PANAMA CITY — Members of the Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) Main Street group are looking at putting some BP funds toward historic plaques on downtown buildings over 50 years of age. During Tuesday’s Main Street meeting, members discussed each building erected after 1963 being considered for a plaque costing from $90 to $150 apiece. According…
BELLEAIR — Conceding that options for restoring the historic Belleview Biltmore hotel look bleak, the Belleair Town Commission on Tuesday directed city staffers to explore zoning changes that would allow other types of development on the property. The hotel’s owners want to tear down the landmark, which is on the National Register of Historic Places,…
Daytona Beach News-Journal – NEW SMYRNA BEACH — City officials want to get feedback from residents and business owners Thursday on a proposed Community Redevelopment Area that would have U.S. 1 as its spine. A day-long series of meetings are scheduled from 10 10 11:30 a.m. at the Alonzo “Babe” James Community Center, 201 N.…
Ocala, Florida was recently recognized in Forbes Top 10 Cities for Future Job Growth (View list here) #5 Ocala, Fla. Projected annual job growth: 3.4% Median household income: $39,630 Unemployment rate: 8.0%
SEBRING – It appears that Sebring city officials are back to square one in their efforts to sell Harder Hall. The City Council is expected tonight to withdraw the offer to sell the historical building to NRP1A No. 1 Corp. of Delray Beach, which has submitted the only open bid for the property. Back in…
DAYTONA BEACH — As the city comes alive with a massive redevelopment at Daytona International Speedway and the promise of two new oceanfront hotels, the 85-year-old Boardwalk is basking in a rebirth of its own by going back to its roots as an old-fashioned tourist attraction. While the Speedway and hotel projects are all about…
NORTH PALM BEACH — Installation of new decorative street lights and sidewalks on both sides on three village roadways is already sprouting neighborhood improvements, village officials said. “People are planting shrubs. They are painting the outside of their houses. And it’s safer for pedestrians and people on bicycles,” said Chuck Huff, the village’s community development…
PANAMA CITY — Bay County’s public transportation system is in transition mode, and a question looms: What government entity will handle its money? The Bay County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) board no longer wants the Pensacola-based West Florida Regional Planning Council (WFRPC) handling the trolley system’s financials. Last week, the board approved a contract with a new…
Plant City’s historic downtown district remains one of the area’s most popular and picturesque attractions. Many businesses have come to the area and gone throughout the decades. During the 1920s, several businesses occupied the northeast corner of Reynolds and Evers streets downtown, including the Guy O. Parker Electric Shop, Burch-Jenkins Realtors and the Sports Shop.…
PLANT CITY – One of the city’s most historic schools is getting some attention from the school district. A contractor has been replacing aging mortar and cement around the bricks at Esther D. Burney Elementary, 901 S. Evers St. The project started in June and will wrap up Friday, school district spokeswoman Kristin Waskiewicz said.…
Live Oak — The Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency board members agreed recently to include CRA funding for economic development at a budget workshop. Although the budget planning is not complete, the board anticipates reserving $20,000 for economic development initiatives. “Folks, we’re in a competition (with surrounding counties) and we’re losing,” CRA board member and…
WINTER HAVEN | Some people don’t park in the city’s free downtown parking garage because they think they have to pay to park there. Some people don’t want to walk from the garage to their destination. Some people don’t want to park on the second floor. But most nonresidents visiting downtown Winter Haven simply have…
BOYNTON BEACH — The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency has been recognized as one of 45 Green Partners of Excellence for 2012-2013 by Home Innovation Research Lab. The award was given because of the CRA’s efforts to educate local builders, architects and consumers about green home certification, and cited as an example of the public-private partnership…
After listening to more than six hours of passionate pleas from feuding parishioners, preservationists, architects, school graduates and Operation Pedro Pan alumni, the Miami City Commission unanimously approved the historic designation of St. Jude Melkite Catholic Church off Brickell Avenue. The 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones absent, came at 2:38 a.m. Friday. The decision…
There’s no other place in Central Florida quite like downtown Orlando. From its abundance of bars and clubs to its brick streets that line the surrounding neighborhoods, downtown Orlando is a special place that attracts a special type of resident. You know who you are because, unlike your friends who live in Altamonte Springs or…
BROOKSVILLE — About a dozen city residents and business owners listened Monday evening as the Environmental Protection Agency outlined the scope of a $400,000 Brownfields assessment grant that will be used to identify and assess troubled properties, with the goal of making many of them developmentally viable once again. The meeting was the first step…
BOYNTON BEACH — Lisa Bright, the former head of the city’s community redevelopment agency, is planning to add the city, former Mayor José Rodriguez and the city’s attorney to a lawsuit filed in 2011, according to court documents filed last week. Bright’s attorney, Christina Kitterman, said Monday the city, Rodriguez and city attorney James Cherof…
BOCA RATON — After five straight years of property values sagging, downtown Boca Raton’s value has started growing again — and that’s good news for paying off the money the city borrowed to buy Mizner Park. That 3.2 percent growth in the value of downtown’s taxable property over the previous year is coming before the apartment…
DAYTONA BEACH — After 18 months of upgrades, repairs and a few unexpected delays, Daytona’s first-ever roller coaster is getting ready to open on the Boardwalk. The Sand Blaster, an 80-foot-tall maze of twisting and winding blue tracks and towering silver supports, is slated to open at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Five state inspectors are expected…
The Tampa Port Authority needs to resolve the future of the Channelside Bay Plaza retail and entertainment complex. Waiting for the Irish Bank Resolution Corp. to take the lead in finding a credible new operator for the outside mall is not a winning strategy. The port authority should negotiate to buy the Channelside buildings from…
The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, in partnership with the City of Delray Beach Parks & Recreation Department, held a public dedication ceremony on Thursday, July 18, at the public plaza located on the corner of West Atlantic Avenue and SW 5th Avenue. The ceremony included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in honor of…