What the St. Johns Riverkeeper has done for Northeast Florida’s major natural resource, Groundworks Jacksonville hopes to do for redevelopment. That means aggressive advocacy and rallying support for restoring Jacksonville’s ignored and forgotten urban gems. The best illustration of this is something called the Emerald Necklace, the network of creeks and riverfront property that link…
SARASOTA – Sarasota’s main redevelopment agency faces elimination next year, and its leaders have begun sketching out a final budget. The Downtown Sarasota Community Redevelopment Agency seeded downtown and Newtown neighborhood projects with more than $95 million over the past three decades, according to a financial update on Thursday. Among them were the Palm Avenue…
BARTOW | Bartow’s Community Redevelopment Agency shifted focus Wednesday in funding for non-profit groups, directing its attention toward housing development while maintaining its commitment to community events. That shift came when Jeff Bagwell, president and executive director of the Lakeland-based Keystone Challenge Fund, offered Wednesday to partner with the CRA to build two houses for…
PLANT CITY City and business leaders are hoping to revive a program that the say will promote and strengthen downtown. Organizers hope to hire a manager who could, among other duties, manage special events downtown and otherwise coordinate merchants and others who have a stake in the business district. David Schultz, manager of the Plant…
TAMPA — A Miami luxury apartment developer has taken a step toward trying to build what city officials believe will be a riverfront residential complex on what is now the headquarters of the Tampa Tribune. The Related Group filed a request with the city of Tampa on Wednesday asking whether removing the Tribune building site…
BRADENTON, Fla. — “I was sitting in my office one night, and a guy was walking down the alleyway urinating,” says Leyon Robinson, for whom it was a common occurrence. The small pedestrian alleyway paved with bricks is lined with chairs for coffee drinkers during the day. At night, Main Street merchants are complaining about people…
BRADENTON — Rolling the political dice against public opposition Wednesday, Bradenton City Council members voted 4-1 to assume control of the city’s three community redevelopment agencies effective Jan. 1. About a half dozen citizens once again asked councilmembers to slow the process, expressing concerns the city is moving forward without an established restructuring plan. There…
BRADENTON — A $16 million building once occupied by the Bradenton Herald is being torn down. This week, a demolition company will begin taking down the two-story building at 102 Manatee Ave. W. that was once home to the Herald’s newsroom, sales force, administration and printing plant. Under a permit issued by Bradenton, Graber Excavation…
TALLAHASSEE — State money for several projects in Central Florida, including $15 million for the University of Central Florida downtown campus, vaporized Tuesday as Gov. Rick Scott vetoed $461 million in spending before signing the budget. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer described the governor’s decision to veto UCF funding as “extremely disappointing, because [Scott’s] mantra is…
DAYTONA BEACH — An oceanfront hotel and condominium project, which could be the biggest in the beachside’s history, probably won’t be opening its doors for at least another three years. But those who’ve been watching to see when things will get moving on the $130 million venture should see some visible progress next month, when…
There could be a much different future in how Winter Park protects its past. The city’s Historic Preservation Board is pushing changes to the way Winter Park creates historic districts and designates historic homes. The board has drafted a proposed ordinance to make those changes. But the effort — and the board itself — is…
Citing concerns about operational legalities and hostility from a board member, Gail Alsobrook resigned last week as executive director of the Port St. Joe Redevelopment Board. Her resignation was accepted on a 3-2 vote (Commissioner Rex Buzzett and former Mayor Mel Magidson dissenting) during the PSJRA’s monthly board meeting. Alsobrook has served two separate terms…
