Affordable housing advocates are pleased to hear Governor Ron DeSantis is proposing to dedicate all of the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund to affordable housing in his budget proposal. Over the years, state lawmakers have tapped into housing funds created to provide revenue for affordable and workforce housing and reallocated millions of dollars…
Canal Street is a great street in the great downtown area in New Smyrna Beach. In 1980, as the area was experiencing a lot of change, population was about 12,000 and growing. They were making four lanes out of State Road 44 and the Burger Chef at U.S. 1 and West Canal Street had just…
State housing advocates on Tuesday gathered in Tallahassee to call on the Florida Legislature to use all state and local housing trust fund monies for affordable housing. The Sadowski Coalition is made up of 32 statewide organizations, including industry and business groups. Jaimie Ross, president of the Florida Housing Coalition, said that for more than a decade, lawmakers have tapped…
There are now two free ride services in downtown Delray Beach. The fixed route and on demand transportation options are funded by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and will be replacing the Downtown Roundabout Trolley. The new initiative is called Connect Delray Beach. Freebee offers point to point rides in their easy to spot,…
Hillsborough County Commissioners Wednesday took a step toward creating its first dedicated source of money for affordable housing. It comes after other money has been repeatedly diverted from a state housing fund. The move wouldn’t create a dedicated trust fund, which supporters had pushed for. But the vote does direct Hillsborough County to try to find $10…
In a 4-3 vote on Monday, Palm Beach County Commissioners approved the creation of a CRA within the Village of Palm Springs. Village Manager Richard J. Reade stated, ” As you can imagine, we are so pleased with this result and each of these County Commissioners showed real leadership through a very difficult process. Now,…
Housing prices and rents continue to rise across Florida. Thursday, a group of community leaders and advocates gathered in Bradenton to discuss Manatee County’s ongoing affordable housing crunch at an event sponsored by the Manatee Tiger Bay Club. Nationwide, an average wage earner would need to spend 32.7 percent of his or her income to buy a…
As more and more Floridians turn away from homeownership in favor of renting, the state is facing a serious shortage of apartments. Numbers from the Florida Apartment Association show that the state would need to add over 600,000 new apartments by 2030 to keep up with both the rising population and the increased demand. “We have over…
I wasn’t a stranger to big projects, but the idea that awaited me as I started work as city manager of North Miami, Florida, was unlike anything else I’d been involved in. Building a Chinatown? In North Miami? I had worked on the development of the new Miami Marlins stadium (retractable roof and all) in…
The Florida League of Cities and three communities this week filed a renewed constitutional challenge to a state law that is expected to help telecommunications companies install wireless technology on city-owned utility poles and in public rights of way. The league and the cities of Fort Walton Beach, Naples and Port Orange filed the lawsuit…
To speed the installation of 5G in Florida, the Legislature in 2017 ordered cities and counties to open their rights of way, utility poles and traffic signals to wireless carriers who want to install 5G antennas and gear on them. The Legislature also capped how much rent carriers would have to pay the localities for…
Miami Beach has successfully used the Community Redevelopment Act to revitalize two formerly “blighted” areas into a thriving neighborhood and commercial district. Now it wants to do the same for portions of North Beach. Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs) allow the creation of special funding districts where incremental increases in property taxes generated within the CRA…
When it comes to attracting industrial business, Manatee County is being steadily outpaced by some neighboring counties. Catching up with the competition will require a new mindset and lots of cash. Last August, the Board of County Commissioners authorized staff to hire a consulting firm to analyze how officials could use about 6,700 acres spanning…
This summer has proven to be more than just a hot season for Fifth Avenue South in Naples. A sizzling renaissance of sorts is sweeping through the main street attraction at the heart of the city. Riding the wave of niche brands in the retail industry, about 10 new stores recently opened or are opening…
A 32-year-old environmental hazard cleared the way for a developer to receive several economic incentives from the state of Florida thanks to an official brownfield designation. The 96-unit Oaks at Lakeside apartment complex is set to be developed by HTG Creekside on 16.8 acres of land just west of John H. Marble Park in the…
The Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will soon transition into a city department — the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA). Much like the CRA, the new city department will be tasked with addressing some of the community’s most pressing infrastructure and development challenges over the next 10 years. During its Aug. 15 and Sept. 5…
In Los Angeles, where drivers spent an average of 128 hours sitting in traffic in 2018, most commuters still choose to drive to work alone. A new aerial view of a street in downtown L.A. helps make the case for picking public transit instead, as it shows buses flying down a dedicated bus lane. In…
Even with the citizenship question settled, an accurate 2020 census will face an uphill battle. The biggest obstacles to a complete count are the different “hard to count” populations that can be found all over the country, even without the question that many, including the Census Bureau itself, projected would suppress response rates, even among…
To some local leaders, Hurricane Michael made Panama City a blank slate from which they can make significant improvements in the coming years. The Panama City City Commission and city department heads gathered on Thursday for their annual goal-setting session for the coming year. But unlike previous years, the devastating Category 5 storm has potentially…
The two-block stretch of Miami Beach’s Ocean Terrace is now the future site of a $15 million public park space. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and city commissioners gave unanimous approval Wednesday to a deal involving a notable trade: In exchange for the city vacating street and sidewalk space in addition to altering its zoning…
The first topic the Fort Myers mayor’s diversity council is set to discuss won’t be an easy one. It’s gentrification. Concerns have been raised because of a redevelopment project approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency on Seaboard Street in Fort Myers, an area near primarily black community of Dunbar. Residents are worried it could change…