The team at the Riviera Beach CRA wanted to reach out and give each and every one of you a heartfelt cyber-hug during this difficult time. We’re all in this together and, like you, we are looking forward to making our way back to normalcy soon. Rest assured that not only are we closely monitoring…
Small businesses are an integral part of the fabric of Lake Park. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has already begun to negatively impact small businesses here and across the country, and no one knows how long this will last. In order to help mitigate this situation, the Small Business Association (SBA) announced that, beginning today (March…
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, released the Keeping Workers Paid and Employed Act, a $300 billion small…
PINELLAS COUNTY, FL (March 19, 2020) The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to Florida small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of COVID-19. SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million in assistance per small business and can provide vital economic support to small businesses…
Governing is operated as a virtual office. Our staff lives in five different states and three different time zones. We’ve made it work, and you can, too. Remote work does take some adjustment. Here are some habits and strategies drawn from my own experience in working from home for nearly a decade now. Read the…
People experiencing homelessness don’t have access to the recommended precautions to stave off the coronavirus. The state of play: They often don’t have access to places to wash their hands, many sleep outside in crowded encampments, and social distancing is next to impossible in crowded shelters. The population living outside tends to be older and…
Florida lawmakers ended the 2020 legislative session by approving House Bill 1339 that authorizes local governments to approve affordable housing on any land zoned for residential, commercial or industrial use. Gov. Ron DeSantis would need to sign or veto the bill. Lawmakers could vote to override the veto. The bill introduced by Republican Rep. Clay…
In Florida we have a habit of cheering half measures and Johnny-come-lately actions from our public leaders. To wit: The Florida Legislature last week passed the first bill in a decade that acknowledges climate change – this in a state widely known as extraordinarily vulnerable to our altered climate. The bill will require that the…
Gainesville residents and visitors are a step closer to being able to navigate the streets on rented electric scooters. The City Commission voted on the first read of an ordinance regulating “dockless electric scooters” last week. The vote was to adopt the permit program that would allow the scooters, called “micromobility devices” by city officials,…
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, wants Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill that would allow Floridians to legally buy fireworks for use three days a year. The animal rights group expressed concerns that the proposal approved by the Legislature last week “would endanger the state’s most vulnerable residents of many…
For 4-year-old Cadynce Nettles a Saturday morning walk in the park took on new meaning March 7 as the New Port Richey Public Library celebrated the opening of a permanent installation called StoryWalk at the James E. Grey Preserve. Her mom, Amy Garton, could barely keep up with Cadynce, who bounded down the trail looking…
Florida faces many vital issues related to managing and planning for growth, conserving critical lands and waters, and protecting the environment. During the most recent Florida Legislative Session, more than 3,500 bills were introduced with only 194 passing into law. To make the best use of our limited resources, each session 1000 Friends identifies our…
FRA Webinar: 2020 CRA LOCAL ANNUAL REPORTS Thursday, March 19th 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDST Although the local annual report due March 31 has been the law for many years for CRAs in Florida, the contents of the report have been changed. It is a SHORT list of contents, but EVERY CRA must make…
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building rating system, announced the City of Sarasota is among 20 new cities and counties selected to participate in the 2020 LEED for Cities and Communities Grant Program. The program helps local governments committed to accelerating progress on climate change, resilience and social equity…
Coordinators behind three of Tallahassee’s largest upcoming festivals are all keeping close watch as cases of the coronavirus increase in Florida and around the nation. The 52nd Annual Springtime Tallahassee is scheduled for March 27 and 28 and has been cancelled only once in its history when the two-day event was rained out two years ago.…
Plans are accelerating for a shuttle to transport people from Coquina Beach to Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach. Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency members voted 5-0 March 4 to direct CRA member Jake Spooner, also a city commissioner, to work with city attorney Ricinda Perry and city engineer Lynn Burnett to plan the tram’s path.…
Tallahassee, Fla. – The Sadowski Coalition – a nonpartisan collection of 32 statewide organizations – today issued the following statement attributed to Jaimie Ross, facilitator of the Sadowski Coalition and president and CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition, regarding the announcement that the Florida House agreed to the Florida Senate’s budget position to use all affordable housing trust…
The Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill Thursday creating a sea level rise office and task force. That measure (SB 7016), written by the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee and spearheaded by Chair Tom Lee, creates the Statewide Office of Resiliency and the Statewide Sea-Level Rise Task Force. The state’s Chief Resilience Officer (CRO),…
Florida’s Bert Harris Act, passed in 1995, allows property owners to seek compensation if a municipality changes its zoning or land use regulations and the land loses resale value. A bill that would tweak that law, improving the process for property owners, is now making its way through the state legislature. Critics say it could…
In a regional effort, Seminole County, Orange County, Osceola County and the city of Orlando have all implemented a 10-year plan to combat the affordable housing crisis. “We as a regional entity have to attack this together,” said Lee Constantine, Seminole County Commissioner. “We aren’t going to solve Osceola County, without solving Orange County, without…
In the fall of 2019, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties (NACo) collaborated with PACENation to produce a three-part webinar series aimed at outlining the benefits of PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) to local governments, educating local officials about PACE financing and explaining how the program can be used for…