Schedule: Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Registration Desk Open
7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Desk – 2nd Floor

Tour (bus): Downtown Dunedin Tour: Main Street
(additional fee of $50.00; pre-registration required)
7:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meet in the hotel lobby at 7:15 a.m. for boarding.

Come and visit Downtown Dunedin and see a major transformation of its Main Street. Over the years, using an incremental approach, this compact, highly walkable downtown has become one of the premier small redevelopment districts in the state. This tour will start with a meet and greet in Dunedin’s new City Hall. From there, a walking tour will take place where tour guides will present numerous current and future public and private initiatives such as streetscape projects, shared enhanced parking lots, park improvements, a parking garage site and adaptive reuse and creative public/private real estate deals. Along the way, participants will also see what Downtown Dunedin is known for: a quaint feel with boutique shops, an active Pinellas Trail and cafes and restaurants. Downtown Dunedin also features many forms of mobility. You will see not only cars but golf carts, bicycles, trolleys, Freebee rides, tiki rides and a ferry by the marina that brings in guests from Clearwater.

Tour (streetcar and walking): Downtown Tampa to Ybor City: Streetcar Ride and Historic District Walking Tour
(additional fee of $50.00; pre-registration required)
7:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meet in the hotel lobby at 7:15 a.m. to walk to station.

Tour participants will experience a ride on the TECO Line Streetcar System from downtown Tampa to historic Ybor City and back. The tour will highlight redevelopment activities in five of Tampa’s CRAs (Downtown, Channel District, Central Park and Ybor City 1 and 2). We will meet in the hotel lobby and take a short walk to Stop 9 to catch a reserved streetcar and meet our tour guides. From there, we will travel north through Downtown Tampa and Channel District and see the major redevelopment projects that have transformed Tampa’s downtown into a thriving neighborhood adjacent to the bustling commercial waterfront and popular visitor destinations. We will be greeted by a developer of the channel district who will share their story. As we continue north and cross Adamo Drive, you will see the new Gasworx mixed-use development project, which is under construction, and meet with a member of their development team. Once in Ybor City, we will exit the streetcar on Eighth Avenue and 13th Street to begin our historic district walking tour of Ybor City, Tampa’s National Historic Landmark District. Highlights will include Jose Marti Park, Hotel Haya, Visitor Information Center, Centro Ybor and Ybor City Museum casitas, as well as a stroll down famous Seventh Avenue, which was named one of the greatest streets in America. Several stops are planned along the way as you experience the charm and character of this beautiful historic mixed-use district. Once our walking tour concludes, we will board the reserved streetcar waiting for us at Streetcar Stop One on Eighth Avenue, just east of 19th Street, to head back to the hotel. Please wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

Tour (bus): West Tampa to East Tampa
(additional fee of $50.00; pre-registration required)
7:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m
Meet in the hotel lobby at 7:15 a.m. to walk to station.

Tour participants will experience the East Tampa and West Tampa CRAs. The tour will start in the West Tampa CRA and will highlight the West River Redevelopment, showcasing the work that has been done to revitalize the West Tampa community and provide affordable housing options to residents. The Main Street Neighborhood commercial district will be an attractive, vibrant commercial district that reflects the community’s rich history and culture. It will be safe, walkable, connected, thriving and beautiful. Main Street and Howard Avenue will be a place where residents and visitors gather to socialize and where residents can access the goods and services they want without the need to leave their neighborhood. The next stop will be the Skills Center in East Tampa. This $23 million project received a Special Projects grant to redevelop an old skating rink that had been closed for the better part of two decades while remediating the blight that previously existed. The Skills Center serves over 3,500 youth annually through youth sports and nonprofit youth development-related programming. East Tampa’s Memorial Park Cemetery is the final resting place for over 900 African American Veterans. The East Tampa CRA and City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department have partnered to enhance the existing cemetery and the overall aesthetics. The final stop on the tour is the J.C. Newman Cigar Company factory, which sits within the southwestern portion of the East Tampa CRA. Founded in 1895 by Julius Caeser Newman, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is the oldest family-owned premium cigarmaker in America. For four generations and 128 years, J.C. Newman has been handcrafting many of the world’s finest cigars. J.C. Newman is headquartered in an iconic 113-year-old cigar factory in the Ybor City National Historic Landmark District. At this factory, known as “El Reloj,” J.C. Newman rolls premium cigars by hand and hand operates antique cigar machines. 

CRA Board Training Course
(additional fee $50.00; pre-registration required)
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Presented by: Jeff Burton, Ph.D., FRA-RA, Executive Director, City of Bradenton CRA

This is a general educational session designed for CRA staff, elected and appointed officials, volunteers and advisory board members. It provides a succinct overview of what you need to know that you don’t know in the universe of CRAs. Learn some helpful, practical legal and administrative best practices for CRA policymaking success.

Exhibit Hall Open
11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Salons F-J

Welcome Luncheon in the Exhibit Hall
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Salons F-J

Welcome and Keynote Address
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Salon E

Keynote Presentation: Lessons From History

Keynote Speaker: Richard Gonzmart, Owner, Columbia Restaurant

Richard Gonzmart, fourth-generation caretaker of the 1905 Family of Restaurants, shares how each generation of his family-owned business has met challenges that threatened the survival of Florida’s oldest restaurant, the Columbia in Ybor City, and persevered to create a company with six brands and 14 locations throughout the state.

Born into the legacy of the world-renowned Columbia Restaurant, founded by his great-grandfather in 1905, Richard’s journey began at a tender age when he learned the art of identifying fresh fish from his grandfather. This early immersion laid the foundation for his lifelong dedication to storytelling through the art of food. Richard is a graduate of Tampa’s Jesuit High School and continued his education at the University of Denver School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. He later attended the Escuela de Turismo y Hosteleria in Madrid, Spain, and in 2022, he received an honorary doctorate in business administration conferred by the University of South Florida. 

Under Richard’s direction, Columbia Restaurant expanded from two locations to seven, including the flagship Columbia in Ybor City, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Celebration, the Columbia Café on the Riverwalk in Tampa and the Columbia Restaurant Café at Tampa International Airport. He also developed Cha Cha coconuts on St. Armands Circle in Sarasota in 1989. He opened Ulele in August 2014, which features indigenous items from the region’s waters and farms. It is listed as Michelin Recommended in the Florida Michelin Guide for 2022 and 2023. He then introduced Ulele’s second location at the Tampa International Airport as well as Café con Leche Ybor City in 2017. Paying homage to Sicilian immigrants in Ybor, Gonzmart opened Casa Santo Stefano in November 2020 in the former Ferlita Marconi Factory built in 1925. 

Richard is not only a distinguished restauranteur but also a compassionate philanthropist dedicated to fostering positive change. His commitment to community service is deeply ingrained in the Gonzmart family’s legacy, with a focus on education, health care and community welfare.

Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Salons F-J

Building Communities through Public Art
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Salons A-B

Explore the vital role of arts and culture in communities, and how cultural assets drive economic growth and enhance quality of life. This session aims to inspire participants to see public art as a strategic investment in redevelopment and building vibrant communities. Learn about managing temporary and permanent public art projects and related programming with real-world examples. Uncover strategies for leveraging CRA funds and securing private sector support. Discover how CRAs can partner with artists, collaborators, and stakeholders to thoughtfully implement public art projects in their own communities.

Moderator: Sherri Curtis, Community Redevelopment Coordinator, CRA, City of Tallahassee

Speakers: John Hayes, Public Art Curator, Hayes Art; Jon Ward, CRA Director, Florida City; Sherri Curtis, CRA Coordinator, City of Tallahassee; Amanda Karioth Thompson, Founder, CEO, Arts Consultant, AKT Artful

Revitalizing Horizons: Nurturing Communities through Strategic Redevelopment
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Salons C-D

Unlock the potential of urban spaces with innovative redevelopment strategies and economic development that foster sustainable community growth.

Moderator: Phebe Fuqua, Redevelopment Project Manager, City of Daytona Beach

Speakers: Phebe Fuqua, Redevelopment Project Manager, City of Daytona Beach; Deric Feacher, City Manager, City of Daytona Beach

The Little City That Could
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Salon E

This session will highlight projects and activities within the Lake Wales CRA, from creating a visioning plan for future growth to a $12 million streetscape project in the heart of downtown. Lake Wales has quickly been addressing connectivity, economic impacts and affordable housing challenges through aggressive grant writing and partnerships with consultants. 

Moderator: Mark Bennett, Senior Planner, Polk County

Speakers: Deena Drumgo, Assistant City Manager, City of Lake Wales; Rob Quam, Executive Director, Lake Wales Care Center; Skip Alford, President & CEO, Lake Wales Area Chamber & EDC; Robin Gibson, CRA Chair, Lake Wales CRA Board of Directors

Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Salons F-J

Reimagining Aging Commercial Corridors
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Salons A-B

Many CRAs in Florida were created to address aging commercial corridors. Stakeholders, including elected officials as well as government, economic development and CRA practitioners, share the monumental task of transforming auto-dominated roadways into thriving urban communities. Learn about the challenges of commercial corridor revitalization and proven strategies for successful redevelopment.

Moderator: Samia Singleton, Redevelopment Specialist, CRA, City of Kissimmee

Speakers: Samia Singleton, CRA Manager, City of Kissimmee; Larry Lallo, Executive Director, Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency; Tom Tomerlin, Director of Economic Development, City of Kissimmee

Smart Microtransit: Moving Your Community Forward
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Salons C-D

Smart microtransit helps achieve several goals of CRAs: Reduce traffic congestion and lower demand on parking, provide safe and reliable transportation for seniors and underserved communities, stimulate local economic activity and strengthen community engagement and first- and last-mile transit. Smart microtransit is customizable and helps CRAs exclusively utilize fleets of eco-friendly vehicles.

Moderator: Christine Tibbs, Assistant Director, Deray Beach CRA

Speakers: Sara Delgado, Redevelopment Specialist, Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency; Claudia Miro, Director of Business Development & Government Affairs, Freebee; John Janusz, VP of Economic Development, Freebee

Finding More Money!
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Salon E

As CRAs analyze expenditures to ensure compliance, identifying and securing alternative funding sources to maintain growth is imperative. This session will outline creative strategies to shift expenditures from the CRA to a variety of revenue sources for necessary, ongoing placemaking strategies to keep your district top of mind and in a desirable destination.

Moderator: Brenda Thrower, CRA Development Manager, Community Redevelopment, CRA City of Tampa

Speakers: Sharon McCormick, Director of Business Attraction and Marketing, Redevelopment Management Associates; Brenda Thrower, FRA President, West Tampa and Ybor City CRA Development Manager, CRA City of Tampa; Ryan Ruskay, President, RMPK Funding; Jessica Newman, Wauchula CRA and Main Street Director, City of Wauchula

Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Salons F-J

New Member Welcome (informal meet and greet)
6:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
Salons C-D