The purpose of Florida’s Community Redevelopment Act of 1969 is to remove slum and blight from municipalities. In accordance with this act, the City Commission of Plant City established a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in 1981. The 1969 act allows communities to increase property taxes to finance improvements in a specified area. Plant City put…
The Lakeland Community Redevelopment Agency is looking to purchase two homes on North Kentucky Avenue. City commissioners are expected to vote Monday on a proposed purchase agreement for the Lakeland CRA to buy 914 and 918 N. Kentucky Ave. from Gospel Inc. for a total price of $180,000. “This is purely an opportunity purchase,” said Valerie…
A Miami-based developer has formally submitted plans to the City of St. Petersburg that, if approved, would add a 49-story Waldorf Astoria-branded condominium tower to the downtown skyline. According to documents obtained by the Catalyst, the mixed-use development would soar 534 feet above 150 2nd Avenue South. That would make it the tallest building in St. Petersburg. Katie Cole,…
Construction of phase two of Tucker Ranch Park and Nature Preserve in Winter Garden will commence next month. The new 25.6-acre amenity (Tucker Ranch Holistic Health, Wellness, Teaching Farm and Family Activity Center) will be carved out of the existing 209-acre park. An onsite groundbreaking ceremony for phase two of the park will be held…
The City of Cape Coral’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is planning to purchase nearly 19 acres of land to the east of Bimini Basin in a strategic move to revitalize this part of the city. The CRA Board is set to vote on this item at a special meeting Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 4 p.m.…
Riviera Beach will hold virtual interviews Friday with five candidates who have applied to serve as executive director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The city did not reveal the candidates, but an internet search indicated the five appear to be: Nikki Austin-Shipp, founder and managing partner of the N.A.S. Advisory Group, a technologies development…
Pensacola approved a lease to build 84 affordable housing units on the old Pensacola Motor Lodge property on Monday. The deal calls for 42 units to be available to active-duty military or veterans, an additional 42 units to anyone with eligible income levels, and at least five of the units to be rented to homeless veterans. All…
Multi-million dollar investments could be coming to downtown Tallahassee. The Monroe Street enhancement project is up for consideration, and if the plan gets approved some significant changes could be coming to Monroe Street between Jefferson and Call Streets. “As we work very hard to make our downtown become an 18-hour downtown, we need to also…
Dyson’s Plaza, a long-standing commercial property located in the heart of the historic African American community of East Winter Garden, will be revitalized thanks to a grant awarded by the City of Winter Garden Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) under the direction and advisement of the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board (CRAAB), and with the…
A project to brick Ybor City’s historic 7th Avenue commenced on July 29th in an effort to help calm traffic on a road that sees a significant amount of pedestrian traffic throughout the year. The bricking, funded by the Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, will be done in phases, the first, between North 15th and…
Haines City officials recently provided students in the urban and regional planning master’s program with an invaluable opportunity for collaboration — one that will also have a lasting impact on the rapidly growing Central Florida city for years to come. With the area currently undergoing a population boom with more residential and commercial developments on…
The board of the Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency has advanced a massive, 25-story, $500 million project that would transform the city’s troubled Broadway corridor. On July 24, CRA board members unanimously accepted a staff recommendation that the Occulina project be considered for approval by the City Council. Given that the CRA board members are…
