BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The Keystone Heights City Council approved an update to its community development plan during its August 4 meeting. The update was recommended by the CRA Board on June 23, 2025, to guide future redevelopment projects.
Florida law allows cities to establish community redevelopment agencies to improve infrastructure, combat blight, and foster economic development within a community redevelopment district. Keystone’s district runs along South Lawrence Boulevard.
The projects are funded by increases in property taxes on parcels within the district that would otherwise go to the county.
In the past, Keystone’s CRA has funded a façade program that allowed businesses within the district to improve the exterior of their buildings and a sign program that funded business sign replacements along South Lawrence Boulevard.
Most recently, the city used CRA funds to acquire and demolish the China Chef Restaurant at the corner of South Lawrence Boulevard and Walker Drive.
During the council’s March 3 meeting, members reviewed their current list of community improvement projects. Those include $15,000 to resurface the city’s basketball courts, $8,000 to repair Geneva Jungle, the city’s playground within Keystone Beach Park, $9,000 for pickleball courts, $7,000 for picnic tables, and $8,000 for roadway signs.
City Manager Jamie Booth summarized the updated plan during the council’s August 4 meeting. The plan now focuses on four areas: streetscape and parking improvements on South Lawrence Boulevard, Commercial Circle, and sidewalk enhancements for ADA compliance); park upgrades for Keystone Beach, Natural Park, and a new downtown pocket park, economic development through festivals, business grants, and a downtown manager, and infrastructure investments through property acquisition, a city museum, and underground utility lines.
The streamlined eight-page plan, crafted with input from Janice Fleet, replaces the 2015 plan and addresses audit findings by ensuring future projects align with these categories.
The update responds to recent legislative scrutiny of CRAs, providing a framework to justify expenditures and avoid audit issues. Booth noted that unallocated CRA trust fund balances will now be tied to specific project areas, addressing a recurring audit finding. The council unanimously approved the plan, ensuring compliance with state statutes and flexibility for long-term redevelopment.
