Good News From Florida’s CRAs

Read the latest news from the Lake Park CRA

HUD funds master plan for downtown TAMPA – Mayor Bob Buckhorn gathered the city’s press corps at City Hall Monday morning to announce the kick-off of a project he said had eluded five mayors before him: developing a long-range vision for downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. Buckhorn described the plan as “a blueprint for this…

Jacksonville’s Hemming Plaza Imagine a park in a city’s downtown that covers one square block. It’s so well regarded that it’s known as the “city’s living room.” There are more than 300 programmed events in the park every year. For some events, as many as 25,000 people come to the park. There are water fountains…

Tarpon Springs to refurbish its historic Sponge Docks Ed Hoffman Jr. climbed into a bucket truck and prepared to be raised 40 feet over the Anclote River. “I’m going up to see what I can see,” he said. Once he got up there, he liked the view: “After my heart calmed down, it was a…

Clearwater’s Cleveland Street reopens after $2.9 million roadwork $2.9 million later, Cleveland street reopens. More than a year after construction first closed it to traffic, Cleveland Street was reopened Friday afternoon. The city spent $2.9 million to trim the road between Myrtle and Missouri avenues from four lanes to two, adding a median and landscaping.…

Oldsmar wants to do something about the empty Oldsmar Galleria OLDSMAR — The Oldsmar Galleria, a trendy, multiuse development on State Street, was key to the city’s plans to create a vibrant downtown. But four years after the first retail establishment opened its doors in the Galleria, all but two of its 12 storefronts remain…

Safety Harbor leaders debate commercial operations on McMullen-Booth, Main Street SAFETY HARBOR — Cognizant of the need to boost the local economy, city commissioners debated this week whether they wanted to invite new retail businesses on two important city roadways: McMullen-Booth Road and Main Street. In the end, they decided to allow a produce stand…

Aquarium considered for downtown Punta Gorda Punta Gorda has started a campaign to see if it’s feasible to have an aquarium downtown. City Council this week kicked in $9,500 to nurture a deal to bring in a Mote Marine aquarium. Next, Charlotte County Economic Director Tom Patton will ask the Enterprise Charlotte Economic Council and…

Bartow Commission Takes Step To Restore Historic Cigar Factory   BARTOW | Bartow city commissioners have taken a first step toward restoring the historic cigar factory on the east end of the city’s downtown historic district. On Monday night, commissioners gave preliminary approval to designating the factory and the surrounding two acres a brownfield site.…

Ruth Eckerd Hall Announces Details of Plan to Renovate CLEARWATER —One of Florida’s oldest theaters is getting readied for a makeover. The Capitol Theatre, opened in 1921 for vaudeville and opera, will soon see a massive renovation, Ruth Eckerd Hall leaders announced this week. Called downtown Clearwater’s crown jewel and the best hope for rousing…

Belleview Biltmore Hotel A group of Miami investors has a contract to purchase the historic, 115-year-old Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Bellair and plans a complete restoration of the structure and construction of a 153-room east wing. “Our vision for the Belleview Biltmore Hotel and Resort is rooted in the magical experiences of historic Gilded Age…

Ocala CRAs Larry Laube took his first trip to Ocala in 1970. He drove off Interstate 75 onto State Road 40. And he still remembers the disappointment at what he saw. “It was not that great,” Laube said about the area’s appearance. Today Laube is general manager of KWI of Ocala, an equipment rental and…

Jacksonville Beach May Move Historic Chapel The relocation of a historic house of worship will be considered by the Jacksonville Beach City Council tonight. The council is being asked to approve the relocation of the Beaches Chapel from its current location off Florida Boulevard in Neptune Beach to a new location at the Beaches Museum…

Titusville Revitalizes When Tom Corbin helped pave the roads in Indian River City, he had no idea how it would change his neighborhood. “These were all dirt roads until about 1979,” said Corbin, 56, who grew up in Titusville. “When I got out of the Navy, that was one of my first jobs. I stepped…

Tarpon Springs to Sell Downtown Lot In the heart of the downtown historic district, right on the city’s main drag, there’s a property that has been vacant for four years. A gaping hole in a block of businesses, it’s hidden behind a decorative fence adorned with a mural. The lot at 144 E Tarpon Ave.…

Jacksonville Reorganizes JEDC The Jacksonville City Council will receive Mayor Alvin Brown’s plan to establish a Downtown Investment Authority at its meeting tonight. The new organization, led by a nine-member board, would focus on revitalizing the downtown area, long one of Brown’s major talking points. Brown’s focus on the issue was a turning point in…

Ocala Update on Silver Springs Marion County commissioners on Tuesday embraced a plan to reverse the decline in quality in Silver Springs — the community, that is. At a workshop, the board agreed to launch the process of creating a redevelopment district covering 4,000 acres around the famous attraction. The effort to establish a community…

Merger Creates the Largest Florida Appraisal Institute Chapter The West Coast Florida Chapter joined with the Northwest Florida Chapter, effective April 1, 2012, as the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. It extends from Collier County along the Gulf of Mexico to Escambia County at the western boundary of the state. With over…

Florida in Motion EFI Newsletter [Digital Edition] Food Manufacturing Is Big in Florida and About to Get Bigger Food products comprise the second largest manufacturing sector in Florida, employing more than 27,000 workers and accounting for about $5 billion of the state’s GDP. Given Florida’s own large market and the influx of over 85 million…

Boca Raton considers improvement district for downtown businesses An an effort to find new ways to pay for downtown revitalization, Boca Raton may turn to downtown businesses to cover the costs of items such as promotions, marketing, parking and shuttles. That goal could be met through a business improvement district where downtown businesses agree to…

Maitland seeks reaction to downtown revitalization Maitland leaders said Monday night that they are seeking more input from city residents about a plan to establish a Downtown Maitland Zoning District before an April 9 vote on the plan. The downtown redevelopment plan, which covers a two-mile, 200-acre area along the Orange Avenue (U.S. Highway 17-92)…