FRA 2023 Annual Conference

The 2023 Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA) Annual Conference will be held October 25-27, 2023 at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. For conference details, go to www.redevelopment.net.
When
10/25/2023 8:00 AM - 10/27/2023 5:00 PM
Eastern Daylight Time
Where
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa 1000 TPC Boulevard Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

Program

Wednesday, 25 October 2023

Description
Tour (bus): West Tampa to East Tampa
Tour participants will experience both the East Tampa and West Tampa CRAs. The tour will start in the West Tampa CRA showcasing 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 dollar 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 3500 youth annually through various youth sports and non-profit youth development related programing. 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 has 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 cigar maker 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 in Tampa, Florida. At this factory, known as “El Reloj,” J.C. Newman rolls premium cigars both by hand and by hand-operated, antique cigar machines.  Space is limited.
Time
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
7:30 AM
Tour (bus): Ybor City Streetcar Ride and Historic District
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, 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 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 crossing 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 8th 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, Ybor City Museum casitas as well as a stroll down famous 7th 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 #1 on 8th Avenue, just east of 19th Street to head back downtown to the hotel.  Please wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Space is limited.
Time
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
7:30 AM
Tour (bus): Historic District Tour: St. Augustine and Lincol
Take the bus tour along the beautiful historic bayfront, of Downtown St. Augustine. Ride along the main corridor of the Nation’s Oldest City on San Marco Avenue, where opportunities for mobility, parking and transportation improvements will be identified. The bus will then travel to Lincolnville, a historically African American community founded in 1866 by formerly enslaved people. Here participants will have an opportunity to ride down Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., one of the only streets in the nation actually visited by its namesake. Learn about the MLK Streetscape Project, the LCRA’s Institutional Rehab projects, and enjoy an opportunity to get off the bus and explore the two largest recreational spaces in the Lincolnville Community - the 25 plus acres of both Eddie Vickers Park and Dr. Robert B. Hayling Freedom Park. As the masterplan is being developed to improve the park spaces, participant will have an opportunity to learn about the proposed elements and explore the current ones. Other focal points of the tour will include new pocket park improvements, future project sites, and historic preservation efforts related to the historically aesthetic features of Lincolnville. Space is limited.
Time
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
7:30 AM
CRA Board Training Program
This general educational session is 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 policy making success.  Space is limited.
Time
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
8:00 AM
Guest Registration Fee
When
10/25/2023 8:00 AM - 10/27/2023 12:00 PM
8:00 AM

Thursday, 26 October 2023

Description
Extra Dinner Ticket: Academy Graduation and Awards Banquet
NOTE:  A full registration includes admission to the Graduation and Awards Banquet.  Purchase this ticket ONLY if you need a ticket for a non-registered guest or if you will be attending the dinner only.
Time
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
6:00 PM

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