On Friday, July 18, the entire St. Augustine community is invited to celebrate 25 years of the establishment of the City of St. Augustine Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) at St. Benedict the Moor outdoor sound stage, located at 86 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.  Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of music, fun, and interactive activities with CRA staff and the St. Augustine Fire and Police Departments.

Dance to the sounds of Square One DJ’s starting at 5:00pm, followed by welcome remarks at 6:00pm from Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline, kicking off the event with live music by The Katz Downstairz. Free activities include door prizes, photo booth, food, and refreshments.  Kids of all ages will enjoy seeing rescue apparatus and meeting our first responders from the St. Augustine Fire Department and the St. Augustine Police Department. 

Limited parking is accessible from MLK Ave., across from St. Paul’s AME Church – riding bikes or walking is encouraged.  Pedestrians are asked to use the Sanford Street entrance.

For those who are unable to attend this event, there will be a third and final Redevelopment 25! celebration in the Historic Area Community Redevelopment Area (HACRA) on Thursday, October 9, 2025.  Details will be announced at a later 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 Lincolnville Community Redevelopment Area (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 special district, the West City Community Redevelopment Area (WCCRA), is over 600 acres, and was established in 2024. The WCCRA Plan, formally adopted on June 23, 2025, prioritizes a six-point action plan with a focus on community stabilization through housing policy and other resident stabilization efforts, public space enhancement/beautification, locally oriented business development and new business programming, mobility/connectivity and infrastructure improvements, branding/signage, and a continuation and enhancement of 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 Redevelopment 25! or other CRA matters, contact Jaime D. Perkins, Community Services Director, 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.