Schedule: Thursday, October 26, 2023

Registration Desk Open
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Masters Registration Desk

Exhibit Hall Open
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Champions ABCDE

Light Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Champions ABCDE

From Brownfields to New Housing
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Masters ABC

The Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency, as part of an innovative Public Private Partnership with Biotech Remediation performs a new type of remediation on an 8-acre fertilizer plant. The program was placed into the Florida Brownfields program and is set for multifamily housing development. This session includes a detailed cost/benefit analysis. 

Speaker: Jeff Burton, PhD., FRA-RA, Executive Director, City of Bradenton, CRA

Three P’s: Teamwork Makes Dream Work
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Masters D

In this session, we discuss the benefits and challenges of a successful public-private partnership. We describe a brief history of land acquisition and the various funding layers between the private developer, the State, the County, the City and the BBCRA, which all made this project possible. As the first major redevelopment project on the E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, we share how the joint effort and commitment helped spread the risk (and benefits) of the project.

Moderator: Alisa Burleson, FRA-RA, FCP-CPTED, CRA Administrator, City of Fort Walton Beach 

Speakers: Lisa Mifflin, Community Affairs Officer, OCC; Monclaude Nestor, Vice President, Relationship Manager, PNC; Rich Rollason, Development Officer, Florida Community Loan Fund Community; Thuy Shutt, Executive Director, Boynton Beach CRA;  Daryl Starling, CRA Coordinator, City of Lake Wales

Bringing Historic Buildings Back to Life in Downtown Jacksonville
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Masters E

Historic buildings connect us to the past and reveal the perseverance and resolve of the community where they are located. Recognizing the importance and unique value associated with these properties, Jacksonville’s Downtown Investment Authority created the Downtown Preservation and Revitalization Program (DPRP) to provide a funding source that inspires the restoration of qualified historic buildings for return to productive use. 

Join Steve Kelley of the DIA and Jake von Trapp, co-founder and partner of Atlanta-based Columbia Ventures, for information on the DPRP and its importance in the rehabilitation of the historic Union Terminal Warehouse. Transformation of the 300,000-square-foot building into a magnificent mixed-use property is underway and will provide maker space, jobs and housing opportunities in an economically distressed neighborhood.

Moderator: Brenna Durden, Shareholder, Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A.

Speakers: Steve Kelley, Director, Downtown Real Estate and Development, Downtown Investment Authority; Jake von Trapp, co-founder and partner of Atlanta-based Columbia Ventures

Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Champions ABCDE

Extending and Expanding Your CRA
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Masters ABC

Florida’s Charter counties have special authority over the operations of CRAs in Florida. The session will highlight the perspectives and paths taken by one central Florida municipality’s CRA and the coordination, reporting and demonstration of performance and accomplishments requested by the charter County government within which the municipality is located.

Moderator: Ken Thomas, FRA-RA, President,  Florida Redevelopment Association, Director of Redevelopment, Daytona Beach CRA

Speakers: John Jones, Senior Project Planner, GAI Community Solutions Group; Tom Kohler, Senior Director, GAI Community Solutions Group; Kyle Dudgeon, Assistant Division Director, City of Winter Park; Jason Reynolds, Manager, Orange County

Once Upon a Place: Integrating Historic and Cultural Preservation into a Broader Framework
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Masters D

As CRA’s continue to redevelop and modify communities, it is important to evaluate how those changes can alter the history, heritage, and culture of those places. This session will explore how to navigate challenges and opportunities related to historic and cultural preservation and how integrating historic preservation policies, programs,  and activities into CRA Findings of Necessity and the Community Redevelopment Plan can foster a more effective management of historic resources as it relates to connecting value of place and cultural preservation. The panel will discuss the financial benefits of historic preservation and how being intentional with the implementation of projects and programs can effectively address the need to preserve historic structures as well as addressing the preservation of the community’s heritage and culture.

Moderator: Jaime D. Perkins, MPA, PMP, Neighborhood Services & CRA Manager, City of St. Augustine

Speakers: Jaime D. Perkins, MPA, PMP, Neighborhood Services & CRA Manager, City of St. Augustine, Caleena Shirley, Urban Planner, Catalyst Planning & Development, LLC, and Jenny Wolfe, AICP, Preservation Planning Specialist, Preservation Design Partnership, LLC

Creatively Telling your Story
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Masters E

This panel will highlight the perspectives of varied-sized communities and why creatively telling your demographic, market characteristics, planning, and redevelopment stories has proven more compelling using interactive platforms, informative graphics, and cohesive data visualization. The key takeaways will be why packaging and presenting information in an attractive, cohesive and compelling manner is a highly effective strategy for getting your story in front of motivated investors and developers just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Moderator:  Deena Drumgo, Assistant City Manager, City of Lake Wales

Speakers: Laura Smith, Urban Analytics Manager, GAI Community Solutions Group; Natalie Frazier, Senior Analyst, GAI Community Solutions Group; Vanessa Pinkney, Executive Director, OBT Development Board; Nicole Travis, Administrator for Development and Economic Opportunity, City of Tampa; Christina Morris, Economic Development Director, Osceola County

Networking Luncheon in the Exhibit Hall
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Champions ABCDE

Keynote Address: Choosing Your Future: Community Placemaking Strategies
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Masters E

Address of Welcome: Ron Salem, City Council President, City of Jacksonville; Ken Thomas, FRA-RA, President,  Florida Redevelopment Association, Director of Redevelopment, Daytona Beach CRA

Keynote Speaker: Mark Falzone, President, Scenic America

Mark Falzone was selected President of Scenic America in April 2017. Since his arrival, Scenic America has increased its investment in lobbying, research, communications, and additional tools to further its mission. The organization has also received several awards under Falzone’s leadership. Before he arrived at Scenic America, Mark served as Deputy Director of the National Immigration Forum and was a five-term elected member of the House of Representatives in Massachusetts. He was appointed to the Route 66 Centennial Commission by President Joe Biden in 2022. Falzone holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Annual Membership Meeting
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Masters E

Speaking Truth to Power: Communicating with your Elected Officials
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Masters ABC

Have your local elected officials ever made a decision that you did not understand? Have you ever been afraid to communicate a fact to your board that you know they will not like? After explaining the details of a discussion, have you ever been frustrated by your board’s lack of understanding? If you answered “yes” to anyone those questions, this is your session!

Speaker: Jeff Burton, PhD., FRA-RA, Executive Director, City of Bradenton, CRA

Beyond the CRA…Finding Alternative Sources of Money!
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Masters D

As CRAs continue to analyze expenditures and make the necessary shifts to ensure compliance with the 2019 statutory update, it will become increasingly important that funding sources and partnerships to maintain and continue growth are identified. This session will outline creative strategies you can explore to shift expenditures from the CRA to a variety of other revenue sources for necessary, ongoing placemaking strategies such as public art, street maintenance or clean team services, ongoing special events and other marketing and cross-promotional strategies that keep a thriving district top-of-mind and a desirable destination.       

Moderator: Claudia McKenna, CRA Attorney, Pompano Beach CRA

Speakers: Sharon McCormick, Business Attraction & Marketing Director, Redevelopment Management Associates (RMA); Jessica Newman, Wauchula Community Redevelopment Agency Director, City of Wauchula;  Brenda Thrower, Ybor City CRA, Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency, City of Tampa

Designing for Community Policing
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Masters E

This session will discuss preventing crime through urban and architectural design in partnership with a community police team as well as address the implementation of CPTED Ordinances.

Moderator: Ken Thomas, FRA-RA, President,  Florida Redevelopment Association, Director of Redevelopment, Daytona Beach CRA

Speakers: Taylor Mobbs, CRA Coordinator, City of  Jacksonville Beach;  Alisa Burleson, CRA Administrator, City of Fort Walton Beach; Tim Gibson, Planning Supervisor, City of Fort Walton Beach

Academy Graduation and Awards Dinner
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Champions ABCDE
Sponsored by Burkhardt Construction, Inc., Platinum Sponsor

Address of Welcome: Christine Hoffman, Mayor, City of Jacksonville Beach; Ken Thomas, FRA-RA, President,  Florida Redevelopment Association, Director of Redevelopment, Daytona Beach CRA

Help us congratulate our Academy Graduates, Award Winners, and the 2023-2024 Board of Directors.  We will also celebrate the recipient of the FRA Lifetime Achievement Award, Ronnie Wood, Manager, Florida Main Street.