Good News From Florida’s CRAs

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for Overtown’s Project Peach, and construction is underway. According to a 2021 presentation, the four-story project was estimated to cost $2.6 million. The developer was requesting $1.3 million in financing from the Omni Community Redevelopment Association to help make it happen. The 2021 filing showed that Project Peach is…

A plan to refresh and reimagine the City of Alachua’s Theatre Park is underway. On Alachua’s picturesque Main Street, the hidden gem known best as “Theatre Park” has seen better years. An overgrowth of vines, a dilapidated arbor, and structural uncertainty have left the park in a less attractive condition. The Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory…

The Orlando Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board will consider on May 22 advancing to the Community Redevelopment Agency a new service from Circuit Transit Inc. If approved by the CRA at a future meeting, five electric shuttles would be funded for a year for $595,712.50. Shuttles would run 10 hours a day, seven days a…

Just like the city it calls home, the Richey Suncoast Theater is about to turn 100. And last week, the theater got some help from the New Port Richey Community Redevelopment Agency in the form of a $100,000 grant. Built in 1925 and opened a year later, the theater was originally named for silent film star…

How would you feel about your power lines being underground? This is a real possibility for downtown Fort Myers. “We need these underground to keep these businesses up and take care of the downtown area,” said Liston Bochette III, commissioner of the Community Redevelopment Agency and City Councilman. “We need to get into this and…

Margate is soliciting offers to build a municipal mixed-use development that would include a new city hall and serve as the city’s “downtown” area. The development, called Margate City Center, would unfold on 51.4 acres on the east and west sides of U.S. 441 between Royal Palm Boulevard and Atlantic Boulevard. The developer would lease…

BBQ, Brews & Blues is returning for its ninth year in West Palm Beach’s Historic Northwest.  Join the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) at Heart & Soul Park, 825 North Rosemary Avenue, on Saturday, June 29, 2024, from 4 to 9 p.m., for an evening filled with live music, delicious food, craft beer,…

Developers are looking at investing more than $10 million into a vacant building in downtown West Palm Beach, according to city documents. The investors would then buy the property, located at 314 Clematis St., outright for another $7.6 million over five years. The West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency bought the building for $7.5 million…

The newly bricked and landscaped Park Avenue served as the backdrop for a recent ribbon cutting marking the official start of service by the new downtown shuttle known as The Squeeze. A happy crowd of citizens and officials representing Lake Wales Main Street, the Citrus Connection, the City of Lake Wales, and the Community Redevelopment Agency…

  City officials are inviting the public to a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of a new park in northwest Ocala. The grand opening ceremony for Imagine North Magnolia Park will be held on Wednesday, June 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Located at 200 NW 15th Place, the new park was…

Argonaut Coffee – the Greek mythology-themed café across from Cascades Park – was granted its request of $101,813 from the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency to fund its renovations at the shop. On Thursday, CRA board members, all the city commissioners, listened to Sherri Curtis, the agency’s community redevelopment coordinator, as she presented a brief slideshow on…

The West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Teneka James-Feaman to the position of Executive Director.  James-Feaman succeeds Raphael Clemente, who is stepping down to pursue a new opportunity. James-Feaman has been a dedicated member of the DDA staff since 2007 and has served as associate executive…

The city’s redevelopment agency approved this week to pick up the annual lease expenses for the new art space in the Cornerstone development under construction. The board of Coral Springs Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) agreed on Monday to spend $179,300 a year (with a 3 percent escalator each year) for the city’s Museum of Art…

The City of Cape Coral will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Community Redevelopment Agency building’s grand opening at 9 a.m. on May 31. The CRA building is located at 1231 Lafayette St. A CRA is a special district established by local government pursuant to state law. CRA districts encourage public and private investments to…

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (May 21, 2024) – The West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Teneka James-Feaman to the position of Executive Director.  James-Feaman succeeds Raphael Clemente, who is stepping down to pursue a new opportunity. James-Feaman has been a dedicated member of the DDA staff since…

The City of Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency has issued a notice of intent to dispose of the former Pensacola Sports property, 101 W. Main St. Interested parties who wish to be considered for this opportunity must submit a narrative proposal to the city no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, June 13. The narrative proposal shall…

The safety of Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers, with its narrow sidewalks and close pedestrian proximity to speeding traffic, is something the city is planning to address. According to a city-commissioned study, approximately 55,000 drivers pass through this area every day, making it a bustling hub for traffic and commercial activity, however, community members describe…

Thursday morning, Tampa’s Community Redevelopment Agency approved $15 million in funding for a Florida Aquarium redevelopment project. In three phases, expected to be completed by 2026, the aquarium will create four new exhibits, including a new penguin and sea lion exhibit, and the state’s only puffin exhibit. The redevelopment plan also includes improved amenities for guests. The…

The case of New Urban Communities, LLC versus the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is officially over. During the May 8 CRA meeting, it was announced that the case was settled, and most board members said they were happy. According to Vice Mayor Arlene Schwartz, the issue began about three weeks before the 2016 election, when the CRA…

Representative Lois Frankel (FL-22) announced the allocation of federal funding for affordable housing in Lake Worth Beach, paving the way for community developers to repurpose empty homes. The funding is directed to the Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which aims to bolster ongoing efforts to address the pressing need for affordable rental and…