Delray Beach looks to drive out blight

Delray Beach wants to stomp out blight. But it needs help. The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, the organization in charge of eliminating slum and blight in the city, is conducting a series of meetings to capture the community’s vision for the future. The agency is gearing up to amend its redevelopment plan — the blueprint document that…

MainStreet DeLand celebrates 28th anniversary

DeLand Mayor Bob Apgar, second from left, cuts the cake with the assistance of his grandson, 6-year-old Mark Munden, while MainStreet DeLand members Janet Dixon, left, President Savannah-Jane Griffin, and members Steve Burley and Susie Macon assist. In the rear, MainStreet member Arnette Sherman, Beacon staff member Pat Andrews and Beacon columnist Tanner Andrews watch.…

Fall sculpture walk planned for downtown Brooksville

BROOKSVILLE — Brooksville’s staid, conservative image is about to get an artsy boost. Come October, downtown will be transformed into outdoor art gallery, with an array of sculptures. The proposal that will create the city’s first-ever sculpture walk was unveiled Thursday at the Brooksville Vision Foundation’s monthly stakeholders meeting. The venture, which will showcase 10…

Ambitious Sarasota condo tower plan is resurrected

SARASOTA – One of the most ambitious real estate developments planned for Southwest Florida during the mid-2000s housing boom is moving forward again, the most telltale sign of recovery since the local economy slumped seven years ago. Kolter Group LLC’s plan to resurrect its 18-story Grand Sarasotan luxury condominium project — albeit with a new name…

CRA Advisory Board meets for “debriefing”

On June 17, the Fernandina Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board (CRAAB) met for a “debriefing” after a work session with the City Commission and Carol Westmoreland, executive director of the Florida Redevelopment Association. Individuals attending the Monday afternoon meeting were board members Mike Zaffaroni (chair), Andrew Curtin, Lou Goldman, Debra Stephenson, Marla McDaniel, and representatives from…

City, developer mum after meeting about Temple Terrace downtown redevelopment

TEMPLE TERRACE – Two weeks after a meeting to discuss the future of the Temple Terrace Downtown Redevelopment District project, neither side will talk about what was accomplished. Officials from the city’s three-member committee and representatives of the developer, Vlass Temple Terrace, signed a confidentiality agreement, banning them from speaking publicly about the details of…