The Farmer in the Dell: Challenges of Urban Agriculture

By Leigh Kellett Fletcher | In St. Croix, we have chickens, a lot of chickens. We have so many chickens that outdoor cafes place water squirt bottles labeled “Chicken Be Gone” on tables so you can defend your meal. Wild chickens nest everywhere, producing more chickens on a regular basis – chickens downtown in historic […]

CREW Tampa Bay Elects Anne Pollack to the Board of Directors

We are happy to announce CREW Tampa Bay has elected Anne Pollack to the Board of Directors as President-Elect for 2016. CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) is the leading association for the most powerful and influential professional women in the commercial real estate industry, comprising of over 8,000 members in 74 chapters throughout the United […]

FDOT Makes Strides to Create Complete Streets

By Anne Pollack | The Florida Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) met November 3 for its Annual Meeting.  Co-sponsored by the Sun Coast Section of the APA, the conference focused on multi-modal transportation and the future of transportation in Florida.  DeWayne Carver, the State Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator for FDOT spoke about what he called “a […]

The Ties that Bind: Transferring a Family Business to the Next Generation

By Leigh Kellett Fletcher | If you are the founder of a business that employs your family, there will come a time when you (or your younger family members) believe it is time to hand over control to the next generation of the family. Effecting that transfer without straining the bonds of familial affection is […]

Want to be Successful? Tips for Career Success

By Anne Pollack Achieve Career Success in Real Estate We just returned from the 2015 CREW Network Convention in Seattle, Washington. The event was filled with thoughtful sessions, enlightening learning excursions (aka, field trips!), bonding with our own Tampa Bay Chapter members, and lots of networking with other CREW members from around the country.   We […]

New Definition for “Waters of the United States” What Developers Need to Know

Land developers seeking to build anywhere near coastal waters, lakes, ponds, streams, waterways or wetlands, be aware that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“ACOE”) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) are proposing a rule to change the definition of “waters of the United States” that will effectively expand ACOE jurisdiction to require dredge […]

All May Not Be Lost! Revitalization of Expired HOA Declarations and Covenants Conditions and Restrictions

By Leigh Kellett Fletcher | If you live in a community in which the Homeowners’ Association Declaration of Covenants Conditions and Restrictions has expired, but the residents and the Association leadership want to make them effective again, Florida law offers a unique opportunity to reinstate expired HOA Declarations. Chapter 720, Part III, Florida Statutes provides […]

If You Build It, They Don’t Always Come: Alternatives to Empty Commercial/Retail Space on the Ground Floor of Mixed Use Buildings

By Leigh Kellett Fletcher |  Many multi-family and mixed use developers completing residential infill projects in urban areas are required by local governments to incorporate retail or other commercial space in the ground floor of their projects. The laudable goals of these types of requirements is to activate street fronts, increase economic activity in the urban […]

Convincing the Neighbors — Tools for Effective Communication about Potentially Controversial Development Projects

By Leigh Kellett Fletcher | Development projects can be controversial for a variety of reasons: where they are proposed to be located; the proposed use; the perceived potential impact of the project on nearby residents; and simple destruct of change, unfamiliar individuals or government. How information about a project is communicated can heavily impact the […]

Port Tampa Bay Channel District Vision Plan Presented to Tampa Downtown Partnership

  By Leigh Kellett Fletcher | This morning Port Tampa Bay presented its vision for the 45 acres the Port owns bordering the Channelside district in downtown Tampa to members of the Tampa Downtown Partnership.  The land is currently home to the cruise terminals, the Aquarium parking lot and vacant industrial land.  Ram Kancharla, Vice […]