St. Augustine CRA wins statewide award for 25 years of redevelopment work

The City of St. Augustine Community Redevelopment Agency has earned statewide recognition for a quarter-century of revitalization work across the nation's oldest city. The Florida Redevelopment Association awarded the CRA its Roy F. Kenzie Award in the Annual Report – Small City category for the agency's 2025 report documenting its 25th anniversary.

The award was presented during the Florida Redevelopment Association's annual conference in Charlotte Harbor, October 20-23, 2026. Jaime D. Perkins, St. Augustine's Community Services Director, accepted the award alongside CRA Project and Program Coordinator Jill Collins and Lincolnville CRA Steering Committee members Ken McClain and Eamon Doran.

What the award recognizes

The winning report, titled "Redevelopment 25! ", chronicles a yearlong celebration of the CRA's 25-year milestone. According to the city, the report highlights transformative projects, strategic investments, and community-driven initiatives implemented to strengthen neighborhoods, enhance public spaces, and support economic growth.

The Florida Redevelopment Association administers 13 juried award categories each year. Community Redevelopment Areas and Agencies throughout Florida submit entries showcasing innovative and effective projects or programs. This is the second Roy F. Kenzie Award for St. Augustine's CRA; the agency won in the Planning Studies category in 2024 for its "West City CRA Finding of Necessity Study: Establishing a CRA. "

During the same conference, Collins completed the FRA Redevelopment Professional (FRA-RP) Certification program and received a Certificate of Completion. The certification demonstrates professional knowledge of redevelopment and provides training that can be applied to redevelopment projects and programs. Perkins was also formally nominated and selected to serve on the 2026-2027 FRA Board of Directors.

How St. Augustine's CRA system works

St. Augustine operates three separate Community Redevelopment Areas. "Across our three CRA's, our efforts range from historic preservation and infrastructure improvements to housing programs, neighborhood stabilization, and revitalization," Perkins said in the announcement. "The report highlights our continued commitment to sustainable redevelopment, while celebrating past accomplishments and laying the foundation for future progress. "

Community Redevelopment Agencies are special districts created under Florida law to address blight and stimulate economic development in designated areas. CRAs capture the incremental increase in property-tax revenue — known as tax-increment financing — generated within their boundaries and reinvest those dollars in infrastructure, façade improvements, affordable housing, and other redevelopment projects. The base tax revenue continues to flow to the city, county, and school district; only the growth above that baseline is redirected to CRA programs.

In St. Augustine, the CRA structure includes the downtown and waterfront district, the historically African American Lincolnville neighborhood, and the West City area. Each area has distinct redevelopment needs and priorities. Lincolnville, in particular, has been a focus of housing rehabilitation and neighborhood stabilization efforts, while downtown CRA work often centers on historic preservation and public-space enhancements in the tourist core.

Why statewide recognition matters for St. Johns County

The award and board appointment carry practical benefits beyond recognition. Having a St. Augustine representative on the Florida Redevelopment Association Board of Directors creates opportunities for statewide collaboration and increased visibility for the city's redevelopment initiatives, according to the announcement.

For St. Johns County more broadly, effective CRA models in St. Augustine can inform redevelopment discussions elsewhere in the region. St. Johns County has seen explosive residential growth in master-planned communities such as Nocatee and along the CR 210 corridor, but older commercial corridors and neighborhoods face different challenges — the type of disinvestment and infrastructure deficits that CRAs are designed to address.

The 25-year track record documented in the award-winning report provides a case study in how tax-increment financing can be deployed in a historic, tourist-dependent small city. Observers in other Northeast Florida municipalities wrestling with aging downtowns, underutilized commercial strips, or historically neglected neighborhoods often look to St. Augustine's experience as a model or cautionary tale, depending on the outcomes.

Redevelopment agencies are not without controversy in Florida. Critics argue that diverting tax growth from general funds can strain school and infrastructure budgets in fast-growing areas, and that some CRAs persist long after blight has been eliminated. Supporters counter that targeted reinvestment jump-starts private development that would not otherwise occur, ultimately growing the tax base for everyone. The longevity and continued recognition of St. Augustine's CRA suggest the city has maintained political and community support for the model over a quarter-century.

What CRA work looks like on the ground

While the award announcement does not enumerate specific projects from the 2025 report, the scope of work described by Perkins spans a wide range of redevelopment tools. Historic preservation in St. Augustine typically involves grants or incentives for building façades, adaptive reuse of historic structures, and streetscape improvements that maintain the city's architectural character — a critical asset for tourism.

Infrastructure improvements in CRA districts can include underground utilities, stormwater upgrades, sidewalk and streetlight installation, and park development. Housing programs often take the form of down-payment assistance, rehabilitation loans or grants for homeowners, and support for affordable or workforce housing development. Neighborhood stabilization efforts may involve code enforcement partnerships, vacant-lot acquisition and improvement, and community engagement initiatives.

Because St. Augustine is largely built out and much of its footprint is within the coastal flood zone, CRA projects must often balance historic character, flood resilience, and the needs of both year-round residents and the tourism economy. The Lincolnville CRA in particular addresses legacy issues of underinvestment in a neighborhood that has faced gentrification pressure as property values have risen citywide.

The certification earned by Collins reflects the technical complexity of CRA work. Redevelopment professionals must navigate tax-increment financing rules, state and local land-use regulations, historic preservation standards, and community engagement — all while managing multi-year capital programs and tracking performance metrics for annual reports like the one that earned this award.

What's next for the CRA

The city did not announce specific upcoming projects or initiatives in the award announcement, but the reference to "laying the foundation for future progress" suggests the CRA's work will continue beyond the 25-year milestone. CRAs in Florida are established for fixed terms and must be reauthorized or allowed to sunset; the specifics of St. Augustine's CRA timelines and any pending reauthorization decisions were not detailed in the announcement.

Perkins's appointment to the Florida Redevelopment Association Board of Directors runs through the 2026-2027 term. That position will give St. Augustine a voice in statewide redevelopment policy discussions and access to best practices and funding opportunities from other CRAs across Florida.

Residents and stakeholders interested in CRA projects, upcoming investments, or how tax-increment financing works in their neighborhood can contact Perkins, the city's Community Services Director, for more information. The city encourages the public to learn more about the CRA through its website.

As St. Johns County continues to absorb rapid growth in its suburban and exurban areas, the award highlights a different kind of development work: the patient, incremental reinvestment in established neighborhoods and commercial districts that shapes the character and equity of a community over decades. For a region balancing new rooftops with the needs of existing residents, that longer view of redevelopment remains relevant across city lines.