Frequently Asked questions

WHAT IS COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT?

Florida Statutes, Chapter 163, Part ill, provides for each city and county to create a community redevelopment agency for the purpose of eliminating and preventing the development of slum and blighted areas or for the provision of affordable housing. There are nearly 100 CRA' s in the State of Florida.

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF "SLUM AND BLIGHT"?

Slum is defined by Florida Statutes as an area which there is a predominance of buildings, residential or commercial, that are either deteriorated, dilapidated or by reason of obsolescence, is a detriment to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare. Florida Statutes define blight as an area determined by the local government to have the characteristics of a slum area or one or more of the following characteristics:

1. Predominance of defective or inadequate street layout.
2. Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness.
3. Unsanitary or unsafe conditions.
4. Deterioration of site or other improvements.
5. Inadequate and outdated building density standards.
6. Tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land.
7. Inadequate transportation and parking facilities; and
8. Diversity of property ownership or defective or unusual conditions of title.

HOW IS AN AREA DESIGNATED AS A REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT?

The process for designating an area as a redevelopment district is two-fold. First, the municipality must adopt a Finding of Necessity that an area has at least one of the characteristics mentioned above for slum and blight. Next, The Community Redevelopment Agency is formed and develops a redevelopment plan for the redevelopment district. The redevelopment plan may include strategies up to a thirty-year period that the Agency intends to implement in order to accomplish redevelopment or revitalization of the redevelopment area.

WHEN DID PALM BAY DESIGNATE A REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND WHAT ARE THE BOUNDARIES?

By Resolution 95-72, adopted December 21, 1995, the Palm Bay City Council made its Finding of Necessity, thus establishing the redevelopment district known as the Bayfront Redevelopment District. The boundaries of the district are west along the city limits from the Indian River Lagoon to the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railroad; south along the FEC Railroad for approximately 2,200 feet; west along the city limits to Lipscomb; south on Lipscomb to Pacific Ave; east on Pacific to Northview St; south on Northview to Conlan Blvd; south on Conlan to Palm Bay Rd. east along the southern limit of lots fronting Palm Bay Rd. to the FEC Railroad; south along the FEC Railroad to the city limits at the Town of Malabar; east along the city limits to the Indian River Lagoon and north along the Indian River Lagoon to the city limits at the City of Melbourne. The area is further divided into five sub-character districts: the Powell Subdivision District; the Kirby Industrial District; the Riverview District which extends from the northern edge, south along the U.S. 1 corridor to Orange Blossom Trail; the Bayfront Redevelopment Village which extends from Orange Blossom Trail, south along the U.S. 1 corridor to the Turkey Creek Bridge, and the South Cove District which extends from the Turkey Creek bridge, south along the U.S. 1 corridor to the southern city limits.

WHEN DID PALM BAY CREATE ITS REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY?

The first redevelopment agency was created by Resolution 99-20, adopted June 17, 1999. This Resolution was later rescinded by Resolution 2000-28, August 17, 2000. Ordinance 2000-38, August 17, 2000, created the current Bayfront Redevelopment Agency.

HOW ARE STRATEGIES OR ACTIVITIES FINANCED?

Once the redevelopment agency and the local municipality have adopted the redevelopment plan, a redevelopment trust fund is established for the purpose of depositing tax increment financing (TIF) funds and for paying for the costs of activities and strategies. Other funds such as Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) HOME and State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) funds can also be used. TIF funds are also commonly used as a required match contribution for other grants and funding sources.

WHAT IS TAX INCREMENT FINANCING?

The concept of tax increment financing (TIF) was first introduced in 1977. It is a powerful resource tool for use by the redevelopment agency. With tax increment financing, the value of all property within the community redevelopment area is established for a base year. Thereafter, 95% of any ad valorem taxes collected which are derived from an increase in the value of property within the redevelopment area over the base year are deposited in the trust fund for the purpose of carrying out the redevelopment strategies in the redevelopment area.

HOW MUCH WILL PALM BAY RECEIVE IN TIF FUNDS?

It is only possible to project how much will be received from TIF financing. A Basis of Planning Report was prepared to help make this determination. Initial High and low growth scenarios were developed for projection purposes. Over a thirty-year period, the initial scenarios showed as little as $1,029,258 received and as much as $12,700,055 in cumulative revenues.  The 2006/2007 tax increment was $1.1 million. A more recent projection prepared by Fishkind and Associates estimates $54.25 million in cumulative revenues to the year 2024.

DOES THIS MEAN AN INCREASE IN MY PROPERTY TAXES?

Not necessarily, the amount of TIF funds is determined by the cumulative value of the property value in the redevelopment district. An increase in the value may be because of a new business locating within the district or substantial improvements made to existing buildings, thus causing a higher property value. The short answer is that if your property taxes are increased, that should be a positive indication of the rise in property values throughout the district.

WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES THAT MAY BE FUNDED THROUGH TIF FUNDS?

Basically any strategy that will address existing conditions contributed to the area being designated as a redevelopment district may be funded. Examples of some of the common types of strategies that are implemented by redevelopment agencies include economic development strategies, community or neighborhood preservation plans, public facility improvements, streetscape and facade guidelines, community policing programs, preservation of housing, development of affordable housing, transportation improvements, and marketing plans and studies.

WHAT TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS ARE PLANNED FOR THE BAYFRONT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY?

The Bayfront Redevelopment Plan identifies strategies for the benefit of the entire Bayfront Redevelopment District, as well as for the special character districts. Short-term (1-5 years) and long-term periods (6-10 years) further categorize strategies. The plan will be revisited periodically to extend the time period and to assess performance. Some of the more important strategies identified in the Plan include, business development loans, business facade improvements, community policing, streetscape and parkway improvements, economic development marketing strategies, gateway improvements, public facility improvements, public information programs, and a marina feasibility study. The Bayfront Redevelopment Agency has also developed as a primary strategy, the removal of invasive vegetation along the Indian River Lagoon shoreline and the landscaping of public rights-of-way.

WHAT IS EMINENT DOMAIN?

By definition eminent domain is the authority to acquire or take, or to authorize the taking of, private property for a public use or for a public purpose with just compensation offered for the taking. As it relates to redevelopment agencies, an agency may carry out the power of eminent domain but only through the specific approval of the municipality and then it must be done in accordance with Chapters 73 and 74, Florida Statutes. Eminent domain is used when the value of just compensation, through an appraisal process, cannot be determined. Eminent domain involves a court process that establishes the just compensation value for a piece of property along with related to court costs, expert testimony fees, legal fees and any punitive damages to the seller. This becomes a very expensive cost and usually if the owner of the property and the buyer of the property cannot settle on a fee outside of court, the property is not bought. There are no elements or strategies identified in the Bayfront Redevelopment Plan that require eminent domain.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HAVING A REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY?

The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. The advantages to having a redevelopment agency are:

1. Provides additional funds to address community needs.
2. Allows for more centralization of planning efforts.
3. Good source of match funds normally required for other grant programs.
4. Plans are derived through public participation throughout the redevelopment district.
5. "Frees-up" local revenue funds allowing them to be spent elsewhere in the city.
6. Provides a long-term outlook of what the district would like to be.

The disadvantages are:

1. Improvements take long to realize a difference in the area.
2. It can become political.
3. Often not enough money to realize all of the improvements within the district.
4. Although a CRA may be a powerful tool, the prioritization of projects may become too overwhelming.

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