New Port Richey is updating its plan for redeveloping portions of the city, but not everything is a theoretical exercise of choosing the correct inspirational messages to bring the century-old city into an enticing, modern urban center. As City Council members parsed redevelopment themes for the community’s future late last month, they were also making…
The DeFuniak Springs Community Redevelopment Agency’s (CRA) Board met for its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 27. The CRA’s Executive Director Joshua Ervin started the meeting by announcing that after signing a new grant that morning, there has been a total of 11 grants awarded through the CRA’s Growth and Development Assistance (GDA) Program. Ervin…
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…
