Good News From Florida’s CRAs

Fort Lauderdale, FL (June 7, 2018) – On Friday, June 8th, 2018, the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale (HACFL), members of the StepUP Apprenticeship Initiative, along with Atlantic | Pacific Communities (A|P Communities) will be planting fruit trees donated by The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) to the Northwest Gardens Pocket Park,…

WASHINGTON – Suwannee County Business Incentive Program has been recognized with an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents. NACo recognized “Suwannee County Business Incentives” program in the category of Community and Economic Development, this is a performance based tax…

Almost from the day he joined the City Commission in 2014, Curtis Richardson has insisted on the need to expand the Greater Frenchtown/Southside Community Redevelopment District to include several blighted neighborhoods. “This is something I recognized as a need four years ago,” Richardson said today, after the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency voted to expand the…

There were no fireworks during Thursday’s Economic Opportunity Advisory Council meeting but the prospect for business growth was in the air. Economic board members heard updates on brownfields redevelopment, projects at Florida Hospital Flagler and plans by local fireworks maker Santore and Sons to expand operations in Bunnell. Read Full Article

Marriott International is bringing one of its upscale brands to the Cascades Project underway in downtown Tallahassee. AC Hotels by Marriott is building a $30-million, seven-story hotel with more than 5,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, which would be suitable for conventions, a longtime request of the business community. It also will have 154…

The city has plans for an estimated $1.2 million Lake Lillian improvement project that includes a renovated community center, new playground, restrooms and trails. The city plans to pay for the project using proceeds from the Downtown Belleview Community Redevelopment Area. A portion of property taxes in the designated area go toward improvements. But the proceeds…

A new historic and cultural center could be in the city’s future. On May 14, the Community Redevelopment Agency unanimously agreed to move forward with a state grant application to begin the restoration the Bush House at the corner of South Wilson Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in downtown Crestview. The historical $50,000…

Good morning neighbors – Michele Hylton-Terry has been appointed as Interim Executive Director for the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The CRA leads redevelopment and revitalization of the city’s most blighted areas. Mrs. Hylton-Terry started at the CRA in 2003 and most recently served as the agency’s Redevelopment Manager. As Redevelopment Manager, Mrs. Hylton-Terry…

For years, CrossFit Tarpon Springs operated in an out-of-the-way industrial space on Spruce Street before moving to a more accessible spot on U.S. 19 just a few weeks ago. Thanks to a recent decision by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, the owners of the popular fitness franchise will have to move again, this time to…

The Cocoa Community Redevelopment Agency, in partnership with Cocoa Main Street, Historic Cocoa Village Association and ArtBeatz Cocoa has announced a design contest for a Cocoa Village gateway entry feature at the property located at 6 Forrest Avenue. The contest is open through June 1 to anyone who would like to submit a design.  The…

A developer is pursuing a plan to construct a 100-plus room boutique resort on the positioning of the previous Cocoa Metropolis Corridor in Cocoa Village. Early plans name for a five-story construction with a “sky bar” on the highest stage overlooking the Indian River Lagoon and what might be a re-developed marina simply east of the resort. The…

Two of the most prized properties in the heart of historic downtown Fort Myers may soon be transformed, and those aren’t the only prime sites in play. A site close to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates that is getting apartments and a hotel and a longtime church property could also turn into a mixed-used development. Read Full Article

The City of Delray Beach is currently seeking residents and business owners to volunteer and serve on a City Advisory Board and/or Committee. By participating as a citizen volunteer on an Advisory Board and/or Committee, you will have an opportunity to become involved in the decision making process within our City government. Members serving on…

The Southern Florida town of Dania Beach sees the redevelopment of a former industrial wasteland by Kimco Realty Corp. (NYSE: KIM) as the key to raising its profile among its better-known neighbors. “Kimco is creating the most exciting asset for Dania Beach, which we believe will help transform the city from a ‘pass-through’ city to a ‘destination’ location…

The city is among 144 communities nationwide, including five in Florida, to which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing $54.3 million in grants that will assist in redevelopment of potentially polluted tracts of land. The grants, announced on April 25, are part of the Brownfields Redevelopment Program, which will give these cities and regional…

Marcus D. Goodson, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers for the past 16 years, has announced he is stepping down to pursue a new career in private consulting.  His last day will be June 29. Since joining HACFM in 2002, Goodson has been noted for turning what was a…

Thirty-five Lakeland city employees, business owners and civic leaders boarded a bus at city hall Monday morning and headed to Tampa to tour Armature Works, a remodeled mixed-use building in Tampa Heights, to see what is possible for redevelopment in Lakeland. Alis Drumgo, project manager for Lakeland’s Community Redevelopment Agency, said they wanted to take…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced grants to 144 communities nationwide, including five in Florida, at a news conference in Atlanta on Wednesday, April 25. The projects being financed are part of the Brownfields Redevelopment Program, which will give these cities and regional agencies money to conduct environmental assessments and cleanups in locally designated areas.…

One of South Florida’s busiest business districts could soon become the latest South Florida area to undergo major redevelopment. A group of companies in a public-private partnership, is hoping to make some major changes to Fort Lauderdale’s Cypress Creek neighborhood. Read Full Article

The facelift continues for Tampa’s downtown waterfront district, as two new development projects are announced this week — Riverwalk Place and a Marriott Edition hotel, both within walking distance of the Tampa Convention Center. The projects help give shape to the district’s continued redevelopment and cement the layout of tomorrow’s downtown. Rising more than 50 stories, Riverwalk Place may…

St. Petersburg, Fla. (April 30, 2018) – As the City continues to invest in South St. Petersburg, a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Tangerine Plaza development site will be formally released to the public today, April 30. The city invites developers, end-users and interested parties to submit proposals to lease and develop the city-owned…