As of July 5, $100,000 is officially going toward the incoming baseball museum expansion in Avon Park. This amount was awarded by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board on June 24 on the contingency of a legal assessment by City Attorney Gerald Buhr. According to the chairman of the Baseball Expansion Committee, Dr. Ronald Sevigny,…
The Omni CRA, in partnership with Rebuilding Together, undertook a transformative initiative to revitalize the Bowles Apartments—a historic 6-unit residential building with a thirty-year legacy under the ownership of the Bullard family in Overtown. Completed in 2022 at a cost of $602,721, this comprehensive renovation stands as a testament to the CRA’s steadfast commitment to…
Next month, Citrus Connection will start its micro-transit Squeeze shuttle service in Bartow — the third city in Polk County to offer the micro-transit option for visitors. “Bartow sees thousands of commuters entering the city daily for government and private sector jobs,” a City of Bartow newsletter said on Tuesday. “The Squeeze will provide fast,…
The Winter Garden City Commission, at its Thursday, June 27, meeting, approved a resolution officially dedicating the city-owned park at 1203 E. Plant St. as the Charlie Mae Wilder Park, named after 91-year-old community advocate Charlie Mae Wilder. Wilder has lived in the east Winter Garden community since 1976. She is one of the neighborhood’s biggest advocates, and…
Renovation work began Tuesday, July 9th on a building that will become the Fort Pierce Highwaymen Museum. The project is being overseen by the City of Fort Pierce, in collaboration with the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency (FPRA) and the Original Florida Hall of Fame Highwaymen. They are planning a ceremony at 10:30 AM on the…
WeDriveU, a leader in shared mobility solutions for communities, campuses and workplaces, has launched operations for the Cloud Bus transit services for the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida. The Cloud Bus service is one piece of the City’s planned electric transportation system that will include e-bikes, electric vehicles, and more, providing safe and reliable connections to jobs, services,…
The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), in partnership with the Edison Awards, have selected four creative visionaries and their proposals to create engaging, transformational art installations to be built along the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in downtown Fort Myers. The goal of Innovation Walk is to marry art with innovation, transforming and populating…
The area’s median salary is $57k and change. The future owners of 26 single-family Habitat homes coming to the area will make less than that, but they’ll still be on a pathway to home ownership. The Community Redevelopment Agency approved Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counites to partner with them to build 26 affordable single-family…
Greg Oravec, economic development director and assistant city manager of New Port Richey, offered this explanation of CRAs and how they work: In 1969, the Florida Legislature adopted the Community Redevelopment Act, empowering cities and counties to revitalize the parts of their communities suffering from conditions associated with “slum” and/or “blight” through a specific set…
At the last Avon Park Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board meeting on June 13, the board unanimously agreed to award $100,000 to the proposed baseball museum. Councilwoman Berniece Taylor asked if Dr. Ronald Sevigny had brought the city’s attention to the museum, which will be named after former MLB star Thomas “Flash” Gordon, a resident…
Fort Lauderdale’s very own Victor George Spirits is breaking through and breaking ground. Literally. Billed as Florida’s only Black-owned distillery, the company is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, June 25, for what will be called The Victory Building, named in honor of the original, historic Victory Theatre once located nearby on Sistrunk Boulevard. In…
A $100,000 grant has been approved for the Richey Suncoast Theatre, courtesy of the New Port Richey Community Redevelopment Agency Recent renovations have been made at the theatre over the years, but with the new grant, the once prominent, cultural meeting ground will be getting a makeover Funding arrives at a promising time as attendance numbers,…
Bond Community Health Center is hoping to make renovations with some support from the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency and other grants. The project would be done in three phases with a price tag of around $865,000. Watch the video in the link to hear from medical experts and neighbors living in the Southwest Tallahassee community.…
Following the May 28, 2024, Newberry City Commission meeting, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board convened briefly to hear an educational presentation by CRA Executive Director Bryan Thomas. The focus was on the collaboration with Downtown Strategies, a firm specializing in revitalizing small to mid-sized cities that function independently of larger metropolitan areas. “Downtown Strategies…
Today, the lot on Cleveland Street sits empty, dust blowing across the 2.3-acre expanse. By fall 2025, city officials say, it will be transformed into a modern apartment complex for low-income residents. City officials and developers on Thursday broke ground on Clearwater Gardens, an 81-unit affordable housing project aimed at addressing the rising housing crisis…
It’s been nearly three months since the reopening of the restaurant in late April of this year. A $213,000 grant from the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency was given to the restaurant–and the renovation took longer than expected. Watch the video in the link to hear from the Co-owner of Earley’s Kitchen about the keys to…
Despite finding petroleum tanks, shock absorbers and a toxic chemical while clearing land for its new four-story public garage, Naples city officials still expect the $16 million structure will open early next year. Structural footings and stem walls are complete, and work is proceeding on the underground stormwater retention vault at the city’s third public…
A new model to build affordable housing got the green light from the Pensacola City Council on Monday afternoon. The Pensacola City Council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, unanimously approved donating three properties to the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust in a 5-0 vote. Under the agreement, the Home Builders Association of West Florida will…
Downtown Orlando will see the arrival of a new electric shuttle service this fall, as part of an effort by city officials to increase visitation and expand transportation options in the downtown core. The new program, dubbed Ride DTO, will be an on-demand shuttle service that will essentially function as a publicly subsidized Uber service.…
The Knox’s home ownership was helped by a partnership with CDC of Tampa, The City of Tampa, and the Community Redevelopment Agency. Those wanting to buy a house through this program have to take classes on home ownership. And for those who qualify there is help with the down payment. Read more here
Winter Haven residents at the city’s recreational facilities Thursday might hear sirens go off multiple times, but there’s no reason for alarm. The City of Winter Haven in collaboration with the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency has installed a new lightning alert system, DTN On Guard Siren Alerting Solution, at two locations: AdventHealth Fieldhouse and Conference Center, home…