Good News From Florida’s CRAs

Click here for PDF version

For the past 18 months, Orlando has given downtown developers a break on the fees meant to pay for transportation improvements — to the tune of $4.6 million. The incentive is meant to spark downtown development. Developers are supposed to pay transportation-impact fees to make up for the increased traffic their projects will put on surrounding roads.…

MANATEE — County officials plan to dissolve two existing community redevelopment areas by Sept. 30 and launch a new district Oct. 1. Manatee County commissioners Tuesday reviewed a tentative timeline for the demise of the 14th Street West Community Redevelopment Area and the South County Community Redevelopment Area during a workshop session at County Administrative…

WEST PALM BEACH — A free trolley running people from downtown West Palm Beach to the new Palm Beach Outlet Mall — and, more importantly to downtown merchants, from the mall to downtown — would cost up to $50,000 just for a 3-month pilot program, the city’s Downtown Development Authority heard Tuesday morning. The mall…

EDGEWATER — Plans for two new Community Redevelopment Areas that cover about 2,400 acres and seek to rehabilitate ailing stretches of U.S. 1 were heard Tuesday by the leaders of Southeast Volusia’s three cities. New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater are both planning to petition the Volusia County Council this summer for new CRAs, after officials in…

City officials, business owners and concerned community members met to discuss the development of Gaines Street and what can be done to ensure the community remains vibrant in the face on ongoing development. The first step is facilitating a discussion, said FSU grad student Nick Collier. He and fellow grad student Michael Diaz organized what…

TAMPA — The March 1 deadline to stabilize the Jackson Rooming House has come and gone, but City Hall is in no rush to bulldoze the decomposing historic landmark. The roof still sags. The floors still slant. And safety is still a city concern, though officials say they need to talk with owner Willie Robinson…

Clermont City Manager Darren Gray said a series of visioning sessions he led last year to gather ideas about the city’s future yielded some strong suggestions. One such idea, Gray said, was residents’ wishes to maintain and grow the historic downtown area, which includes Waterfront Park. The idea is to attract more people to its…

LARGO – The funding to allow new economic development incentives for Largo’s downtown district passed through quickly March 18. The city now is one step closer to being the first in the Tampa Bay market to offer the “unique incentives,” Economic Development Manager Teresa Brydon said. A resolution allowing the incentives will be up for…

The Haas Center is well on the way to completing an Economic Development Strategic Plan for the Town of Century. Monday night, Brice Harris from the Haas Center, the research and consulting arm of the University of West Florida, updated on the town council on their work over the past five months. In addition to…

The remnants of a 2,000-year-old Tequesta Indian village, a U.S. Army fort and Henry Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel that were unearthed in layers of soil and bedrock in downtown Miami meet the criteria for designation as a protected historic site, the city’s preservation office has concluded. The report by Miami’s preservation officer means it’s likely…

Miami’s Omni Community Redevelopment Agency this week finalized an $11.5 million contract for a New York firm to open a movie and television production studio in the city’s downtown core. EUE/Screen Gems, which operates production facilities in New York, Atlanta and Wilmington, N.C., will develop a Miami Entertainment Complex in a 71,000-square-foot space at 50…

Two new buildings have created a big buzz in Delray because they have the potential to help transform empty lots south of Atlantic Avenue into the seaside village’s newest trendy place to live, work and hang out. Along with the new buildings, which will house offices, shops and lofts, comes a catchy new name residents…

Miami Gardens is planning to establish a community redevelopment agency and held a community workshop Monday where residents described what they want to see in the city and what issues they hope the plan will address. The city wants to establish a CRA to bring in more tax money and to aid in redevelopment on…

A 30-year-old warehouse district on the fringe of downtown is on track to become the city’s next hot spot. Some envision it as a version of Miami’s Wynwood Arts District, with trendy cafes, galleries and boutiques occupying the dated buildings near the railroad tracks between Sistrunk and Sunrise boulevards. The transformation is just waiting to…

A plan is in the works to create a special taxing district for the Downtown South district in Orlando that could help fund infrastructure improvements and increase the density allowed for development in the area — if voters sign off. The Downtown South Neighborhood Improvement District would create a special taxing authority that could levy…

Miami Gardens wants Dolphins property-tax revenue “forever” If Sun Life Stadium stops paying property taxes, Miami Gardens wants a deal to keep the same amount of revenue flowing to the city “forever,” the stadium’s hometown mayor said Wednesday. The executives atop Miami-Dade’s school system and the city of Miami Gardens both issued statements emphasizing they…

PORT ORANGE — Riverwalk Park could become a waterfront venue for concerts and community gatherings with amenities such as boardwalks, splash pads and an event lawn — but only if the price is right. Port Orange City Council members approved a new conceptual master plan Tuesday for the more than 20 acres of public green…

Bunnell residents want to preserve the city’s history and beauty but don’t want government to tell them how to do it. That was the message city commissioners and members of the planning, zoning and appeals board heard during a joint workshop Feb. 20 at the Flagler County Government Services Building. The workshop focused on the…

DAYTONA BEACH — The developers behind the $289 million first phase of One Daytona, an ambitious vision of shops, restaurants, hotels and apartments across the street from Daytona International Speedway, are asking for roughly $40 million in public funding from Volusia County and the city of Daytona Beach. The wheels are in motion to provide…

All across South Florida, civic advocates and Community Redevelopment Agencies are partnering with investors to turn aging neighborhoods into vibrant economic centers. CRAs help developers get deals done by identifying available land or providing financial incentives for projects that benefit the area and its residents. CRA-backed redevelopment transforms spaces, revitalizes places, creates millions of dollars…