Good News From Florida’s CRAs

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.—The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency has selected a proposal for a new office and entertainment complex, including an iPic Theater, for a highly sought after redevelopment site in the downtown core. The CRA Board awarded the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Downtown Core Business District Fourth & Fifth Avenues Site to…

Pensacola City Council eyes zoning to cut industrial activity downtown Seeking to forever eliminate the unwanted sights and sounds of industrial activity from downtown Pensacola and its surrounding neighborhoods, City Council members this afternoon will discuss tightening the zoning regulations on several downtown lots, including ECUA’s 19-acre Main Street property. In December, the city Planning…

Coral Springs commission: move the school out of downtown The city’s busiest intersection — once a shopping district, then a school — will now likely become a shopping hub yet again. The city commission has agreed that the city-run charter school needs to be moved out of the area destined to become a downtown to…

Boynton CRA may enter lawsuit over unpaid invoice The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency may be heading to court to battle against a familiar face. On Tuesday, the CRA board unanimously denied former board member Steven Holzman’s request for payback of more than $3,000 in unpaid legal fees for his deposition in the wrongful termination…

Boca mulls attracting money to save its history New tax breaks are in the works for history buffs willing to invest in the past. A new ordinance that city staff members are working on would mean incentives for owners of property that is locally designated as historic. If the City Council approves, it would mean…

Daytona preparing for development boom Three years ago, Daytona Beach was a city so wounded it launched a self-affirmation campaign with billboards and newspaper ads aimed at restoring a little pride and hope. The town’s unemployment rate was flirting with double-digit range, housing prices had hit bedrock and too many oceanside lots were the butt…

Pier funding will “take funds from the general fund for Pinellas County” and St. Pete, says Ford St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster and challenger Kathleen Ford tangled over paying for the Lens, the proposed pier replacement, at a debate last week. Foster said the money was use-it-or-lose-it, while Ford said the plan takes money from…

Bartow’s Historic Wonder House Abandoned, Falling Into Ruin Decades ago, the Wonder House stood as a Bartow landmark. Postcards touted its state-of-the-art construction, and Depression-era sightseers paid a dime just to tour the engineering marvel. But no more. The house, built in the 1920s and 1930s, has become the casualty of divorce. Chuck and Helen…

STUART — The city is advertising for an economic development consultant to train the staff and help the city focus its resources on attainable goals. [Read full story]

The Northwood Village Shopping Center has a new owner with plans to rehabilitate the center and draw in new tenants to take advantage of the Walmart Supercenter that opened next door in February. Forman Capital of Palm Beach recently bought the center for $1.7 million and has partnered with a developer that specializes in Walmart…

WEST TAMPA — Tampa housing officials are discussing the future of a 44-acre site of North Boulevard Homes, an aging public housing complex that is slated for demolition and redevelopment. The Tampa Housing Authority also is looking at how the property plans might fit within a broader plan to redevelop portions of West Tampa and…

TEMPLE TERRACE — Three years after breaking ground on the city’s decade-long vision for a new downtown, city leaders are trying to severe ties with the only developer so far to promise to give residents a much-sought-after town center. The city’s aim to dissolve its relationship with development group, Vlass Temple Terrace LLC, is facing…

SEBRING – In June 2013, Push Event Productions, a collaboration between Gray Dog Communications (Casey Wohl) and Plan B Promotions (Lora Todd), received partnership commitments from the Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency, the City of Sebring and the Highlands County Convention and Visitors Bureau to produce, manage and promote six, multi-day festivals in historic Downtown Sebring…

Hall’s Seafood Restaurant, a longtime fixture just north of the Pensacola Bay Bridge that was known for senior citizen deals and piping hot hush puppies, has shut its doors. A simple sign on the door of the popular eatery that was located at 920 E. Gregory St. reads “Thank You for Your Patronage Over the…

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…