A million-dollar reconstruction of block-long stretches of Orange and Crystal Avenues is anticipated thanks to a federal grant and an intergovernmental agreement. The dramatic change will see new streetlights, street furniture, curbing, and the installation of numerous trees and other plants installed in rain gardens that will help absorb stormwater, The work will include the…
DetailsWest Tampa is undergoing major changes to the tune of $8.5 million. It’s thanks to the Community Redevelopment Agency funding. The program allows tax dollars to funnel back into the community. West Tampa is the latest area to receive the cash flow. Jesus Nino with the City of Tampa has been working to do that…
DetailsThe towering shells of new high-rises and uprooted pavement of Hollywood Boulevard attest to the changes in downtown Hollywood. But as the strip enters a new phase, so do the historic buildings that have endured over the last century. One of those sites, at 1928 Hollywood Blvd, is the Joe’s Tropical Café building, which is…
DetailsRafiki Tiki has been the only restaurant at Riviera Beach’s Marina Village waterfront for years. But that could soon change with the addition of a Margaritaville brand hotel, according to city Mayor Ronnie Felder. “It means everything for this city. We haven’t had development like this for probably the past 50 years,” Felder said. Felder…
DetailsFor Sarah McNamara, Ybor City history is family history. She’s a Tampa native whose Ybor roots stretch back to the arrival of the first family member from Cuba in the early 1900s. McNamara’s also a historian, an assistant professor of history at Texas A&M, whose first book, “Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South,” explores…
DetailsThe Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, met Tuesday morning to discuss future projects and a possible reorganization of funding. The CRA gets its funding by marking community redevelopment areas. If approved by the state, the property taxes from the area go directly into the fund rather than to the county. The Panama City…
DetailsBrooksville is more than doubling the size of its Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) plan area. That will allow properties in the new area to benefit from projects specifically designed to address blight conditions. The existing CRA is approximately 119 acres, and the target area is approximately 128 acres. David Hainley, community development director, said they…
DetailsThe re-growth of a business district in the heart of the Northwest Neighborhood is the goal of a $1.2 million investment of American Rescue funds by the City of Lake Wales to spur the creation of a business incubator. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is now scheduled for noon on August 1 to mark the grand opening…
DetailsAn agency responsible for the redevelopment of some of Miami’s downtown neighborhoods has been renewed for another 15 years with expanded boundaries including areas of Allapattah and Watson Island, both now officially listed as blighted. On July 13, City of Miami commissioners who double as board members for the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (Omni CRA)…
DetailsThe Florida Redevelopment Association is offering a CRA Board Training course in the Florida Panhandle area. The date is September 1, 2023, from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Fort Walton Beach Recreational Center. This session is designed for elected and appointed officials, volunteers, and advisory board members. It provides a succinct overview of…
DetailsT.J. Chaltry leads monthly walking tours of downtown Tampa’s core as a Tampa Bay History Center guide. During the 90-minute, one-mile walk, he talks about old City Hall, mentioning that the clock in the 1915 structure is named Hortense. He notes that the 19-story Floridan Hotel, built in 1926, was the tallest building in Florida…
DetailsBartow has offered the job of directing the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency to Chamberlin H. Smith, who currently works as a community coordinator for Tampa’s department of development and growth management. Smith, who prefers the first name of Howard, said Friday by phone that he had accepted Bartow’s offer. His was one of about a…
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