MIKE MCMAHON
    CRA DIRECTOR
    mmcmahon@mywinterhaven.com
    451 3RD STREET
    WINTER HAVEN, FL 33881
    (863)291-5600
 

 
The Winter Haven Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was established by the Winter Haven City Commission on March 13, 2000.  The purpose of the CRA is to foster and promote community redevelopment activities in designated areas throughout the City. The CRA is a “special district,” under Florida Statute, and contains two redevelopment areas or districts: Downtown and Florence Villa.

The activities of the CRA are detailed in Redevelopment Plans customized for each districts.  Those activities include: 

            - Infrastructure Improvements

            - Streetscaping or Beautification

            - Affordable Housing

            - Recreation and Park Facility Improvements

            - Economic Development

            - Transportation

            - Neighborhood Enhancement

The CRA is operated by a Board of Directors consisting of the five current City Commissioners and two City residents.  The CRA Board receives input from two advisory committees, one for each district.  The advisory committees are specifically charged with obtaining public input, promoting communication between the CRA and the public, studying and researching various issues and making recommendations to the CRA Board.

To fund the various redevelopment activities, the CRA utilizes “tax increment financing.”  Tax increment financing is a process of capturing a percentage of property tax revenues that would normally go to Polk County and the City.  These funds are deposited into a separate Redevelopment Trust Fund and can then be spent out-right or used to leverage additional financing for larger projects.

Fiscal Year 2002 is the first full year of operation for the CRA.  Both advisory committees began by prioritizing projects for the CRA to undertake in each district.  The Downtown Advisory Committee ranked the Central Avenue and Central Park Improvement Project as its number one priority project.  It includes beatification and infrastructure improvements to Central Avenue from First Street to Sixth Street and all three downtown parks.

The Florence Villa Advisory Committee ranked the Avenue T Improvement Project as its number one priority project.  It includes infrastructure and beautification improvements to Avenue T from U.S. Highway 17 to 11^th Street, N.E.  It also includes improvements to First Street from Avenue T to N. Lake Silver Drive.