Good News From Florida’s CRAs

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, and City Commissioners invited the community to celebrate the groundbreaking of the expansion of Orlando’s signature at Lake Eola Park. Located at the northeast corner of Central Boulevard and Rosalind Avenue, the .12-acre expansion will bring new features to the park, such as artwork, updated…

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…

West 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…

The 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…

Rafiki 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…

For 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…

The 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…

Brooksville 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…

The 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…

An 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)…

The 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…

T.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…

Bartow 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…

The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency broke ground Wednesday on a new business project along Southwest Fifth Avenue. The goal is to develop a new commercial space that will provide affordable rental space for small businesses at 95 SW Fifth St. The CRA-owned property is positioned on the historic Northwest/Southwest Fifth Avenue commercial corridor. In…

From much-needed upgrades on the outside to a completely new interior, new money is helping two businesses off South Monroe Street continue to thrive on this side of town. Orion Wellington has owned Orion Motorsports for 19 years. They’ve been at this location on the Southside for 13 years, just south of Cascade Park. Operating…

Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County recognized its top volunteers during the nonprofit’s second annual Volunteer Appreciation Celebration held recently at the Tampa Theatre. More than 120 gathered to honor individuals, businesses, and organizations across six categories who have partnered with Habitat Hillsborough in working toward a community where everyone has an affordable and decent place…

New Port Richey has been working on its image in recent years, enhancing the look of the city, redeveloping its downtown and creating an inviting atmosphere to draw in both residents and visitors. Now the city has decided to go big on that invite into downtown by improving the main entrance into the city, the…

Developers interested in joining the effort to create more affordable housing in Tampa now have another tool at their disposal. The City of Tampa has launched an interactive map where users can view city-owned lots available for affordable housing projects. The map allows the user to filter the properties by Community Redevelopment Area (CRA), council…

The Downtown DeLand Community Redevelopment Agency and the DeLand City Commission will convene a joint meeting July 5 to discuss the future of the relationship between the city and GlassHouse Square LLC, the developer originally selected to build a replacement for the dilapidated Old Jail on West New York Avenue. The meeting comes on the…