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Dania Beach CRA unveils merchant newsletter, Self Care Week and inaugural Art Week
Summary
At its July 7 meeting the Dania Beach CRA introduced a monthly merchant newsletter and two promotional events—Self Care Week (Aug. 1–8) and Dania Beach Art Week (Sept. 27–Oct. 3)—aimed at boosting foot traffic and supporting downtown businesses. The board also approved lending the CRA logo to a Fort Lauderdale Fashion Week event.
The Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on July 7 rolled out a package of marketing efforts designed to boost downtown foot traffic and support local businesses.
Candido Solser Cruz, executive director of the Dania Beach CRA, and Ivanka Young Smith, the agency’s redevelopment real estate manager, presented a one-page merchant newsletter, a new Self Care Week promotion and plans for Dania Beach Art Week. The items were presented as part of the CRA’s administrative report and were listed as information items on the board’s agenda.
The newsletter, published monthly since March, is hand-delivered to more than 150 storefront businesses in the CRA’s Federal Highway district and emailed to commercial brokers and relevant city staff. "It's 1 page and very colorful, so it's quick and easy to digest," Young Smith said, describing its goals as business retention, coordinated communication and corridor branding.
Self Care Week, scheduled for Aug. 1–8, will feature participating health, beauty, fitness and therapeutic businesses offering specials and discounts. Young Smith said participating locations and QR-code links will be listed on the CRA website and on printed flyers available at City Hall.
Dania Beach Art Week is planned for Sept. 27–Oct. 3 and will include a gallery hop across nine galleries in the CRA district and events such as workshops, a sound bowl experience and a mural installation at Dania Beach Elementary. Young Smith named participating venues including Comfort for Chaos, Luxe Neon Gallery, Gaspar Arts, Mad Arts and Benton Art Gallery. "This is the 1st of what is meant to be an annual event," she said.
The CRA also discussed a partnership with Fort Lauderdale Fashion Week. Executive Director Cruz described an Aug. 1 poolside rooftop event at 101 Dania Beach (5:30 p.m.) and sought board consensus to place the CRA logo on event materials; the board gave its consent. Cruz said the agency hopes this collaboration could lead to a larger week of fashion events in Dania Beach in April 2027.
Cruz distributed copies of the regional economic-development magazine Invest Greater Fort Lauderdale that highlight the city and the CRA; he said Chair Davis participated in a recent panel featured in the publication.
All promotional listings and event details, Cruz and Young Smith said, will be published at daniabeachcra.org and on the Dania Beach Art Week Instagram account. The items were listed as information on the board’s agenda and did not require board action beyond the logo consent on the Fashion Week flyer.
