As Haines City’s Hispanic population continues to grow, so does the need to educate the community on government resources. It’s why the Community Redevelopment Agency opened a first-of-its-kind office in an elementary school. Seventy percent of students at Eastside Elementary School are Hispanic, according to school leaders. They say those families and students are unaware…
Downtown has a few main ways it sees targeted improvements: the Community Redevelopment Agency and the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority. The CRA recently approved $134,000 to go toward Hayward House for improvements. “I think that it’s a great use of CRA funds, you know,” Chaney said. “Like we are first-floor retail, and we’re really glad…
Lakeland’s city commissioners did something unusual last week — they talked with each other. Florida’s Sunshine Law bars commissioners from discussing city business with each other outside of public meetings. However, public meetings usually focus narrowly on the action items of the day, leaving little time for brainstorming or collaborating. So it was a new…
The Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust’s Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RAP) – which offers low-to-moderate income homeowners a $50,000 forgivable loan for roofing, plumbing, heating, ventilation and other structural repairs – will be bolstered by an additional $2 million in surtax dollars, according to the agency. MDEAT, at a board meeting last week, said it planned to exhaust an already allocated…
West Palm Beach is gearing up to host its 17th annual Celebrate Westgate event, a community gathering promising a day filled with fun, food, and festivities. The Westgate Park and Recreation Center, in collaboration with the Westgate Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), is setting the stage for an event that aims to knit the Westgate/Belvedere homes…
On Wednesday, the city announced a redesign of its website and the website for the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will launch on Tue., April 2. While the content on both sites will stay the same, a change in look and appearance will take place. “Changes to the color schemes, navigation menus, Home page buttons, banner…
Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency commissioners unanimously approved March 27 the findings of slum and blight analysis of 1,100 acres in the eastern part of the city and the East Fort Myers Redevelopment Area Plan. Both will be forwarded to City Council for final approval. LaRue Planning began working on reestablishing the revitalization plan for east…
Cape Coral Community Redevelopment Agency commissioners plan to emphasize parking and pedestrian connectivity in the South Cape Downtown Redevelopment Plan. The commissioners, made up of City Council members, agreed March 27 that pedestrian crossovers and parking structures should be categorized in the plan under mid- to long-term projects. Mid- to long-term projects are characterized by…
There will be a new farmers market coming to Glenwood this summer. A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was acquired to turn this dream into a reality. Farmers markets have become quite the commodity in recent years. It will be located on the corner of Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and 15th Street.…
Clearwater hosted the city’s very first art mural festival in the Gateway neighborhood near downtown in March and hopes to make it an annual event. “We really are lacking art in Clearwater,” said Amber Brice, Clearwater Arts and Cultural Affairs Manager. “The easiest way to get a bunch of art in the city at one…
A Kissimmee company is seeking economic incentives to redevelop a downtown property that formerly housed part of a Coca-Cola bottling plant into a $1.1 million, 21,300-square-foot project dubbed Violet’s Garage that will include retail, restaurant, and other uses. 100 Honeymoons LLC is requesting $90,945 from the downtown Kissimmee community redevelopment agency’s Pioneer Project Incentive Program…
The Williston Area Chamber of Commerce recently held its March Lunch & Learn on March 14. The event took place at the R. Gerald Hethcoat Community Center and was sponsored by the Williston Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). Lunch was provided by Cafe Trolley Deli & Dawgs. Laura Jones, Community Development & Grants manager for the…
