About a month before several Naples City Council members vacate their seats, the council is expected to vote on several controversial projects the city has undertaken during their tenure, including the redesign of Central Avenue and a new look for Baker Park. First this week will be the council’s action on a revised design for…
The two-story wood-frame house at 426 S. Beach Street, just down the street from the Halifax Yacht Club, was the place where Daytona Beach started. “It’s the mother of Daytona Beach,” says William Braun, who has been spearheading efforts to preserve the historic building. Built in 1875, the house, dubbed “the Abbey” in the nineteenth…
Everyone agrees that whatever replaces an empty waterfront Winn-Dixie at Woolbright Road and Federal Highway will affect the city. But what type of development — and how much — is best for Boynton Beach? The Boynton Coalition for Responsible Development was formed with the intention of being able to speak to the developer, city and…
With $2.5 billion in construction projects lined up, West Palm Beach is growing up. But will it grow up a beauty or a beast? The city of 100,000 boasts a natural setting like few others in the United States, with views of a yacht-dappled lagoon, a green barrier island and an azure Atlantic beyond. But…
PORT ORANGE — Wayne Clark left his longtime post as community development director for the City of Port Orange in November after accepting a similar job in Asheville, North Carolina. Two months later, Clark has returned to his old position at Port Orange and he brings with him some new experiences — as well as answers…
ST. PETERSBURG — St. Petersburg is going for the unconventional and fanciful: gondolas. Tampa chose a more earthbound approach: infusing projects with gadgetry. Both cities are among 70 applicants vying for the $40 million “Smart City Challenge” federal grant that emphasizes alternative and innovative transportation. Close on the heels of Clearwater’s flirtation with a mode…
After months of delays, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Wednesday that plans to rebuild the Pork and Beans housing project in Liberty City are on the fast track to a county commission vote. Last week, after Gimenez whittled six competing developers down to two, Atlantic Pacific Communities and Related Urban Development Group submitted their final…
TAMPA — The lofty expectations for downtown Tampa residential construction are beginning to meet reality, with developers and city officials celebrating this morning the groundbreaking for a 23-story apartment tower in the North Franklin neighborhood. Nine15, which will house 362 apartments and 8,000 square feet of street-level retail, is under construction on the block bordered…
DUNEDIN — It has been a long time coming. But now, after the commission’s unanimous first reading approval of a $15 million development Feb. 4, the long-discussed downtown parking plight is finally being addressed. Though official approval of the mixed-use development plans and a parking lease agreement is pending a second vote by commissioners set…
MADEIRA BEACH — Despite protests from more than 50 residents Monday night, the planning commission unanimously approved an $80 million development project that could add thousands of cars to daily traffic on the Tom Stuart Causeway. But before the project can go forward, it also must receive the approval of the City Commission, as well…
Key West is famous for its collection of old wooden houses, mostly dating to the 19th Century. The district known as Old Town is on the National Register of Historic Places. But occasionally a new building goes up in the old neighborhoods. Some recent new buildings and proposed new buildings have generated a debate about…
Boynton Beach will be able to tackle three items on its Heart of Boynton redevelopment to-do list with the help of money from the county Solid Waste Authority, as long as all necessary boards sign off. The SWA offers grants for blighted and distressed properties and their cleanup and beautification, and earlier this month the city’s Community Redevelopment…
