Fort Lauderdale CRA program opens door to solar energy, savings Next time you drive through downtown Fort Lauderdale, don’t be surprised if you see more solar panels on buildings. Three buildings already have solar awnings, thanks to a Community Redevelopment Agency program that offers grants for beautification and other improvements in economically challenged areas. U.S.…
Major downtown project in Haines City threatens business By Mary Hurst, News Chief Staff HAINES CITY – Lori Booher can’t wait for the new City Hall and Public Library to open downtown – before she is forced out of business. “I hope the new City Hall and library revitalizes downtown,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll become…
Picture this: Murals to transform blight to bright in Hollywood By Tonya Alanez, Sun Sentinel HOLLYWOOD — Picture downtown’s walls, boarded-up buildings and alleyways as giant blank canvases calling out for vibrant, color-splashed artistic expression. That’s the way the city sees it — and so does Miami-art scenester and abstract cartoon artist David “Lebo” Le…
Downtown Lakeland Parking Fee Doubles to $1 an Hour By John Chambliss, THE LEDGER LAKELAND | The city will increase downtown parking meter rates on Monday from 50 cents to $1 an hour. The change comes nearly a year after city commissioners voted for the increase in the 2012 yearly budget. Kevin Cook, spokesman for…
Hints of BayWalk’s future tenants emerge; foodies will be impressed By Katherine Snow Smith, Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG — Food enthusiasts may have reason to salivate over the revamping of BayWalk. A gourmet market, an Asian fusion restaurant and a high-end steak house all with ties to celebrity chefs are in the…
Officials concerned about derelict hotels By Phil Attinger, News Chief LAKE WALES – U.S. 27, touted as the backbone of Florida tourism in the 1960s, has a chance to be revitalized. Lake Wales city commissioners have said they want to make their city a gateway for Legoland visitors coming from South Florida. The problem, they…
The Triple Bottom Line Tool helps optimize investments for economic, environmental, and social impact – what’s referred to as the triple bottom line or TBL. Investors, economic development professionals, and decision-makers can use the TBL Tool to: Design economic development investments for maximum returns Consider an economic development investment’s impact on various factors Compare or…
Florida Main Street Conference – Sept: 12-14 Conference Overview FMS and Downtown Dade City Main Street invite you to attend the 2012 FMS Annual Conference and Awards Dinner, September 12-14, 2012. Located in downtown Dade City, the conference will provide attendees with the opportunity to experience this fabulous Main Street Community. The 2012 Florida Main…
Extension of taxing method means more money to improve Dunedin’s downtown By Keyonna Summers, Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer DUNEDIN — Downtown Dunedin’s Main Street has evolved over the last two decades from a state road lined by a few faded buildings to a winding, walkable street featuring appealing restaurants and shops that attract residents…
Florida Energy Survey – Everyone Invited The Florida Regional Planning Councils in association with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Florida Office of Energy are identifying strategies to diversify Florida’s energy future and reduce reliance on foreign energy sources. Increased domestic energy usage means domestic jobs. We have created two…
City gives tentative approval to 5.6% property tax rate hike By Christopher Curry, The Gainsville Sun Staff Writer The City Commission gave tentative approval Tuesday to an approximately $105 million general government budget that increased the property tax rate by about 5.6 percent. Following the vote, the city will advertise a property tax rate of…
Downtown Bonita Springs moves up on priority list Written by: Christina Cepero, News-Press Bonita Springs leaders are focused on beautifying downtown while promoting what’s there in hopes of attracting visitors and businesses and igniting more interest in redevelopment. At a workshop Tuesday, the City Council agreed the city needs to create brochures about the area.…
Groups Work Together to Revive Roots Cultural Festival in Delray Beach
Zephyrhills City Council rejects brownfield proposal By Lorie Jewell, Tampa Bay Times Correspondent ZEPHYRHILLS — A divided City Council shot down plans to seek brownfield status for about 1,100 acres near the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, siding with landowners who worried about the stigma such a designation could bring. The aim of the designation is to…
CRA Board Selects Interim Director By Suzie Schottelkotte THE LEDGER BARTOW | Bartow’s Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed Monday to hire Andy Laurent of Bartow Consulting Inc. as interim director while board members and the City Commission continue discussing the agency’s future structure. Laurent, a former Bartow city commissioner, said he and Brian Hinton, another…
Historic Floridan to re-open By Justin George, Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer TAMPA — Shuttered since 1987, the Floridan Hotel, once Tampa’s grandest and tallest building that catered to the likes of Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart and Elvis Presley, became a home to vultures and vermin for decades. So when a development group led by…
Detours Studied for Downtown Train Traffic By Tom Palmer, THE LEDGER LAKELAND | If there’s a better way to route freight rail traffic through Polk County, a consultant hired by the Florida Department of Transportation is supposed to find it. Preliminary work is under way on an 18-month study to look for alternative routes for…
Fifth Avenue not a Main Street community, despite sign saying it is By KRISTINE GILL, Naples News A pink sign at the east end of Fifth Avenue South identifies the strip of restaurants and shops as a Florida Main Street Community. The program offers resources to cities looking to revitalize downtown areas. But Naples lost…
BayWalk owner mum on details for new complex, but construction is under way For the original article visit The Tampa Bay Times The identity of one of the city’s crown jewels is being transformed, and residents will finally get a glimpse next month of millionaire Bill Edward’s vision for BayWalk. Already, construction crews have razed a…
New Naples coalition seeks unified vision for downtown For the original article visit NaplesNews.com When talk of rerouting U.S. 41 began last August, downtown business and property owners from all corners of the city converged on Naples City Hall, fearing a decrease in traffic and customers. The idea was shot down. A year later,…
Re-imagining Leesburg For the original article visit The Daily Commercial Several downtown Leesburg merchants and residents say an inviting streetscape and gateway entrance into Main Street off U.S. Highway 27/441 is what the city needs for economic success and future survival. “There are still people in Leesburg that do not know that there is…