PALATKA, Fla. July 21, 2023 – The City of Palatka is reaching out to its community members to gather insights and opinions regarding the prospect of Palatka becoming a designated Main Street Community. As part of its ongoing commitment to revitalize downtown, City Hall and the City Commission are considering participation in the Florida Main Street program.
Downtown areas once associated with vibrant commerce and bustling activity often evoke images of abandoned and decaying buildings. However, successful initiatives like the Florida Main Street program have demonstrated that revitalization is possible. Communities such as DeLand, St. Petersburg, and Ocala have experienced a renaissance in their downtown areas thanks to the program's focus on historic district revitalization, fostering economic development, and attracting job opportunities.
Established in 1985, the Florida Main Street program provides valuable technical assistance to various Main Street programs throughout the state. As part of a larger network comprising over 40 nationally recognized programs across the United States, it has a proven track record of driving sustainable transformations in communities.
The Main Street Approach works best in communities that already have valuable resources, such as historic buildings and local independent businesses. Palatka certainly meets those criteria, and residents with strong social and civic connections and a genuine desire to make positive changes.
By implementing a mix of long-term and short-term actions, the Main Street Approach helps bring about lasting transformations in these communities.
The Florida Main Street program requires a city the size of Palatka to hire a full-time Executive Director for the program and a volunteer board of directors comprised of community members to oversee the project.
These requirements must be considered as the City enters the budgeting sessions for the next fiscal year, and we value your input.
For more information, please visit the Florida Department of State’s Main Street website at https://dos.myflorida.com/historical/preservation/florida-main-street/ and then let us know if you think this program is right for Palatka by taking a few minutes to fill out our survey at https://bit.ly/PalatkaMainStreet
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Contact:
Peter Willott
Public Information Officer
City of Palatka
Email: publicinformationofficer@palatka-fl.gov
Phone: 386-213-2678