- Downtown Tallahassee is booming right now with the start of the 2024 Florida Legislative Session
- A long-standing plan is in place to revitalize downtown Tallahassee, with a focus on attracting retail stores and creating more green spaces like Cascades Park.
- Watch the video to see key projects that are underway and completed as part of the downtown revitalization plan.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
More people, more traffic, and more business are what you can expect in Downtown Tallahassee right now. The Florida Legislative Session has started but business owners and other neighbors in Downtown want to move past this area being busy only in the legislative session.
Metro Deli saw a slow start to the first day of the 2024 Florida Legislative Session.
"It was a weird start to the day because of the storm there kind of shut most people down," Rob Bazemore the owner of Metro Deli said.
Metro Deli has served legislators in Downtown Tallahassee for 21 sessions.
"It's never the same we we always say we're trying to get ready for it. We never know if we really are or not," Bazemore said.
The start of a new year brings legislators from across the Sunshine State right into the heart of Tallahassee.
"Session is definitely the busiest time of year for us," Bazemore said. "We have the biggest influx of people from all over the state."
There’s a long-standing plan to make downtown a place that’s bustling all year long.
"What we're seeing is a huge resurgence in full year-round activation in downtown," Elizabeth Emmanuel, Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority's CEO said. "So it's not just a seasonal destination, but it's becoming something where retailers are opening up."
Emmanuel said retail is what brings people to browse Downtown and stay longer.
“We've got Poco Vino, that's come into the area, and is providing a way that you can walk in and grab locally made gifts, incredible bottles of wine, cheese, and snacks," Emmanuel said. "We've got Nic's Toggery that's been there for 50 years, but they're continuing to provide an excellent retail environment.”
The downtown you see now is years in the making.
"There was a master plan created in the 90s, actually by the City of Tallahassee to increase the year-round activations in downtown," Emmanuel said.
You can find the master plan here—it was updated in 2004--- Tallahassee is using it to guide downtown’s development.
It’s entering its 20th year and big projects are already checked off the list of planned development.
"Kleman Plazawas designed and created," Emmanuel said. "And now you've got museums, you've got retail, you've got black-owned business, you've got incredible opportunities for folks to live, work and play in the epicenter in the heart of our community."
More people downtown year-round doing retail shopping has a ripple effect that staple businesses like Metro Deli always welcome.
"It just gives people who want to come get something to eat a place to buy something or somebody's buying something a place to eat," Bazemore said.
Other key parts of making downtown a place that’s busy after the session ends include having more green spaces around like Cascades Park. There are also walkability improvements planned for downtown to make it an easier place to walk from different portions surrounding the center of the city.
