Good News From Florida’s CRAs

Winter Park commissioners will get a final look at the city’s Park Avenue Refresh Project, which aims to improve the avenue between Fairbanks and Webster Avenue. Enhancements include new streetlights, new infrastructure and public safety improvements recommended by residents through a city survey conducted last year. City officials said the survey received over 1,300 responses…

Maintaining shade is an important aspect in plans for the pocket park at 542 Main St. downtown. “Those trees there are just spectacular. We wanted to make sure we didn’t disrupt or hurt the trees in any shape or form. Because, frankly, you can’t replace 100-year-old oak trees out there,” said Bob Ironsmith, Community Redevelopment…

When most people think of Orlando, they think of the major amusement parks nearby. But for the locals, the sights and sounds bring many of them to Lake Eola. “I love it, man. It’s probably one of my favorite places in the whole world, and I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, too,”…

Want a chance to win $5,000 and welcome people to downtown Fort Walton Beach? On Wednesday, the Fort Walton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) launched a design competition for a “Gateway Entrance Sign” at the corner of Eglin Parkway SE and Miracle Strip Parkway SE. The CRA hopes a new sign will promote investment and…

Tallahassee’s latest public arts project is now underway. Sam Joslin is with the local Council on Culture & Arts known as COCA. That group and the Community Redevelopment Agency are looking to pick a total of three businesses in the downtown area and another three in the Frenchtown and Southside neighborhoods that are targets of…

Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency approved a Commercial Property Improvement Matching Grant for the downtown redevelopment area. The grant is in the not-to-exceed amount of $50,000 for The Broadway LLC’s property, The Franklin Shops, 2200 First St. The grant will be used to replace damaged glass blocks on the frontage and side of the building.…

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a holistic approach to reducing crime and building stronger communities. CPTED focuses on urban design and the management of natural environments in a way that reduces opportunities for criminal behavior and other negative activities. More info here: CPTED

The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (BBCRA) is thrilled to announce the Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Celebration for Design Stop on Friday, February 28, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM, with the ceremonial ribbon cutting taking place at 6:00 PM.   Design Stop, a family-owned interior design and remodeling business, recently opened within…

  The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (BBCRA) is thrilled to announce the Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Celebration for Paloma Mexican Restaurant on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM, with the ceremonial ribbon cutting taking place at 6:00 PM. Community members are invited to join the celebration and officially welcome…

The City of St. Augustine Community Redevelopment Agency is hosting a public meeting to get community feedback on the Cordova Street improvement project. Officials will introduce the project, the project, present initial opportunities and challenges, overall design principles, and preliminary design ideas The improvements are planned for the section of Cordova Street starting north of…

The city of Winter Park wants to update a beloved playground after three decades of fun and games. You might know it as “Castle Park,” the wooden structure located in the Community Playground in Martin Luther King Junior Park. It’s a popular place for families to visit off of Denning Drive, but the city says…

At the latest Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board meeting, the plat for repurposing a property for use of affordable houses and a public park was front and center after the Apopka City Council voted to table the plat at its Jan. 15 meeting. The CRA Board conducted its meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the…

The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will have more money to improve entryway signs and medians. During the February 12 CRA meeting, the board approved a resolution to amend its budget by transferring $250,000 from the Capital Improvement Projects contingency account. This will provide funding for expenditures associated with the analysis and design of entryway and median…

Tampa’s oldest cigar factory is also leading the historic preservation efforts for the Sanchez y Haya building in Ybor City. Since the $18 million project launched in 2023, work continues to revitalize the cigar factory. “Our goal is to make sure it feels and looks just like it did 100 years ago,” said Drew Newman, part of…

Boca Raton’s Mizner Park will add some new amenities, as well as new security features after reports of damage to some items on public display. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency last week heard an update from Executive Director George S. Brown, who also serves as city manager, on the improvements planned for the shopping and…

The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) approved a budget amendment for the fiscal year 2024-2025, transferring $250,000 to fund the design and analysis of entryway and median enhancements across various locations within the MCRA redevelopment area. This initiative will improve the visual appeal and infrastructure of key roadways, aligning with ongoing mobility projects led by…

Housing Trust Group (HTG), one of the nation’s largest developers of affordable housing, has secured financing and commenced development on Rainbow Village, a $185 million mixed-use development with 310 affordable housing units in Miami, Florida. Rainbow Village will be reserved for income-qualifying residents who earn at or below 30, 50, 60, 70, and 80 percent of the…

  The City of Zephyrhills is proud to announce the grand opening of Hercules Park, the first new community park built in the city in four decades. The grand opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, February 13, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at 38100 County Road 54, Zephyrhills, FL 33542. The event is open to the…

A real estate consultant has the go-ahead to begin negotiations that could lead to the city’s purchase of Stillwater Cove apartments for workforce housing in Naples. At a meeting Thursday, city council – sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) – gave a thumbs up to Dan O’Berski, with Trinity Commercial Group, to proceed with…

Design plans are beginning to take shape for the building intended to house a new restaurant in St. Johns River Park on the Southbank. The restaurant would be adjacent to Friendship Fountain, with visitors passing it just as they enter the park from the roundabout near MOSH. While the restaurant would be run by a…