And um we went into recess and we are back as the city commission.

But the next item on our agenda is for us to recess as a city commission and come back as the community redevelopment agency.

So as the community redevelopment agency, the next or the first item on our agenda is the approval of the minutes of the special Sarasota Community Redevelopment Agency meeting of April 21st, 2025.

Move approval.

Second.

Okay.

Commissioner Ulrich moved approval of the special Sarasota CRA meeting of April 21st, 2025.

Vice Mayor Trice seconded.

If you'll vote, Commissioners.

Oh, I submitted a non-subsidive change.

Sorry, I see Ms.

Greg's looking at me.

That's all right.

Is that your vote, Commissioners?

Yes.

Motion passes unanimously.

All right.

Second item as the community redevelopment agency is CRA two, which is a report regarding the Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board, and I'm going to call upon our Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency Business Relations Coordinator, Gallant, and Advisory Board Chair Chow to or Chu to make the presentation.

And I'll let her pronounce your name.

And you know, before you speak anyway, we needed uh to for the record state your name and sure.

I'm Alex Chow.

I am the current chair of the Newtown CRA Advisory Board.

And uh Good morning, Rochelle Gallant Business Relations Coordinator.

Okay.

First, I wanted to thank you, Mayor Alpert, Vice Mayor and Commissioners for your ongoing support of our board.

On behalf of the Newtown CRA Advisory Board, I want to reaffirm the mission is to foster economic development, celebrate Newtown's heritage, and improve residents' quality of life.

Today's purpose is going to be a quick update for you on the CRA's marketing and communications strategy.

A little background for you first.

On September 12th of 2024, the Newtown CRA Advisory Board approved the scope of services for a comprehensive communications plan on December 9th of the same year, following the City of Sarasota's procurement process at large was selected as the vendor.

The goal was to build a consistent brand, stronger engagement, and greater visibility for the newtown CRA.

Now I want to talk to you about our progress.

We have our branding finalized.

It is fresh, cohesive identity reflecting Newtown's Heritage and Energy.

This came after one of our most widely attended meetings, which allowed us to gather valuable input from citizens on the logo appearance as well as other aspects of the website.

The website has been launched.

It's Newtown CRA.org.

This is the first dedicated website for the CRA.

We've uh previously just been going through uh city means for advertising our different events and things.

So this is a dedicated CRA hub for updates, events, and other resources.

It makes it easy for residents to learn about our grant programs and other initiatives, which will hope hopefully increase participation.

It also features active developments such as the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition or SAC and the Marion Anderson Place Site Redevelopment to demonstrate to visitors that growth is happening here.

It also tells the stories of people in the neighborhood, which is truly the heart and soul of what makes it special.

The uh at large has developed mock-ups for social media posts, printed materials, and other communication assets.

We do have some slides that will show you uh what some of those look like, uh everything from t-shirts to swag bags, and this will really build uh community visibility as well as pride.

Uh we do have the website home page.

Oh, there you see the logo.

That's the first that's a landing page of the website.

So just a really clear logo.

We have education, heart and family, and then the amarillus just to symbol, you know, symbolize uh faith and growth and renewal and you know everything fresh about the neighborhood.

Um and those are all symbols that again we heard public feedback and were very important to the people of the community.

Uh we also have some social media mock-ups.

Um, these will showcase event promotion, progress updates, and community stories.

So our next steps, um, we're gonna begin a full rollout of the marketing and communications plan.

We will be launching monthly e-newsletters, expanding our social media presence, and using branded items at community events to encourage engagement.

Our expected impact is increased transparency and trust through consistent updates, greater community participation in Newtown CRA programs and events, and a strengthened positioning of Newtown as a place to live, work, invest, and visit.

In closing, this plan ensures Newtown's story is visible and celebrated.

Thank you again, City Commission, for your partnership, and we are excited about the positive changes ahead.

Thank you.

And also as part of the board report, um, we wanted to bring forward uh that the CRA has been receiving regular updates from the Newtown Business Council, which is a recently formed economic focused nonprofit organization that has been doing work in the Newtown community.

On May 8th at its regular meeting, the Newtown Advisory Board, um, CRA Advisory Board received a presentation from the Newtown Business Council on this on its initiative, the Newtown Thriving Community Action Plan.

After reviewing the plan, the advisory board voted to formally support it and to partner with the Newtown Business Council in presenting to today to the City Commission.

The action plan reflects community identified priorities for economic growth, infrastructure, safety, and cultural preservation.

And the CRA's participation ensures that its own redevelopment activities remain aligned with the vision and goals expressed by the community itself.

So at this time we'd like to invite Ms.

Mary Butler, chair of the Newtown Business Council, to join us and make a presentation about the Newtown Thriving Community Action Plan and the work that this organization has been doing in the community.

Good morning.

I'm Mary Butler, Chair of the Newtown Business Council.

Okay.

So we put together a presentation just to share, you know, um what we've achieved, and we've been meeting since um 2023.

Um and this is our agenda.

Okay.

And so here's a look at our um equity impact investment.

Um we started out this with what our partner um with our partner we started out, and um, these are things that we've accomplished, you know, since we started.

We started doing training, and and the training um was about the economic development organization training.

I'm a little nervous.

That one, okay.

And um, we we we we got a chance to actually um go and and visit and and do a presentation, not a presentation, but we did get a chance to do the workshop.

I'm a little nervous y'all.

You're doing great.

I try not to be, but it's a little nervous.

So this is part of the workshop that that we had did in October 2023.

And then next we did the equity impact investment.

We did the first phase, and then we were accepted into the second phase.

Um the second phase was for 12 months, and we had different sessions: a partnership session, a community check-in session, community of practical uh practice, virtual convening, and also activities for self-reflection.

And um this was pretty awesome.

Then we got a chance to um have uh uh uh workshop here in in Sarasota, and then our um team came and visited us.

One was from Miami, um, and then we had um the other two, they came, and I can't remember what city they were from, but we had two days of um community building, which was awesome by the way.

So if if I might just comment a little bit further, that this uh Newtown Thriving was birthed out of a process that we began with support through the economic development um administration, and it was a program um focused on partnerships within the community and how to strengthen partnerships for economic outcomes.

And so our office as your economic development agency or um organization worked with Newtown Business Council throughout this program.

And so um this slide shows the kickoff for that specifically.

Thank you, Rosia.

Um, and then of May, May um last year from the 15th to the 17th.

Um, we were invited to a summit in the Ning City Um Escape Summit.

It was awesome, guys.

You know, we got to spend those two days.

And we had so many different workshops to work on community engagement and economic development.

So I was very happy to be a part of this.

Yes, because the program that we we joined together and worked on worked on together was a two-year program.

And so this presentation highlights some of the work that has been done over those two years and has informed the Newtown Thriving Community Action Plan and how it came to be.

And these are just some pictures that we took while I was there.

This is the presenters, people were presenting, and we also talked about a community land trust, what I thought was pretty awesome.

Community wealth building.

So out of our project, New Town Thriving was developed, and it was developed in 2024.

After that, we started having community workshops.

And we got a chance to get the input from the community.

Exactly what do you want?

You know, how do you want it if Newtown can be the most thriving most thriving city in Florida?

What would it look like?

And this is what the workshops, this is what we got out of the workshops.

And we got some really good community leaders to come out and speak and tell us what they really thought.

And once again, we had another community workshop as well.

And once again, one of the things that came out of our workshops were priorities.

And health and wellness, arts and culture, business and finance, youth education, and mentorship, community safety and security.

And we broke out into brook breakout sessions.

And we wanted to say, hey, let's put a let's prioritize these and let's give them some names and find out what it is and how we can work towards these five priorities.

And so we had another workshop that basically we got the information that we needed from the residents as far as Newtown Thrive and what it would look like, along with community members and residents.

And here we are at our workshop.

We broke out into groups and we started to do the work.

And once again, um, what would it take to make Newtown the most thriving community in Florida?

So as Ms.

Mary mentioned, these uh were elevated by the community as priorities if the community is if we're going to be the most thriving community, and we're going to develop an action plan, it needs to be built around these pillars, these five pillars.

And as also mentioned, the community also identified strategies within each of those pillars, and then prioritize strategies within underneath those pillars, and that and these have been pulled together and fleshed out in the community action plan, which is part of your board packet.

And here we are in our breakout session.

And so, like what mom Rochelle was saying, we wanted to prioritize, you know, what what does it look like?

And these are some of the topics that basically came up when it came to arts and culture.

What was the most important thing?

And some of the things that we we we were able to get from this was like music in the park.

What do you want to see?

Hip hop, jazz, um, storytelling.

So we got a whole bunch of great information from these workshops.

And then once again, here we got youth and education.

What means the most parenting issues, gun access, social media, and other fluent um contact.

Um, how do you get the parents to admit children have issues?

I mean, these are things that are coming from the community, and it's like, okay, let's write them all down.

And then we had another um meeting, um, collaboration.

Actually, it was this year, April the 28th, 2025.

We came back together again.

Um, and we we had our consultants that came this time with us, and then they shared um the beginning of our um community action plan.

And then this is both of our consultants here.

Okay.

Um and then we got a community walk.

So we um got out in the community, um, we met with some local business owners.

We actually came down to City Hall, um, and we also met with Brother Lance, and we got a chance to to visit the park, MLK Park, and gather some really good information about Newtown community as a whole.

Fred Atkins Park.

And in conclusion, it really it just really turned out very well, and um we're we're glad to be um in partnership with the city of Sarasota um and um we're looking forward to making Newtown thrive and um something that all the community um will appreciate and work towards making Newtown the most thriving place in the in the in Florida.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much.

Umrick.

Thank you.

Well, I am so excited about what you're doing, it just gives me goosebumps uh focusing on Newtown's history and the legacy that's there while also working toward building a more vibrant community.

Um it just I wish you all the best and whatever I'm speaking for all of us now, whatever we can do to help uh please come forward.

I do have one question.

Uh who were your facilitators in the training and who were your consultants?

Our facilitators were um members of the Newtown Business Council because again, a Newtown Business Council um as a newly formed organization saw the need and started to reach out to the community.

So they facilitated the workshops and then um at the first community workshop, other members of the community became involved and continued on in the process.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Commissioner Kotch.

Thank you so much.

Um I also thank you for the work that you're doing and for the outreach.

Um I attended the one event in I think it was in July, or a couple of them anyway.

Um, and uh I was really pleased to see the amount of people that were there in attendance.

It was not a short meeting, it was long, and people stuck it out and really participated.

Um so just great job.

Um my question to you has to do with the the tagline, Newtown Thrive.

Why the word thriving?

Can you just explain the meanings behind that and what that means?

Well, let me start with how we got there first.

And so we wrote a list, I think we had about maybe 10 to 15.

We wanted we know we wanted to include Newtown, and we had a list um of what to add to it.

And um we ended up and we took a vote, we took a vote, and um everyone just seemed to like the thriving part because what it represents is that we are building, you know, we're gonna continue to build, and we're just not gonna just stop once we do this, we're gonna continue and continue to thrive.

So that's how we came up with Newtown Thrive and we always want to be thriving and look into the future.

And I and while we understand the past and we know the history of Newtown, and we accept it, and then we move on so that we can continue to thrive.

Yeah, and I think that speaks to um the uh the the continued um connections and relationships that you have to build to keep that continuum going along.

And along those lines, what has been the participation of the county in all of this?

Um, if any from the county, the Sarasota County government and you know their their uh you know activities and and promotion and support, if any.

Right.

At this point, the the neither the Newtown Business Council nor SSC staff has engaged the county.

Um the Newtown Business Council felt strongly about first bringing this to the Newtown CRA Advisory Board as a representative body of the community for the for um acceptance of the plan and for participation, and then to the city commission.

Um the next steps I as I understand, Miss Mary, is that the Newtown Business Council will begin to reach out to other partners, including the county and local organizations for support and partnership in the plan.

Yeah, I think that would be a really good idea because community is knows no uh municipal limits, and you're gonna have far more resources and partnerships if you branch out and bring the the entire community together.

Thank you.

Yeah, we're really building this bridge as we walk it and we do plan on reaching out um to others as well.

I just I also wanted to add because uh Commissioner Alric, you did ask about our consulting team, and so um again as this program as we began this process, it was through the program uh funded in part by the EDA, also with sponsorship and support from the International Economic Development Um Council, and so as part of that program we were matched with the program manager, and when that program came to an end, the work needed to continue.

And so we we um worked with the consulting team who was actually that program management m manager, so that was HBU CDAC, which was a partner organization of that overall program.

They continued on with us as consultants.

All right, Commissioner Becky.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Uh first of all, I just want to thank you all so very much, thank the CRA, um, for the work that you all are doing in the community.

Um and and uh staying intact, you know, as a board with uh uh a singular focus and uh vision for you know what's going on um and what needs to happen in the community.

And then another, you know, can't, you know, say thank you enough or you know, even if I did a thousand times it wouldn't, you know, um wouldn't be enough to to thank you uh Ms.

Mary Butler for the uh tireless you know effort, you know, that you you put in the community.

I mean you are truly like boots on the ground and whatnot.

And um, you know, this whole new town thriving, you know, you you you carry that moniker well and uh um and you you put it on your shoulders and and walk with it, you know, and uh and I've witnessed it and and experienced it, you know, um in the community and your engagement is uh is unmatched and unparalleled.

Um one of the things that uh um that I'm singularly uh proud of along with um what we're doing in the community is Scott Eller and myself, you know, talking and whatnot, you know, I said, you know, when running for the seat the first time that uh you know you have to have expectation.

Expectation gives you a vision.

Vision gives you an opportunity of a future.

And the people with no vision, as it says in the good book, shall perish.

So that's why it was imperative that Newtown be put in a historical uh district.

Not so much about the history of Newtown because that's intact and cannot be diminished, you know, or ignored or dismissed.

But uh to help scale off gentrification, you know, and that was one of the main purposes of uh putting Newtown in the in the historical district in from my perspective.

Um but as I say, you know, gentrification, you know, takes on uh a um different meaning for myself because it means um to enhance to improve, thus refine and to make better.

And what will happen is we get caught up in the enhancement and the improvement of uh brick and mortar and forget about the refinement and and um improvement of the quality of life or and or the people that that live where that brick and mortar is gonna reside or what have you.

So um the uh gentrification takes on a different meaning for myself.

The one thing that getting back to what I was talking about is partnering up with uh with the Newtown Business Council in uh um Amarillis Park, you know, what uh Mary Butler and her, you know, uh and her um team are doing along with the CRA and keeping them apprised of what it is we we got have happening.

We haven't come up with a name for what it is we we're doing yet, but uh Miss Galant, you know, who is uh um she's kind of our gatekeeper, if you will, and um shepherding this whole in this initiative and making sure that we all stay on track on track.

But Scott Eller and myself were talking one day about um the the vision of Newtown and he's asking me what my vision was for Newtown.

And again, speaking to your point, Mrs.

Butler, it thrive in into the future.

And the only way to to accomplish that is to have investment or what have you.

And you have a number of property property owners up there that uh either one the the challenges that that they face is too many people on a deed, no money to invest in it to improve it.

Clouds on the title, you know, um and just not sure what you know what what to do with it.

So to develop it.

So in talking to Scott Eller, you know, came up with this idea.

He said something about um a French quarter type facade.

So but didn't know how to go about doing it.

I said the best way that we can do it is to buy the air rights up above.

That way people can retain the ownership of their properties or what have you, put some money into their pockets or whatever, the ones displaced or or anything of that nature.

Um and to create urban mixed use along the corridor.

So we've located a number of uh parcels, um, gotten into buy in some some buy-in from some property owners up there um where we would be doing um commercial space on the bottom and uh attainable affordable housing up top and uh and you know have that you know market rate as well because you know it has to be diverse in order for it to be able to preserve itself or whatever.

So Ms.

Galant, if if you could you if you could uh expand on on that for me, and I really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Sure.

Um I so I what has been happening is based on the community's interest and with this initiative of Newtown Thriving and with your CRA advisory board, there's been a focus on on redevelopment.

How does Newtown continue to thrive?

And so the there's a focus on specifically through your Newtown CRA Advisory Board along the MLK corridor and a number of properties that can be redeveloped.

Um and so um there we're looking at how can we engage property owners to um make sure that we maintain generational wealth um and ensure future generations continue to thrive and stay within Newtown.

So I think that's a framework for what um Commissioner Batti was just discussing.

Um and there'll be more discussion around that to come and we're excited to be playing that role and helping bring this conversation and carry it forward.

Did I do that for you?

Uh yes, uh, thank you very much, Ms.

Mr.

Appleby is you know, is uh is is a part of this as well.

Um Mr.

Cobra has attended our meetings with Mr.

Mr.

Bullock.

Um we're in the in the phase now we've uh we've um partnered or or spoken with uh Hoy architects to do a 3D imaging of uh what the corridor could look like um and then you know take those steps from there.

Um, you know, we'll be getting with uh Mr.

Eller, who plays a vital role in all of this, um, that he'll be trying to accomplish this through tax credits and and and and uh and a variety of different methods that that um that we'll be doing.

But we've created a team um because I wanted to usher in new and young leadership, you know, in to the uh community of Newtown.

And that is uh Mr.

Terrell Salem and Mr.

Keith DePose, Mr.

Carlos Yancey, um Mrs.

Mary Butler, um, Ms.

Galant, um as well to uh help, you know, push this initiative, you know, down the down the field and push us across the goal goal line.

Uh, you know, it's imperative that that we as I like to say solve today's problems with today's answers and not yesterday's answers.

You know, revisionist history is not going to get get you anywhere.

Okay.

And so we we want to make sure that the the future of of Newtown is intact and whatnot.

And with uh what the the work that Amarillas Park and Mary Mary Butler is doing along with the CRA and Ms.

Galant and the team that we've assembled or what have you, um, I think we we can accomplish that just to give you all uh a heads up on in terms of what it is we're doing.

How many meetings have we had so far, Ms.

Galant?

We've been meeting for the past few months now, right?

I believe that you requested the first meeting in April.

In April.

So we've been meeting every Friday since since then or what have you.

And uh um, and I think we've gotten quite a bit done in in that in that time.

So uh right, thank you, Vice Mayor Trace.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um I have to say when I joined this commission just about three years ago, one of the first things I did was attend observe a Newtown CRA advisory board meeting, and I could sense a bit of frustration among the board members that they wanted to get something accomplished, but it wasn't happening.

And in the time since then the board has like really moved forward.

Uh I've seen what you've accomplished already, I've seen your plans for what's going to happen next.

And similarly, I've been attending the New Town Thriving, you know, Newtown Business Council meetings and seeing the in excitement among the people who are participating.

Um so I'm thrilled with the forward progress and the plans.

I am curious how are the two entities working together, collaborating, coordinating so you know, the synergy of working together can get so much more accomplished than working separately.

So how are you working together?

May I take a stab?

Uh so as the uh Newtown CRA Advisory Board and as you as the agency, we all have a redevelopment plan that we have approved that's on the record, right?

But that is a document.

So I see our role as the advisory board as making sure the work that Newtown Thriving does is sticking to the plan and really serving the area.

That's kind of our we're the gatekeepers of that.

But we feel so lucky to have this organic organization from the community that's out there taking those words from the pages and putting them into action.

So I think they come to us with ideas, they present us with, you know, findings from the community that they really want to see happen, that we say, you know, we do have some money here, and then we can find the budget for that and present that to you all to kind of make that happen if we all, you know, see that as a good idea.

And again, it it re is representative of the plan that we've all adopted.

So that's how I would answer that question.

They may want to add to that.

Yeah, um I definitely see is that a opportunity for us all to work together.

I've always been very fond of um community is all of us.

And you know, Newtown is Sarasota, and Sarasota is New Town, you know.

So just having that known that we have this opportunity that we can come together and we can make this happen.

It's it's pretty awesome.

And you know, as we look around in other communities, we gotta pat ourselves on the back because this is not happening everywhere.

You know, we have other communities that are looking at us now and are saying, hey, how is that getting done?

Even our consultants are are just so happy for us.

I believe we had about maybe 23.

Um you were one of 24 cities selected for the program.

Um and then and in a practical tactical way to answer that question, Commissioner.

Um as staff for the advisory board, we do um also sit in New Town Mrs.

Council meetings, and then Newtown Business Council is regularly agended for the Newtown Advisory Board, CRA advisory board for presentations and updates.

So there's a constant connection and discussion happening.

Thank you.

And I just want to add, out of all of the 24 cities, I think we have done the most.

Um we have come so far, and just to let you know that Newtown Thrive in um just did receive their 501c3.

So we're really excited about that as well.

Well, I also have to say one of the reasons I suspect that we are doing so well is because of Mary Butler.

Thank you.

And everyone else, thank you.

Well, um, you know, I want to add to everybody saying, you know, that thank you all for what you're doing.

I love the new logo.

Um I love New Town Thriving as a, you know, as a um, I guess tagline or name for what what you're doing.

Um I think everybody has um really contributed, you know, including Mr.

Appleby and the committee and and and Mary and Ms.

Collant.

Um for years uh on the commission, there was a frustration that we wanted to get Newtown thriving.

But it could it just didn't seem to happen, you know.

And now it's you know, I feel like it's really moving forward.

There's an impetus, and I'm just really excited to see what you know what comes as a result of this.

Um you had one more comment.

Yeah, I and I just wanted to add it was well uh thank you, Mayor, because we you know it's been in the news uh lately uh about the Marion Anderson you know property or what have you, and uh that you know will be coming you know to us uh soon about Mr.

DeBoes and uh in and uh gateway um that will be going on to that that that that parcel of land and and hopefully trying to you know accomplish that wasn't accomplished before that I'm still you know upset about but you know we're moving forward and uh we'll make some things you know um happen on that property that uh is derelict um desolate and uh contaminated, you know.

So we'll we'll get that going as well.

So I just wanted to bring that to your attention as well.

Thank you, Mayor.

All right.

I don't see any other questions.

So um I would like to ask for a motion.

I move that the um we accept the community redevelopment agency uh advisory board report as presented.

Second.

Okay.

Uh Commission or Vice Mayor Trice uh moved acceptance of the community development agency board's advisory report.

Um Commissioner Batti seconded.

Any discussion, Commissioners?

All right.

Seeing none, let's vote.

Is that your vote?

Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And believe it.