Ideas for Apopka’s future were taped across the walls of one of its most historic homes Wednesday, as officials convened in the century-old Highland Manor to do some brainstorming. The job before the City Council: Winnow down these lists of goals, strategies and suggestions so that a cohesive, long-range plan can take shape in coming…
DetailsThe fate of a proposed headquarters hotel for the soon-to-be-renovated Miami Beach Convention Center now rests with the city’s voters. Miami Beach commissioners on Wednesday unanimously voted to hold a public referendum in March whether the city should lease the land behind The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. The lease needs 60…
DetailsA bad reputation is a hard thing to shake. Gainesville has long had a reputation as being unfriendly to business. It hardly matters whether the reputation is fair at this point. Perception is reality. If Gainesville wants to best be able to attract businesses and encourage local entrepreneurs to start businesses, officials must do something…
DetailsTAMPA — A tug of war is shaping up between downtown and Ybor City. The prize: A cut of the new property taxes that would be generated by the development of the Gas Worx — a multistory project proposed just north of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, next to Channelside Drive. As it stands, a…
DetailsDUNEDIN — A developer is moving forward with a hotel project near Honeymoon Island State Park that city officials hope will bring in tourists. The plan: A five-story, 90-room hotel and 4,000-square-foot restaurant will sit at the northeast corner of Causeway Boulevard and Michael Place. The property is being developed by Benedikt Fritzsche and his…
DetailsST. PETERSBURG — A decadeslong wait to redevelop a key block on Central Avenue might be nearing an end after a city commission approved the demolition of most of the historic 89-year-old Union Trust bank building. The redevelopment of the block downtown was a priority for Mayor Rick Kriseman. The developer, Art Village I LLC…
DetailsRules governing signs and new construction in Key West’s Historic District might be getting a revamp. The city’s Historical Architectural Review Commission will tackle possible changes to building standards at a workshop scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center at the Truman Waterfront, at the end of Southard Street. HARC Historic…
DetailsThe Gulfstream Hotel — long dormant, long a city eyesore — lives, or, at the very least, has a pulse and is poised for a resurgence. After a two-hour discussion, the City Commission by a 3-2 vote on first reading Tuesday night approved a key zoning change that will allow Hudson Holdings to move forward…
DetailsOne gated Homestead community is a step closer to getting its golf course back — glitzier than ever. On Tuesday night, a majority of the Homestead City Council approved to lend $3.5 million of federal money to mega developer Wayne Rosen to renovate Keys Gate Golf and Country Club. The vote was 4-2, with Jon…
DetailsUniversity of Central Florida President John Hitt pitched his proposal for a downtown Orlando campus to local leaders Wednesday and said UCF would again seek approval for the project from the Florida Board of Governors, probably early next year. UCF’s proposal, which is on the tentative Board of Governors’ meeting agenda for January, calls for…
DetailsST. PETERSBURG — A historic downtown bank, vacant for two decades, could become the cornerstone of an eight-story apartment and retail building. The city’s Community Planning and Preservation Commission approved a proposal Tuesday that would preserve the original 1926 Union Trust Co. building at 801 Central Ave. but demolish additions made in 1938 and 1967.…
DetailsThe event, like the project itself, brought together the academic, the entrepreneurial and the political. The University of South Florida gave a big thank you Tuesday to Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik for donating an acre of land for USF’s new downtown medical school building. “A new chapter for downtown Tampa,” USF president Judy…
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