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February 22, 2024

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FRA Member News

NEW! Pickleball Courts Possibly Coming to Donaldson Park

Local businessman Bill Jarrett, along with the rest of the Avon Park Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Agency Advisory Board, have discussed converting the two dormant tennis courts in Donaldson Park into pickleball courts.

Jarrett, who is a member of the CRA, believes this could attract more visitors to Avon Park and promote activity in Donaldson Park due to the growing popularity of pickleball in the United States. Being the president at Bill Jarrett Ford Dealership, Jarrett travels around the country for different conferences and other business developments. He has seen firsthand how pickleball is becoming increasingly popular as an active recreation.

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NEW! Tampa Working to Honor Cemetery for Black WWI Soldiers

Memorial Park Cemetery means the world to Noreen Copeland-Miller.

“Our black soldiers could not be buried anywhere else where there’s white soldiers. So that’s why it’s over 900 soldiers in that cemetery,” she said. “I am so excited and happy that the city is going to honor them, and respect them and do what’s right. And just, it’s exciting. I know my grandfather’s smiling from heaven.”

Her excitement comes from plans to restore the existing historic marker.

During Thursday’s City of Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency meeting, Councilman Luis Viera explained how the idea came about.

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NEW! Pompano Beach Group Turns Vacant Lots Into Community Garden

A South Florida group, with the support of the Pompano Beach CRA, is on a mission to provide healthy food by creating a garden of possibilities for its neighbors.

It takes a lot of work to keep a garden growing in South Florida.

Lisa Torres, a volunteer, said “Today was mostly weeding and getting a great bountiful harvest of arugula, of mixed greens, and some rosemary and parsley.”

Most mornings, you can spot a group at work watering, pulling weeds, and tending to hundreds of plants. And it’s all for a good cause.

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NEW! St. Cloud Council Considers Downtown Parking Garage to Support Continued Urban Growth

In a proactive move to mitigate downtown parking challenges, the St. Cloud City Council initiated exploratory steps during its Thursday evening meeting for the construction of a new parking garage.

Council approved on first reading a pair of ordinances assigning a future land use of Commercial and zoning of Central Business District to several city-owned tracts of land surrounding City Hall.

The construction of a downtown parking garage in St. Cloud is part of the Community Redevelopment Agency Master Plan and the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

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‘Protect West Tampa’: The Spirit of a Quintessential Tampa Neighborhood is on the Line

New and slick and shiny objects are attractive in their gloss, but need time to develop depth and spirit. This is true for places as well as people. Much of Florida is too newly minted to have this patina, so if we value character, we need to stop demolishing and paving over our older neighborhoods.

West Tampa is one such neighborhood, rich in texture and history. Hamilton Jones has been a preservation hero for his careful restoration of the Palace of Florence on Davis Islands as well as buildings throughout south Tampa. Fortunately, he has taken up the challenge of restoring MacFarlane’s original law office building on Howard Avenue.

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Pompano Beach CRA: Community Input Sought for Downtown Vision

RocaPoint Partners, the firm tasked with developing a new downtown, got input from members of the community.

The vision for the new downtown, which includes canals, mixed-income residential development, and 800,000 square feet of office space, will be located at Atlantic Boulevard and Dixie Highway. RocaPoint is still in the preliminary design phase and has yet to enter into a final agreement with the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the city.

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There’s a Buzz about Lealman’s Honey & Arts Festival ’24

Lealman’s inaugural Honey & Arts Festival was a resounding success in 2023, bringing more than 3,000 visitors to the leafy and vibrant unincorporated area of northwest St. Petersburg.

The second annual festival took place on Saturday (Feb. 10), and for co-producer Zelda O’Connell, the fact that several organizations came together, pooled their talents and resources and created the event, was itself an accomplishment to celebrate.

The “Lealman Engagement Committee” was formed in 2022 by the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners as part of its Community Redevelopment Area Plan (CRA) for Lealman.

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SOBEWFF’s Hallandale Beach Food & Groove

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) is one of the most anticipated events of the year and the City of Hallandale Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency (HBCRA) has once again partnered with SOBEWFF to host its annual Hallandale Beach Event Series.

This year’s enchanting Food & Groove “Festival of Lights” themed evening will feature art, music, interactive entertainment, and local restaurants with celebrated chefs showcasing creative international cuisines inspired by Turkey, Spain, Italy, and many more. Kosher and vegan options will be available, too, so all foodies can enjoy.

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The Arsht Center Celebrates Black Excellence with the Fifth Annual Heritage Fest and An Evening with Talib Kweli

The fifth annual community event celebrates the impact of Black Americans on arts and culture by amplifying South Florida’s brightest artists and performers.

Focused on celebrating African-Americans and the arts, the fifth annual HERITAGE FEST features hip-hop, musical theater, dance and yoga workshops for all ages; a live mural on the plaza with Picardo Colours; a reading nook with Books & Books; community vendors; and performances by Miami Carol City Middle & Senior High School Marching Band, Live in Color and The W’s feat. Johnny James a.k.a Dr. J. DJ Cardi will be this year’s resident DJ for the day.

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New Electric Shuttles Approved for Downtown Lake Worth Beach

Visitors and residents in Lake Worth Beach will soon have a new way to get around town in an environmentally friendly way.

The Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on Jan. 30 unanimously approved a one-year contract to fund new electric shuttles in the downtown historic district.

The CRA said the service is being paid for with both CRA and city funds.

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Jobs

Economic Development Specialist – City of Dunedin

Status: Regular Full-Time Exempt

Number of Hours: 40 hours per week

Salary Range: $1,944.80 – $2,722.40 bi-weekly / $50,564.80 – $70,782.40 annually – GR54

Summary:

Under general supervision, uses judgment to facilitate economic development and redevelopment initiatives in the City of Dunedin. The focus of this position is to assist with implementing the goals and objectives of the Economic and Housing Development Department as detailed in the City’s Economic

Development Master Plan and 2033 CRA Downtown Master Plan. The position also assists with coordinating CRA programs and project initiatives. This position reports to the Director of Economic and Housing Development.

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Redevelopment Project Coordinator – City of Pompano Beach

Salary Range: $64,952 – $100,533

Work Days/Hours: Monday – Thursday, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Responsible for providing administrative and project coordination services for the Community Redevelopment Agency management, downtown redevelopment management, redevelopment incentives, neighborhood redevelopment, housing projects, and horizontal and vertical construction projects. The coordinator reports directly to the CRA Director and Project Managers.

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Economic Development Downtown Manager – City of Winter Garden

Exempt, Full-Time

Salary: Qualification Based

Responsible for assisting the Economic Development Department in the management, outreach, promotion and implementation of economic development, redevelopment, revitalization, business and downtown programs. Work is performed with a high level of initiative and independence in undertaking and completing economic development and community outreach assignments as directed by the Economic Development Director. This is a professional, technical and experienced level position that requires considerable independent judgment in making decisions and carrying out assignments that have significant impact on the City and the community. This position also engages cross-functionally with other departments in shared work responsibilities and requires a savvy ability to collaborate while building effective and trusting relationships.

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Economic Development Specialist – City of St Cloud

Salary: $26.26 – $37.28 Hourly

Full-time

This is a beginning-level professional work in economic research and project development.

Work involves the performance of moderately difficult professional and technical work in the area of economic research and development. Work is intellectual and varied in nature as opposed to routine mental or physical work and requires the consistent use of judgement and discretion in its performance. The employee works under general supervision depending upon the nature of the task. Independent judgement is exercised in the application of professional principles and research techniques toward economic development problem-solving, within established standards, rules and policies.

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Planning Manager City of Lake Wales

$51,505.79 – $81,120.00 Salary/year

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Reviews applications for proposed developments, comprehensive plan amendments, and map amendments. Documents review process and records procedural compliance. Drafts amendments to Land Development Regulations and Comprehensive Plan text amendments.

Prepares ordinances, staff reports, and meeting agendas. May require knowledge of GIS functions in variety of venues, which may include exporting GIS data and producing a variety of maps.

Attends public meetings, presents in front of Boards as directed. Provides expert advice to Boards regarding planning issues. Oversees coordination of the permitting process to include site development with building official, inspectors, planners, engineers, fire inspectors and other agency staff. Coordinates activities of other planning employees as directed by the Growth Management Director. Other duties as assigned.

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Director of Development Services – City of Cape Coral

The City of Cape Coral, Florida (est. pop. 213,000), is seeking a Director of Development Services. This position requires a bachelor’s degree and ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in fields commonly/routinely involved in the functions of a community development department including but not limited to: building, planning, code enforcement, plans review, construction, zoning, development of neighborhood services, redevelopment, and environmental planning; including five (5) years in a supervisory role.

The base salary will be up to $150,000.

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Community Redevelopment Administrator – Town of Lake Park CRA

Under the direction of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Executive Director, this position is responsible for the implementation of the adopted Lake Park Community Redevelopment Master Plan and for providing responsible managerial, professional, and supervisory functions in coordinating the Town of Lake Park CRA Master Plan, its programs and activities. This position is a highly professional and administrative position that participates in executive level discussions and decision-making in a variety of areas, most particularly, but not limited to, redevelopment, community planning and economic development.

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business administration, public administration, finance, planning or closely related field is required supplemented by five (5) years of progressively responsible management experience in economic development, redevelopment, planning, architecture, and community development related services in a municipal or county setting. Certification as a Redevelopment Administrator or Redevelopment Professional through the Florida Redevelopment Association is also required. Must also have a valid Florida driver’s license. Salary $90,000.00 per year. Excellent Benefits.

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Public Works Director – Town of Lake Park CRA

A diverse, artistic, waterfront community with a population of 8,971 located in sunny Palm Beach County on the east coast of Florida is seeking a qualified individual to fill the position of Public Works Director. The Town of Lake Park has a Commission/Manager form of government where the Town Manager works under the legislative direction of the Town Commission. The Public Works Director reports directly to the Town Manager, and is responsible for the planning, directing, and supervising all Public Works operations, activities, and employees.

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, or related field supplemented by a minimum of five (5) years of related experience as a supervisor, manger, or director of a public works department. Salary $115,002.64 to $184,004.23. Starting salary dependent upon qualifications. Excellent Benefits.

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