The 2011 groundbreaking for Vilano’s Publix was an especially joyous event for the 5,000 residents living east of the Intercostal. No longer would the need for a few groceries require a trip to the mainland. The Publix was also celebrated as the start of a planned commercial center of shops, sidewalk cafes, upper-level residences and…
In hopes of gaining the City Council’s support during its Wednesday, February 15, meeting, the Apopka Community Task Force on Violence presented a document that the group called a community biopsy, urging for a five-pronged approach to solving violence in the area, especially in South Apopka. First unveiled in December 2016 at a press conference, the…
Why does the legislature want to kill CRA’s Way back in 1969, the Florida Legislature passed the Community Redevelopment Act. The new law was designed to prevent and eliminate slum and blighted areas by designating tax dollars from the neediest communities to go back into those areas. In 1993, Apopka created its own Community Redevelopment…
The Florida Economic Consortium on Violence and Crime (FEC) hosted a lunch forum to discuss the role of community redevelopment agencies (CRAs) and how they can be leveraged to address blighted areas and slums in Apopka. Attended by city and county officials and community members, the lunch forum took place at the Fran Carlton Recreation…
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. /Florida Newswire/ — Redevelopment Management Associates (www.rma.us.com) announced that their award-winning redevelopment strategies for North Miami Beach have spurred land sales of over $200 million, with an estimated $500 million in new construction now underway or approved. The firm was hired to reinvent the city to compete with other thriving municipalities.…
Manatee County Commissioner Charles Smith recently completed an 18 month course to become a redevelopment professional by the not-for-profit Florida Redevelopment Association, the county advised on Thursday. The training course is designed to enhance knowledge of urban redevelopment issues, which Smith says will help him become a better commissioner. He represents District Two, which covers…
After 13 years, it has become apparent to city leaders that an extra layer of building regulations hasn’t been the right fertilizer to make the Garden District grow. Despite its charms — a quick walk to Hollis Garden, Barnett Family Park and the Frances Langford Promenade — the roughly 70-acre Garden District has failed to…
The city has officially deemed a piece of prime but environmentally contaminated property near downtown a brownfield. The designation for the property was necessary so the city can seek state economic incentives for a developer or property owner to clean up the site and build there. During a meeting Tuesday night, the Dade City Commission…
Less than two years after the Polk County Community Health Assessment listed obesity and weight issues among the major health challenges facing Polk County residents, the state Department of Health is recognizing four cities and the county for their healthy-weight programs. Lakeland, Winter Haven, Mulberry and Bartow, as well as Polk County, were among 98…
West Palm Beach West Palm Beach will have a new foodie district this year, The Warehouse District, located southwest of the Palm Beach County Convention Center near downtown. It comprises eight vintage-style buildings and a New York–inspired food hall, Grange Hall Market. Miami Miami Worldcenter has broken ground and will become the hub of downtown,…
Las Olas Boulevard is in the midst of a retail renaissance. The Las Olas Co., owner of the Riverside Hotel and a major landlord along downtown Fort Lauderdale’s signature street, says it’s planning to boost Las Olas’ profile by filling a handful of vacancies and a new building with a mix of well-established restaurants and…
The Broward County Commission took the initial step to redevelop the sea of surface parking that surrounds the BB&T Center, the county-owned sports and entertainment arena in Sunrise. The county commission approved a redevelopment plan produced by the not-for-profit Urban Land Institute. The commissioners also decided to hire two city employees, including a director of…
