Zephyrhills’ Community Redevelopment Agency on April 28 reappointed Councilman Steven Spina as CRA president, approved a $5,000 residential ownership incentive for a buyer at Eighth Avenue and advanced several park, tree and downtown planning efforts.

The board unanimously approved the ownership incentive for purchaser Ayanna Davenport. Under the program the CRA will record a five‑year lien and release the $5,000 when staff receives the recorded warranty deed and closing statement. The CRA director said the current owner is aware that the payment will “come back to us” at closing and the buyer must live in the house for five years or repay the amount at sale.

The decision follows staff’s explanation of program mechanics and a motion approving the item passed without dissent. A separate façade grant for a different property was also approved in the same series of consent‑style votes.

Members spent a lengthier portion of the meeting on an arborist report and a CRA program to replace street and park trees lost in recent storms. The CRA director described a plan in which the arborist will locate planting spots, provide a list of acceptable species and the CRA will plant trees within the CRA neighborhood while homeowners agree to water new trees for the first year. The director said the report called out a lack of species diversity — largely oaks and pines — and argued a broader mix would reduce the risk of wholesale canopy loss if one species becomes diseased.

The board and staff said the arborist team is working with IFAS and with GAI, the consultant preparing the parks master plan, so tree selection and park layout are coordinated. The CRA will receive bi‑monthly reports from the arborist and is planning outreach materials for residents about leaving certain standing dead trunks for wildlife habitat rather than immediate removal. Council members requested the arborist provide a GIS file of tree locations and urged the CRA to convert its tree mitigation funds from banked cash into planting projects.

In other CRA business staff described downtown and cemetery projects: the CRA expects to begin work at the Oakside cemetery and coordinate with FDOT and Pasco County on right‑of‑way access for Fifth Avenue improvements; staff said it plans to have a design contract for the downtown Square under way before September, and that construction would likely require a carryover of funds to the next fiscal year.

The CRA also reviewed revisions to downtown sign standards and a small sign‑grant program aimed at encouraging unique, iconic signage for local businesses. Board members asked staff to reexamine appearance and window‑coverage rules to accommodate different building types and highway‑speed visibility.