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 together a Community Redevelopment Plan to address the obvious blight within a large portion of the City—roughly from Alexander Street to Park Road and from the library to the bottom of Midtown.
Funding comes primarily from increases in property tax revenue above what was assessed when Plant City established the Community Redevelopment Plan. The money is set aside in the Community Redevelopment Trust Fund to be used only for projects detailed in the Community Redevelopment Plan.
The CRA is an entity that is separate from the City of Plant City government. However, the City Commission of the City of Plant City serves as the CRA Board and handles governing it. “It’s a statutory mechanism to generate additional funding within those identified areas,” said Bill McDaniel, City Manager. “It works off the ad valorem. If you look at our budget, you see we get money back from the Port Authority, from Hillsborough County, and from the millage rate we have. It is a way to identify funding that can be spent specifically within the CRA.”
Since 1991, the City has completed much infrastructure work in the CRA. The land acquired by the city in Midtown was a CRA project. The CRA funded road work, sewer and water infrastructure, and other projects.
Improvements in Midtown are the major current projects. Several Plant Citians have asked when something will be built. “We all want to see that happen, said McDaniel. “But you have to think about how long it took to clear that area. All of those lots had buildings in them that had to be demolished, and environmental work that had to be done. Some of that property dates back to the early 1900s—it was industrial. So, it brought with it certain environmental issues that had to be addressed. Those are multi-year, if not sometimes multi-decade projects. The City has been working on those for 30 years.”
Some of the projects were underground to build infrastructure, so a significant part of the improvements are not visible. In terms of larger visible projects, McCall Park and Brewer Park are among the major successes of CRA improvements.
CRA funds can also be applied to things other than construction. “I think the exciting part, if you will, are the things that you see get built, or the projects that go on above ground,” commented McDaniel. “What some people don’t realize is all the behind the scenes—things like the CRA is paying for police officers to help make that area safer. It is paying for a code enforcement officer to clean up.” The Code Enforcement Department identifies and addresses situations like illegal dumping or derelict housing.
The City offers an incentive grant program for the downtown core, and for some residential properties within the CRA. These grants from the CRA provide financial assistance so businesses can add exterior upgrades, interior build-outs, and other improvements. Also available are residential incentives for things like painting and repairs to help the look and feel of the neighborhood. But wait, there’s more—through an income-based program, qualifying homeowners and prospective homeowners can get payment assistance through CRA grants. The Community Services Department manages the grant process.
“There is something going on all the time with the CRA,” said McDaniel. “The CRA is a very useful tool to make a difference within the defined area of our city. We are working on a way-finding signage project for downtown. Also, we’ve got several other projects in the pipeline for downtown that are coming to fruition that will be CRA funded.”