It’s pay day for a half dozen business owners in South St. Petersburg.
- Businesses owners to get grant funding
- South St. Pete labeled as a ‘Community Redevelopment Area’
Friday, city officials delivered on a plan to generate tax dollars that could be turned around and given to small business owners to improve their businesses.
Earlier this year, the city council declared parts of South St. Petersburg as ‘Community Redevelopment Areas,’ a designation previously used for downtown.
The label allows the city to turn tax dollars into grants for business owners.
“We had people that were applying for things like, needing fire sprinkler systems or new windows or play grounds if they were a daycare center,” says Mayor Rick Kriseman. “So a lot of different little needs that they had that would really help them take that next step with their business.”
Elihu Brayboy and his wife own Chief’s Creole Café on the corner of 9th Avenue South and 22nd Street South. He’ll get more than $100,000 for his investment in renovating the Merriweather Building just doors away from his restaurant.
City officials expect the CRA to generate more than a million dollars next year for other business owners in the area to take advantage of.