Florida Secretary of State issued the following announcement on Nov. 9.
Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee announced that Plant City Main Street has been designated the November 2021 Florida Main Street Program of the Month.
“Plant City Main Street’s revitalization efforts are inspiring,” said Secretary Lee. “By supporting their local businesses through community partnerships, special events, education, and promotion opportunities, Plant City Main Street is helping to create a vibrant downtown district for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
Plant City Main Street was designated in 1985 as one of five pilot communities of the Florida Main Street program. Since their reorganization in 2018, Plant City Main Street has been effective in bringing people, businesses, and jobs back to the downtown.
Plant City Main Street has seen a recent resurgence of business openings within their district. Referred to locally as the “Evers Street Wave,” the business recruitment efforts were spearheaded by Plant City Main Street with support from community partners. In May 2021, these revitalization efforts and new businesses were highlighted to the community with the Evers Street Block Party. The block party featured live music, and food and drink were offered at the participating businesses.
Plant City Main Street used their “Topics on Tap” events to recruit and educate existing and potential business owners about opportunities in downtown, including grant programs available through the City of Plant City. Matt Morrow, owner of The Tipsy Bookworm, summed up the impact of these efforts; “After I attended ‘Topics on Tap’ and Plant City Main Street walked me through the city grants, it became clear that The Tipsy Bookworm belongs in downtown Plant City.”
Plant City Main Street also hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including Yoga in the Park and Last Friday in Downtown themed food truck rallies, which average 1,000 attendees per rally.
Since their reorganization, Plant City Main Street has reported approximately $1,044,782 in public and private reinvestments and welcomed 22 net new businesses and 91 net new full-time and part-time jobs to the district. The organization has also reported 3,825 volunteer hours.
Original source can be found here.
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