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Council explores downtown CRA to capture tax increment for recovery, members debate geography and governance
Summary
Staff briefed the council on a draft Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) study to capture tax‑increment financing for Old San Carlos/Times Square downtown recovery; councilors praised the potential to accelerate downtown rebuild but raised concerns about district boundaries, long time horizons, governance, and whether funds would benefit south‑end needs.
Frankie Kopacek, the town’s director of community development, updated the council on April 8 on a Community Redevelopment Agency study focused on Fort Myers Beach’s downtown district (Old San Carlos, Times Square and adjacent commercial areas).
Kopacek said the CRA study—performed with AECOM under a CDBG‑R planning grant—would test a statutory ‘‘finding of necessity’’ (showing blight/damage) and, if approved by the council and Lee County Board of County Commissioners, enable a TIF (tax increment financing) trust to capture incremental property‑tax revenue inside a defined district for reinvestment in infrastructure, streetscape and business redevelopment.
"The primary goal... is to take all the…
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