DAYTONA BEACH — After 18 months of upgrades, repairs and a few unexpected delays, Daytona’s first-ever roller coaster is getting ready to open on the Boardwalk. The Sand Blaster, an 80-foot-tall maze of twisting and winding blue tracks and towering silver supports, is slated to open at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Five state inspectors are expected…
DetailsThe Tampa Port Authority needs to resolve the future of the Channelside Bay Plaza retail and entertainment complex. Waiting for the Irish Bank Resolution Corp. to take the lead in finding a credible new operator for the outside mall is not a winning strategy. The port authority should negotiate to buy the Channelside buildings from…
DetailsThe Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, in partnership with the City of Delray Beach Parks & Recreation Department, held a public dedication ceremony on Thursday, July 18, at the public plaza located on the corner of West Atlantic Avenue and SW 5th Avenue. The ceremony included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in honor of…
DetailsA recently awarded state grant will give people in Boynton Beach the opportunity to go on a walk to remember. Earlier this month the state’s Division of Historical Resources awarded the city $18,250 to create a walking trail to highlight the city’s history. “The tour is designed to reflect the history of the city and how the…
DetailsFort Myers city officials have to scour for $11 million to upgrade the Harborside Event Center if they want a hotel to go up right next to it. That was the request of the would-be hotel developer John Meshad, who has been eying the grounds between the event center and the detention basin. Though he…
DetailsToday Next City launched The Shared City, a new daily blog about the rise and consequences of the sharing economy, in which social and governmental systems play new roles to enable less individual consumption and more collaboration. The column is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where Carol Coletta is vice president for…
DetailsST. PETERSBURG For the past two years, the city has grappled with the hidden cost of a booming downtown scene. Overtime for police officers who patrolled the large weekend crowds skyrocketed to 300 hours a month. City leaders held countless meetings and created regulations for bars that wanted to stay open later. They prodded business…
DetailsFROSTPROOF | Chamber of Commerce members have their go-ahead to plant 18 foxtail palms downtown. The Frostproof City Council gave final approval Monday to a Frostproof Chamber of Commerce plan to replace downtown shade trees that have “failed to thrive,” as described by DeDe LeFils, chair of the chamber’s Beautification Committee. The plan also will…
DetailsPLANT CITY The Red Rose Inn and Suites and thousands of acres owned by the Madonia family will be up for auction next month. Evelyn and Batista Madonia Sr. hope to repay debts and remain in farming with proceeds from the sale of the iconic hotel and other properties. In March the couple filed for…
DetailsAfter spending nearly two hours in a community forum that addressed a wish list for future tax dollar spending — this time focusing on the south side — I found myself paying more attention to the landscape as I drove north from the North Florida Fairgrounds back to the Democrat building on Magnolia Drive. I…
DetailsDUNEDIN — The Gateway, a $15 million mixed housing-retail project that city leaders hope will spur similar development throughout downtown, received a tentative green light from city commissioners Thursday. But first, developers had to answer a few questions commissioners had about parking and an unprecedented incentive package city staffers had proposed to jolt life into…
DetailsTEMPLE TERRACE — Dwight James Baum, who created John Ringling’s lavish Ca’ d’Zan palace in Sarasota, also designed dozens of Mediterranean Revival-style homes in Temple Terrace, the largest collection of the famed architect’s work in the Southeast. To take advantage of the town’s architectural history, the City Council has invited citizens, especially owners of historic…
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