MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RIVIERA BEACH, FLORIDA – The Riviera Beach Community Development Corporation, City of Riviera Beach, Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, Community Partners of South Florida, The Reentry Center, and Urban Farmers, Inc. joined together with their honored guests to welcome Ms. Shakeela Lowery as a first-time homebuyer in Riviera Beach. This house was renovated completely to make it a comfortable and beautiful place for her family to live in for years to come.
The photo above is what the house looked like before renovations. They took the 3 bedroom and 2 ½ bathroom house and added on a garage, full bath, and updated the house which brought up the value of the property. This is the first rehabilitation project for the Neighborhood RECLAIM program. The tour was held on August 8, 2019 and was attended by officials from the Florida Department of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice, Palm Beach County Department of Public Safety, the City of Riviera Beach Reentry Program, Riviera Beach CDC and CRA, and Urban Farmers. At this convening, officials described the unique program’s purpose, goals and initial action plan. This community reintegration led by the CDC, is a pioneering program for the City of Riviera Beach .
“Homeownership is one of the first cornerstones in building generational wealth and stabilizing a community. I can assure you that the elected officials are aware of the challenge that we have in our community of moving more to owner-occupied dwellings. That is a commitment on the City and CRA side that we will do everything in our power to welcome residents and homeowners to our community. It will take all of us working together collaboratively. I am confident that we will see the redevelopment of our community with all of us together,” said Mr. Jonathan E. Evans, MPA, MBA, ICMA-CM, City Manager/Executive Director of CRA.
The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony took place on Monday, June 28, 2021 at the new home of Shakeela Lowery at 950 West 1st Street Riviera Beach, FL 33404. Guests in attendance were Darryl Leonard, CDC Board Chair; Orie Bullard, Riviera Beach, Reentry Center; Lynda Charles and Scott Hansel, Community Partners of South Florida; CDC Board Members; Commissioner Tradrick McCoy; Commissioner Douglas Lawson; Mayor Ronnie Felder; Mr. Clarence Sirmons; Mr. Jonathan Evans, City Manager/Executive Director of CRA; Shakeela Lowery, Homeowner; and Annetta Jenkins, Executive Director of CDC. For more information, contact Annetta Jenkins, Executive Director of Riviera Beach Community Development Corporation, at 561-844-3408.
The Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency
The Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is at the heart of dramatic transformations underway within the district. Formed in 1984 by the Riviera Beach City Council, the Riviera Beach CRA provides funding for a wide scope of projects that incentivize economic growth through business attraction and retention; finances and new and improved infrastructure for real estate projects; and generally works to expand the tax base by creating a welcoming environment that eliminates blight and improves the perception of safety in the area.
The Agency’s main mission is to guide the city’s redevelopment efforts. This includes making investments of public funds in key infrastructure improvement projects that have the capacity to act as a catalyst for additional private funding and development, create jobs and help to improve the quality of life for city residents. For more information about the Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, follow the official Facebook, Instagram @RBCRA and Twitter @RivieraBeachCRA pages or visit www.rbcra.com.