Good News From Florida’s CRAs

The Apopka Community Redevelopment Agency enters FY2027 with something many redevelopment agencies would envy: money. Its adopted budget totals nearly $7.85 million, including approximately $6.13 million in reserves and carryover funding. That balance partly reflects the CRA’s difficulty completing projects as quickly as revenue has accumulated, although a recent progress report shows meaningful work is…

The Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has opened applications for two grant opportunities designed to support commercial property improvements and help businesses overcome development barriers within the City of Tampa’s designated Community Redevelopment Areas: Central Park, Channel District, Downtown, Drew Park, East Tampa, Tampa Heights Riverfront, West Tampa and Ybor City. Together, the grants provide…

Almost 60 cents of every dollar in the Coral Springs Community Redevelopment Agency’s new budget goes to a single line that reads “Infrastructure.” The CRA Board adopted the $5.6 million plan Monday night. It covers Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. Inside that total, $3.3 sits on the budget line that reads capital outlay. However, it’s…

More than 128,000 children lack access to childcare, according to the “Children’s Movement of Florida.” Resources are now expanding in Pensacola to address the need. This week, the city is celebrating the official opening of the Alice S. Williams Center. This building was once the first Black library in Pensacola before it shut down in…

A new Italian restaurant is now open in Zephyrhills, and the city helped make it happen. Trattoria Napoli, located on 7th Street, held its grand opening with the help of a $50,000 commercial improvement grant from the City of Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency. Owner Matthew Zappoli is a chef with more than 30 years of…

The Apopka Community Redevelopment Agency approved a nearly $7.85 million budget Monday night while redirecting money toward park improvements and sidewalks, moving forward with one property purchase and abandoning another. The FY2027 budget includes approximately $6.13 million in reserves and carryover funds. Through June 30, the CRA had spent $870,286 of its $6.43 million revised…

A beach scene built entirely out of children’s building blocks now holds a Guinness World Record in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The Museum of Discovery and Science assembled a magnetic tile mosaic depicting a sunny beach using 4,500 individual tiles, and Guinness has officially certified it as the largest magnet mosaic image ever made. The record,…

Winter Garden has officially sent its long-range vision for the next three decades to state regulators, kicking off a review process that will determine how the city handles a population expected to swell to as many as 66,306 residents by 2050. The Winter Garden City Commission unanimously approved an ordinance addressing state statute changes to…

The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) improvement project that runs along Margate Boulevard between State Road 7 and East River Drive and on Northwest 58th Avenue between Park Drive and Northwest 12th Street could be completed by the end of September, according to Lisa Huriash, public information officer. The contract for the Margate Boulevard project…

The Housing Trust Group has been chosen by the Naranja Lakes Community Redevelopment Agency to move forward on a 328-unit affordable housing venture. If the vote goes as expected, the CRA will award the developer land and a $7 million loan in exchange for the development. The S. Florida Business Journal reports that this continues…

At Tuesday’s BOCC meeting, Manatee County Commissioners will be asked to approve the $0 transfer of a county-owned downtown Bradenton property appraised at $1.2 million to the City of Bradenton. Resolution R-26-97 would convey the former GTE building at 1009 4th Avenue West to the city. The three-story, 13,473-square-foot building has been the subject of…

Pre-leasing has launched for Lakeview at Nomi, a seven-story, 342-unit mixed-income residential development at 13855 NW 17th Avenue in North Miami. Developed by Integra Investments in partnership with the City of North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency, the project is designed by Anillo Toledo Lopez Architecture and occupies a 7.6-acre site with views of two neighboring…

The City of Delray Beach and the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), together with project partners, are inviting residents, families, friends, and community members to participate in a special Ceremonial Shovel Painting Day ahead of the groundbreaking for the new Pompey Park Recreation Center. The Pompey Park Recreation Center Groundbreaking Ceremony will be held…

The Apopka Community Redevelopment Agency will consider two property acquisition matters, a new homebuyer assistance program and a downtown lighting project when it meets Monday, Aug. 24. The CRA Board will meet at 5 p.m. Monday at the Apopka Community Center. The agenda includes three new-business items and several continuing redevelopment matters. The board will…

The City of Tampa, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay Rays now appear to have a clear path toward approving the team’s new “Forever Home” in Tampa. After months of stalled negotiations, delayed votes and public frustration, the political landscape shifted sharply when Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson signaled he is prepared to support…

Integra Investments, in partnership with the City of North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), has begun preleasing for Lakeview at Nomi, a 342-unit mixed-income apartment complex located in North Miami. Move-ins are expected to begin in November. The seven-story building features 34 units reserved for residents earning 60, 70 and 80 percent the of the…

The Apopka Community Redevelopment Agency will consider a $7.8 million budget, two potential property acquisitions, a new down-payment assistance program, and decorative lighting for East 5th Street during a meeting Monday. The proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1 totals $7,845,031, including $1.5 million in anticipated property-tax revenue, $217,383 in interest and approximately…

A long-vacant property in Plant City’s Midtown area could move closer to redevelopment after the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency selected Mosaic Development Group to begin negotiations on plans that include housing, retail and a grocery store aimed at reactivating the city’s core. City commissioners received three letters of intent for the property before the CRA…

The Community Redevelopment Agency unanimously approved a city of Winter Garden General Fund reimbursement for renovations for Zanders Park, as well as the purchase of furniture for the park. The improvements have included installation of new playground equipment, resurfacing of one basketball court, installation of new hoops, installation of three pickleball courts and a conversion…