first step toward putting the building out to bid later this year. Tony Delgado, deputy city manager, said workers will remove mold, asbestos and lead paint as well as fix leaky roofs and demolish walls…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2014 CONTACT: Brittany Lesser, 850.245.6522 Secretary Detzner Announces Start of Application Period for Arts and Culture Grants Tallahassee — Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that the application period is open for Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs 2015-2016 grants for general programming, specific projects, and facilities.…
A “model block” in Boynton Beach received a large donation on Monday. Wells Fargo Community Bank presented two checks totaling $458,000 to the Boynton Beach Faith Based Community Development Corporation and the Neighborhood Renaissance Corporation to beautify a blighted block, between Sara Sims Park on NW 9th Court and Poinciana Elementary School on Seacrest Boulevard.…
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — Sidewalks, landscaping, pedestrian safety improvements and potentially burying utilities along U.S. 1 were named priorities Tuesday by city commissioners for a proposed Community Redevelopment Area. The commission was asked to list their top 10 capital projects in a new CRA that would run along U.S. 1 — called North Dixie Freeway…
Hernando County commissioners agreed last fall that the county needed to improve its neighborhoods by knocking down blighted structures. They just couldn’t agree on how to pay for it. Commissioners can avoid a repeat of that debate when they consider a proposed foreclosure registry ordinance later this month. Under the plan, a portion of the…
Turning around the central Tampa neighborhood of Sulphur Springs will require smarter planning, years of work and tens of millions of dollars. The blight didn’t appear overnight, and it won’t disappear quickly. But the city of Tampa has made a good start in recent months, unveiling housing programs that Mayor Bob Buckhorn predicts will “set…
You know buildings are in bad shape when blue roofing tarps would be an upgrade. At the Brooks Villas apartment complex, which has been abandoned for six years, the tarps that once covered the roofs have been worn to tatters. Several of the roofs have started to collapse. Some of the others have collected so…
Over eggs, Boynton Beach city leaders and business owners discussed possible solutions for the city’s struggling economy. On Thursday at the Courtyard Marriott, about 30 people attended the city’s first-ever “economic development stakeholders breakfast.” “Economic development requires a long term plan and long term vision,” said Boynton’s economic development manager Scott Kline. “We have a five-year plan…
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — A roughly $107,000 Community Redevelopment Agency grant approved for the development of a assisted living facility on Washington Street will be reallocated after a building permit could not be secured in time to meet the city’s April 1 deadline. With the grant voided, that money could be shifted to fund home repairs…
PANAMA CITY — City officials are casting a broad net in hopes of drawing in a variety of private interest in the Marina Redevelopment Project. Panama City commissioners unanimously agreed on language Tuesday seeking partnerships with private developers from across the country to help with marina plans. The city is expecting complete proposals from developers,…
Bonita Springs leaders want to reach out to the private sector to help make their vision for a vibrant downtown a reality. The City Council asked city staff at a strategic planning workshop Wednesday night to work on requesting proposals for developing two city properties on Old 41 Road. “I think it is time,” Mayor…
Oviedo’s decade-long vision of creating a vibrant town center — where residents can live, shop, dine or just spread a blanket on the grass to watch a concert — will soon take a major step forward when construction begins on Center Lake Park in the coming weeks. Tucked just north of East Mitchell Hammock Road,…
BELLEAIR — Town commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday night to reduce the size requirement for hotel properties, dismaying preservation advocates who say the decision paves the way for demolition of the historic Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa. The neighboring Belleair Country Club had requested the change in December, saying it wants to buy 2.3 acres of…