TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee Southside neighborhood will be the focus of a new citizen-based group, that will plan ways to strengthen the area's economy and educational efforts.
The group is meeting for the first time later this week, hoping to put plans into action for Southside residents.
The "Southside United Citizens Action Alliance" will advocate for meaningful development, more resources for area schools, and keeping officials accountable for promises made to the neighborhoods there.
WTXL spoke with an organizer who's lived in the Southside for 30 years.
She said the group will unite different organizations that want to make sure the Southside gets what it needs. Businesses like Walgreens and Winn-Dixie are leaving, and some area schools could be impacted by the new education law.
So, the goal of this group is to start calling for change that empowers the community.
"We want the same thing everybody else wants. We want a good quality of life. We want to be able to raise our families, have good incomes, and just enjoy life here in Tallahassee. We want to be a part of the overall Tallahassee. We don't want to be part of the 'other Tallahassee'," said Dianne Williams-Cox, a community partner. "What may have been promised in the past, it's now time for us to go back and check to see, 'Did they come through?' If not, why? If we don't get a good reason, then we need to put it back on the books and make sure that it does happen."
The group will meet Thursday at Earley's Kitchen. The meeting is open to anyone in the community.
Once the group gets going, the goal is to come up with a report that it will present to the city and county commissions.
