Legislation that would have change and possibly even eliminated Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA) throughout the state failed to pass during this year’s legislative session, paving the way for Apopka to push forward on CRA projects.
House and Senate versions of CRA legislation different significantly, and the two chambers failed to reconcile them before the end of the session. But lawmakers may revisit the issue in the next session, according to Cliff Shepard, Apopka’s city attorney.
House Bill 991 and Senate Bill 1242 would have limited CRA powers after Oct. 1 and potentially phased out CRAs completely by 2045.
Because the bills failed, the Apopka CRA will ease the pace of projects it had prioritized with the Oct. 1 deadline in view.
“It will probably come up again next session, because the House really wanted some reforms badly,” Shepard said. “The Senate was not so quite as excited about it, and now they’ve not even passed the budget, so they have to go back into a special session on the budget, but they did not do anything new to CRA. But knowing that we are on their radar, you have to assume that they will try again.”
On April 23, the Apopka CRA Board adopted its reallocated budget of an estimated $1.9 million, prioritizing projects that must start by Oct. 1 in case the state legislation was enacted.
The April 23 meeting was organized to receive more community input on the CRA projects. Before that, the board met on April 16 and reviewed nearly a dozen projects that could potentially be impacted by the bills.
At the April 23 Apopka CRA meeting, Shepard told the CRA board that that the Senate bill was less restrictive and sought to preserve CRAs, while the House bill was “more draconian.”
Located downtown, the Apopka Community Redevelopment Area is comprised of 633 acres and has a mix of residences, businesses and historic properties. The area is bound on the south by 10th and 11th Streets, Hawthorne Avenue to the west, Oak Street to the north, and sections of multiple streets to the east, including Highland Avenue, Monroe Avenue and Alabama Avenue.
The Fifth Street Plaza, on the corner of Fifth Street and South Park Avenue, is situated within the CRA District.
The state Legislature created CRAs in 1969 to help local governments revitalize areas that become blighted. They use revenue from property tax increases to fund improvements.
Supporters of the reform bills, including sponsor Rep. Mike Giallombardo, R-Cape Coral, say local governments have abused the original purpose of CRAs.
“CRAs are initially designed to help slum and blight areas, but again, what’s happening is they’re continuously moving the charter date, or the end date, of them and just paying for a bunch of other stuff,” Giallombardo said, according to a WUFT report.
The City Council created the Apopka CRA Board to direct the agency. This board comprises Apopka City Council members, an Orange County Board of County Commissioners representative, and other individuals appointed by the local government.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
Follow The Apopka Chief on Facebook.
Follow The Apopka Chief on X.
Follow The Apopka Chief on Instagram.
