Establishing partnerships and assembling a diverse capital stack are key components when financing housing developments, yet financing and technical assistance from the federal government is often overlooked. HUD manages several key finance programs that are integral to affordable housing development in urban areas, and the USDA does the same for rural areas across the country.…
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida Mitigation Program is now accepting applications and nominations for its Citizen Advisory Committee for Mitigation. Required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Committee will serve as a liaison between the communities and citizens located in state and HUD-designated Most Impacted and…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced that communities impacted by Hurricane Michael will have the opportunity to attend upcoming public workshops and a webinar to provide input on the state’s efforts to access $46.9 million in federal mitigation funding. To access this long-term mitigation funding, the Department will work with state agencies…
An $18 million full-gut rehabilitation and renovation project for Town Park Village No. 1 at 1680 NW 4th Ave. is about to begin. The Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency (SEOPW CRA) hosted a commencement ceremony yesterday to mark the occasion. Built in the early 1970s, the HUD Cooperative housing complex has 147 residential units…
The City of Tarpon Springs is excited to announce that the new community engagement platform, Connect Tarpon Springs, has launched! Connect Tarpon Springs is a place for the community to get involved by sharing ideas and feedback on a variety of topics affecting our community! Connect Tarpon Springs allows members of the community to participate and contribute to…
Fort Myers CRA Executive Director Michele Hylton-Terry was recognized by two community organizations for her impact on Southwest Florida. The Cape Coral Community Foundation included Ms. Hylton-Terry on their list of Top 20 Generous Leaders of 2021 in Southwest Florida*. “We asked our leaders to share the names of nonprofit leaders who represent and embody…
Fort Myers, FL. On March 17, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is proud to announce that its new Home Preservation Program will partner with Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties (Habitat). Homeowners with outstanding code violations may qualify to have projects/repairs completed by Habitat. The maximum assistance is $25,000 owner-occupied dwellings…
The Love Local campaign, launched by the City of Winter Garden last fall, continues in 2021 with a line-up of programs and activities to help small businesses recover from financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The intent of the Love Local campaign is to build…
The City of Lakeland is using half a million dollars on a project to revitalize the downtown area. Pretty soon you’ll see more murals in Lakeland. On Monday, Lakeland Community Redevelopment Agency launched its Art Infusion Grant program to bring more than 100 murals to businesses in downtown and Dixieland. “Basically a façade improvement on…
We have heard a lot recently about public-private partnerships, most notably in the debate over the redevelopment agreement between Jacksonville and the Jaguars to develop Lot J. Broadly speaking, public-private partnerships or PPPs are collaborations between the public and private sectors to facilitate development projects and build public facilities and infrastructure. A few years ago,…
Fourteen small rural counties and cities recently received grants totaling $348,400 for site preparation projects designed to lure new businesses to the area. The awards are part of Enterprise Florida Inc’s (EFI) Rural Expansion Toolkit initiative to assist rural communities with broad-based economic engagement and capacity building efforts. “Many rural communities throughout the state that…
The Pompano Beach CRA is proud to expand the “Love Always, Pompano Beach” campaign to include businesses in the Northwest CRA District. The vibrant marketing initiative launched in November 2020 as a pilot program with businesses in the East CRA District. The successful campaign saturated the South Florida market with enticing videos and photos via…
Homestead City Council meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Board approved a business incentive grant to a new business on Krome Avenue. Sips Coffee Roasters opened its first shop in Miami two years ago on Seventh Avenue. It plans to move its headquarters to Homestead occupying two of the three bays that were formerly the Paramount…
Many of South Florida’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) directors have two choices: Continue to sustain existing businesses through the pandemic, or return to attracting new entrepreneurs to their cities. With Option A, they can maintain jobs in the area, and with Option B, they bring in new jobs and increase the value of the city.…
Lakeland Community Redevelopment Agency is hoping it can inspire businesses and artists alike to show their love for the South Florida Avenue corridor this month. The Lakeland CRA will launch an Art Infusion Grant Program starting Feb. 15 to help bring new life and color to Dixieland and downtown Lakeland. It will fund approximately a half million…
Delray Beach, FL (January 8, 2021) – This spring, the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, Arts Garage and the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will welcome three nationally-acclaimed authors to share their insights on race and its impact upon American culture. From February to April 2021, one author will be featured each month, as part…
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Outdoor dining has been the saving grace for local businesses trying to stay afloat throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The City of Clearwater announced Tuesday in an email that it will be extending the closure of a portion of Cleveland Street in Downtown Clearwater through April 16. This announcement comes as good…
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB)– The city of Panama City Beach is looking to make improvements to their street lights on parts of Front Beach Road and South Thomas Drive. In 2020, the council had approved a contract to inspect the streetlights to determine the cost of repairing them after damage sustained from Hurricane Michael.…
Hallandale Beach, FL – January 4, 2021 – In April of 2020, as the COVID-19 virus raged across the nation, and cities and businesses shut down due to various lockdown orders, the City of Hallandale Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (HBCRA) created the $500,000 Coronavirus Small Business Sustainability and Recovery Loan Program for businesses within the…
Gulfport city officials want to find a way to keep large buildings from swallowing Gulfport’s waterfront district, and met twice publicly to discuss the future of the city’s waterfront district. During the last two Community Redevelopment Agency meetings, on October 20 and December 15, Gulfport Community Development Director Fred Metcalf and Forward Pinellas representative Linda…
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It’s a Christmas week move-in that was a long time coming for some Overtown residents as renovations on the first of 116 affordable housing apartments were completed. “It took some time and we were able to hook up with the construction team who has given us Coral Gables in Overtown,” one resident…