Bring your lawn chairs down on Friday, July 18th to St. Benedict the Moor, 86 MLKing Ave. The entire St. Augustine community is invited to join the festivities and visit the CRA tent to dance to Square One DJ starting at 5:00pm and live music with members of Katz Downstairz, beginning at 6:00pm. Free activities include music, door prizes, a 360-degree photo booth, refreshments, and lots of FUN! Bike transportation is encouraged!
Save the dates for the final Redevelopment 25! celebration in the Historic Area Community Redevelopment Area (HACRA) on Thursday, October 9, 2025. Details will be announced closer to the date.
The HACRA was the first Community Redevelopment Area established in 2000 with a coverage area of 218.8 acres. The HACRA Plan prioritizes initiatives that focus on the construction of the municipal parking garage, encouraging bicycle usage, enhancing pedestrian areas and streetscapes, implementing a heritage tourism signage wayfinding system, and improving traffic patterns.
The LCRA was established in 2013 and includes 541.4 acres. The LCRA Plan prioritizes the preservation of African American Heritage, the retention of long-term residents, preservation of Lincolnville’s historic character, and conducting neighborhood improvements.
The newest and largest area, the WCCRA, covers 600 acres, and was established in 2024. The WCCRA Plan prioritizes a six-point action plan for community stabilization through housing policy and other stabilization efforts, public space enhancement/beautification, locally oriented business development and new business programming, mobility/connectivity and infrastructure improvements, branding/signage, and continuation and enhancement efforts regarding historic preservation.
Under Florida Statute (Chapter 163, Part III), local governments can designate targeted areas as Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs) to address conditions of “slum” and “blight” within that area. To establish a CRA, a formal study, called a "Finding of Necessity" (FON), must be conducted to assess conditions of blight in a proposed area. A technical term defined in the Florida Statutes, blight means an area exhibits signs of physical and economic distress. CRAs are dependent special districts that utilize Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to fund projects undertaken within the district. TIF revenue is generated by the increase of property values within the designated CRA. The St. Augustine CRA is a public agency overseen by a CRA Board consisting of the members of the City Commission, who are enabled by the Community Redevelopment Act (1969) to implement redevelopment activities at the local level.
In compliance with Florida State Statute CH 163 Part III, the public can access the latest CRA Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report flipbook or visit the CRA website to download 2024 Annual Report here.
For inquiries regarding this project or other CRA matters, contact Jaime D. Perkins, Neighborhood Services and CRA Manager, at 904.209.4254 or via email at jperkins@citystaug.com.
For media inquiries, contact Melissa Wissel, Communications Director, at 904.293.3307 or via email at mwissel@citystaug.com.