At a Sept. 2 Port Richey town hall meeting, residents and elected officials debated how the city should use about $5 million held in its Community Redevelopment Area account.

Devon Aaron, a resident who gave his address as 5414 Bay Boulevard, raised the issue early in the meeting: "we've accumulated $5,000,000 in CRA. Okay? We don't really have a solid plan where that money is supposed to really go to," and urged the city to spend money on parks and public assets rather than private development. Aaron described parks as "in shambles" and said CRA dollars are intended to "fight slum and blight and make the city a better place." He proposed spending on repairs and infrastructure that would benefit residents directly, such as renovating Nick's Park and Waterfront Park docks and installing amenities that could generate recurring revenue.

City staff described a partially programmed CRA budget. During the discussion Finance/administration staff (referred to in the meeting as Adam) showed a budget sheet indicating about $1.9 million coded for land purchase and roughly $300,000 set aside for wayfinding; other line items include park capital allocations. Adam said staff and the CRA manager have been "pushing" to use funds for projects the city has previously allocated but not executed, including a park master plan and targeted park repairs.

The town hall also addressed a developer group's waterfront proposal. According to staff remarks during the meeting, the group's initial ask included a request that the city rebate up to 75% of taxes for 15 years — an amount council members described in the meeting as "a nonstarter." Staff said the developers have presented large-scale cost estimates (one number discussed in public comments was an $80 million construction cost) and that the group reported a financing gap in the millions; staff and council said they are negotiating options but emphasized that any public incentives would be subject to council approval and alignment with the CRA plan.

Council members and staff framed the choice between two uses of CRA money as strategic: deploy the funds now to repair parks and public assets that need immediate attention, or reserve some funds to help catalyze private waterfront investment that could, if completed, produce recurring tax revenue for the city. Council members repeatedly said the CRA plan is the controlling document; changes to how CRA funds are used require planning and board action. Staff noted the CRA receives roughly a million dollars a year in new revenue, so the current balance represents funds accumulated over time.

Several speakers urged a practical middle path: proceed with park repairs and master planning now, while keeping options open to incentivize private projects that demonstrably advance the CRA plan and provide clear, auditable public benefits.

No formal council vote occurred at the town hall. Staff said options and potential incentive packages will return to council for formal consideration if the developer requests specific assistance.