What a difference six years makes. During the 2011 Jacksonville elections, mayoral and City Council candidates debated whether Downtown development should be a priority. One contender was even criticized in a negative TV ad for his plans to boost economic activity in the city center. In 2017, the debate is over. This momentum is encouraging.…
IMMOKALEE, Fla. – An unlikely Southwest Florida town is hoping to become the new tourist hotspot. Immokalee is working to bring more people to the area — starting by re-doing a landmark: the pier at Lake Trafford. Ski Olesky, who runs Lake Trafford Marina, has been a staple at the lake since the 1970s. He said…
Through many different medias and along with public presentations we have shared our success story with the entire region and beyond. As they say “the proof is in the pudding”. People come! They come from many different places. They come at different times and they come for different reasons. They come to be entertained in…
Downtown Winter Haven had been aesthetically stagnant for decades when in the 1980s the railroad pulled up its tracks and offered to sell to the highest bidder. Fortunately for the town, then-Mayor Marlene Young learned of The Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit dedicated to creating and preserving public spaces, and engineered a deal…
LAKELAND — The Lakeland Housing Authority’s planned redevelopment of West Lake Apartments received a $1.2 million boost Tuesday from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. The grant is part of a larger $73.6 million funding package supporting 89 affordable housing projects in Florida and six other states. “We are very thankful for any…
ORLANDO — Many concurrently developing elements contributed to the growth of Edgewater Drive in College Park, Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart said, but the reduction of the road from four to three lanes played a role in rebuilding the district. A group of Lakeland political, governmental and real estate representatives, including City Commissioners Bill Read…
MELBOURNE — An Eau Gallie Boulevard resurfacing project designed to improve stormwater drainage and aesthetics through downtown Eau Gallie is about to kick into high gear. The $2.1 million undertaking will upgrade 1.7 miles of the bustling east-west roadway, extending from Pineapple Avenue near Squid Lips Overwater Bar & Grill past U.S. 1 to Mosswood Drive. Work started in late November. Improvements…
Paul Thorpe has received warranted credit recently for his efforts to improve downtown Sarasota. As historian Jeff LaHurd wrote in the Herald-Tribune, Thorpe long ago earned the moniker “Mr. Downtown” in recognition of his volunteer and professional work with the Downtown Association he helped create and operate — and the city has appropriately agreed to…
North Miami Beach – Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) – Are you ready to retire your septic system? A new commercial property – “Wastewater Impact and Connection Fee Assistance Program” is available, which reimburses up to 50% of the Impact Fees and Connection Fees to tie-in to a sewer system. This Program incentivizes commercial property owners…
Gainesville changes. The Thomas Center was the Thomas Hotel, named for the family who made it their home in 1910. The Sun Center was once the Gainesville Sun headquarters. The newspaper’s name remains on the building’s outside wall. Lillian’s Bar was Lillian’s Music Store, memorialized in Tom Petty lyrics. Perhaps most strikingly, Depot Park was…
TAMPA — City Hall received seven proposals in response to its invitation to put a restaurant next to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, and the company it picked — Irish pub Four Green Fields — offered the most money. “I’m happy with the selection we got at Curtis Hixon,” said Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who had indicated…
WINTER HAVEN — The city is hoping that replacing outdated zoning regulations will boost home sales and encourage development. “I think the vision is how you revitalize and how you infuse growth into these particular areas,” Assistant City Manager T. Michael Stavres said. Proposed is changing land use regulations for office professional, multi-family and single-family…
