Good News From Florida’s CRAs

Palmetto debates funding strategy for nonprofits PALMETTO — The Palmetto City Commission approved the first reading of its$22.4 million budget proposal Monday evening during a special meeting. Funding nonprofits properly became a point of discussion. Commissioner Brian Williams said the city is shortchanging its representation at the Manatee County Fair. He said the city should…

West Palm Beach OKs — for now — plan for 25-story condo tower at Chapel-on-the-Lake site WEST PALM BEACH — City commissioners late Monday voted to approve — for now — a proposed 25-story waterfront condominium tower at the Chapel-by-the-Lake site on Flagler Drive. During a session that lasted six hours, developers said the tower would…

Downtown square project is shaping up in Ocala Work on Ocala’s downtown square is chugging along slightly behind schedule, but it will be finished by the Oct. 1 completion date. “We’re getting close,” said Catherine Cameron, the assistant city manager of public services. “There was a little issue with the star. It was holding a…

Naples council to weigh rules for downtown events on Wednesday NAPLES — Supporters of the evening jazz concerts in Cambier Park turned out in force Monday to petition the city to continue the series. “I appeal to you, friends,” said Everett Hughes, president of the Naples Concert Band, a musical group also hoping to use the…

iPic will roll out iPad in new deluxe Delray Beach theater iPic Entertainment, the luxury movie theater company, will build a theater in downtown Delray Beach, its second Palm Beach County location. When the complex opens in 2015, it will feature iPic’s latest upscale treat: An iPad to order drinking and dining options. iPic was recently…

Can a reborn City Center in Port St. Lucie be a success? Columnist Anthony Westbury asks could the newly sold City Center land in Port St. Lucie still become the downtown the city’s never had? Read full story

Lake Worth targets blight in Royal Poinciana neighborhood LAKE WORTH — With a baby on her hip, Yolanda Vasquez shyly approached the podium at the Sept. 3 city commission meeting. “I live in District 1, in Royal Poinciana,” Vasquez said. “There is a real lack of safety. There’s not enough lighting, and you know what’s hanging…

Three big city building projects progressing in Gainesville In a large clearing at the back of a cluster of business parks in north Gainesville, a no-frills garage stands near an expansive slab of concrete. A newly built road complete with a sidewalk runs past the new construction and dead ends at a patch of woods.…

Tampa Bay Rays stalemate keeps two downtowns in limbo Here’s a question: How long should Jeff Vinik wait? The Lightning owner wants to develop his land around the Tampa Bay Times Forum, but the possibility of a baseball stadium in that location has kept him in limbo. Here’s another question: How long should Pinellas County…

With Walmart’s riverfront property for sale, Tarpon Springs considers options TARPON SPRINGS — After causing years of hand-wringing by residents and environmental groups, Walmart has finally decided to put its 74-acre riverfront property up for sale. The property, thought to be home to bald eagles, gopher tortoises and sandhill cranes, is listed at $8.5 million.…

Clearwater’s Gateway Farmers Market withers on vine CLEARWATER — After a debut that rubbed some property owners the wrong way, the Clearwater Gateway Farmers Market has been put into the deep freeze — and it may be permanent. A state grant has run out and city economic development officials won’t commit money for the next…

DeLand museum changes name, adds space downtown Knowledge is power; art imitates life; without knowing history we are doomed to repeat it. These familiar phrases formed the gist of Museum of Art-DeLand CEO George Bolge’s message to the community Sept. 4. At a news conference, Mr. Bolge said the name change, from Museum of Florida Art…

$25,000 grant to improve Palmetto’s downtown area PALMETTO — The Palmetto CRA received a $25,000 grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to help develop the downtown district. The grant will help Palmetto develop a downtown commercial core plan to address downtown parking, stormwater and transportation needs, said Jessica Sims, FDEO press secretary. “This…

Miami Overtown developers agree to split ‘transformative’ project In an unusual and unexpected move, a Miami commissioner on Thursday persuaded two developers competing to build a massive residential and commercial complex on public land in Overtown to split the baby, with each agreeing to take a city block to develop separately. The compromise, engineered by…

Delray CRA under scrutiny for funding nonprofits Delray’s Community Redevelopment Agency, the organization responsible for revamping the ‘village by the sea,’ has been giving money to nonprofits in the city for many years. But a complaint from a resident earlier this year about the CRA helping fund the library, Arts Garage and Spady Museum, among…

Boynton CRA director to get 4 percent pay raise BOYNTON BEACH — The executive director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, Vivian Brooks, will get a salary boost of close to $5,000 — plus a $250 monthly car allowance — for the upcoming fiscal year, CRA board members voted Tuesday. In a 5-2 vote, the board…

City of Miami to vote on $250 million Overtown development plan A Miami anti-poverty agency is poised to turn over two city blocks in the blighted but historic heart of Overtown to a prominent developer, who promises to spend $250 million to build apartments, a hotel, shops, restaurants and music venues on the long-vacant land.…

The Rise of Cities and the Mayors Who Run Them This fall, two major American cities — Boston and New York — will elect new mayors. The pending leadership changes for these different but dynamic cities will be watched closely. Can the next mayors continue the success brought by the long-term administrations of Boston’s Tom…

Downtown Plant City festival will be the place to shop, learn  PLANT CITY – As president of the Suncoast Native Plant Society, Devon Higginbotham is happy to spread the word about the virtues of landscaping with vegetation that grows naturally in the state. So she’s looking forward to the chance to speak at a downtown…

Reviving Tampa’s Channelside Bay Plaza The Tampa Port Authority’s decision to buy Channelside Bay Plaza marks a fresh start for the retail center and a breakthrough for downtown. The move restarts the clock on turning a struggling public property into a thriving destination, and it gives the city more control over how Tampa’s channel district…

Palm Beach’s Worth Ave. nominated in national “Iconic Street” contest  Palm Beach’s most famous shopping district has been named to the national top 20 Iconic Streets, according to 10Best.com, a division of USA Today. Also included are two other famous Florida thoroughfares: Calle Ocho in Miami’s Little Havana and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. The…