Main Street CRA Dissolves Itself

AVON PARK - After canceling their meetings the past two months because there weren't enough members present to have a quorum, the Main Street Community Redevelopment Agency advisory board found the quorum it needed Thursday, then decided they shouldn't bother anymore.

In an unanimous decision, the Main Street CRA literally voted itself out of existence, eliminating one of the three advisory boards created earlier this year after questions came up over the legality of having multiple CRA boards.

Main Street-area residents and businesses would now have to apply directly to the City Council, which doubles as the main CRA board, for a facade grant.

Devon Donaldson, who chaired the now-defunct advisory board, said Sunday that he and the rest of the board realized several facade grant applications skipped their board, which the board members themselves thought was unnecessary.

"We just didn't see a need for us to be there anymore," Donaldson said. "All of us are willing to serve, we just felt our energies were being wasted."

The Main Street CRA originally approved facade grants for residents and businesses in the Downtown area, but in February the Avon Park City Council took over the authority of all three CRA boards, effectively leaving them as advisory panels that advised the Council on what to do in their respective areas.

Since then, Donaldson said the Main Street advisory board saw itself lacking power, and the facade grant applicants, he added, would have to bounce between multiple meetings when he thought they should only need to attend one.

Donaldson said he didn't think the Main Street CRA's dissolution would have an impact on its area's facade grant applications since many of them went directly to the city council anyway, as they act as the authoritative CRA board. The Main Street advisory board handled two to three applications a month when it had its quorum.

The board also supported the idea of having one of its former members, along with a member of the Southside CRA, joining the main CRA board in one consolidated body. This idea was previously opposed by the members of the Southside board.