The Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency advisory board voted to recommend targeted incentive funding of $225,000 under the Property Business Improvement Program (PBIP) and $125,000 for a commercial façade improvement — a total of $350,000 — to support renovations at 900 Northeast 13th Street for Art of Tea.

The recommendation came after a presentation by Steve Schwartz, who said the company plans to convert a vacant warehouse into production space with a tasting bar and limited retail pickup. "What we're asking for is $550,000," Schwartz told the board, describing interior and exterior renovations, design and permit costs and a hopeful operational target of early 2026. He said the expansion would create "a minimum of 7" new permanent jobs.

Board members and neighbors pressed Schwartz on how much of the space would be open to walk-in retail versus production and on delivery traffic. Troy Leggett, president of the Mill River Terrace Neighborhood Association, said he was "really disappointed that this doesn't have retail" in its initial presentation and asked for a stronger, written retail commitment and assurances about truck egress so neighborhood streets are not clogged with deliveries.

City staff explained the CRA incentive programs: the PBIP maximum cited in the packet is $225,000 and the commercial façade/street-scape incentive is $125,000, and the incentives typically cover a share — not the majority — of a project's construction budget. Staff said the applicant's requested $550,000 represented about 28% of the estimated $1.9 million project cost.

A motion to recommend the full $550,000 was made and seconded but failed on a 4-4 tie. Board members then discussed lower funding options and ultimately approved the motion to recommend funding limited to the PBIP cap ($225,000) plus the façade allocation ($125,000) for a $350,000 total. According to the CRA packet and the board exchange, the incentives will be disbursed only after the applicant completes the work and submits invoices subject to inspection and reimbursement rules.

Supporters in the public comment period described the project as a long-awaited improvement to a blighted property and said it could help spur foot traffic on Northeast 13th Street. Mel Vanette, a neighborhood business representative, said the project "is such a great, great enhancement" to the corridor.

The advisory board’s recommendation will move to the city for final approval and to the program administrators for contract and inspection steps. City staff told the board there are checks on uses of funds: invoices must match approved scope and a project manager will verify completed work before reimbursements are released.

The board also asked the applicant to provide more written detail on retail hours and delivery routing and emphasized a preference for local hiring. The applicant said he plans to prioritize hiring local staff and will use some short-term support from the Los Angeles team for training.

Action: The advisory board recommended $225,000 (PBIP) + $125,000 (commercial façade) = $350,000 for the Art of Tea project at 900 NE 13th Street; a prior motion seeking the full $550,000 request failed on a 4-4 vote.

Next steps: The recommendation will go to city staff for processing; funds will be released only after permits, qualified contractor invoices and staff inspection.