Um, 6:14. 6:14. The the date is May 7th, 2026. Um, and I've been uh um acknowledgement of a quorum and proper notice being given? Yes, sir. Uh, we have approval of minutes. Looking
for approval of minutes. >> So moved. Uh, I second. Any further discussion? Roll call, please. Just so I'm clear on that. That we're approving minutes from August of last year, of 2025? I don't Yeah, I don't think we've had a CRA meeting for a while. >> It's been a while. Yeah, is that what
happened? Okay. I'm sorry. Go ahead. Uh, roll call. Mr. Asbury? Aye. Mr. Hawkins? Aye. Mr. Holland? Aye. Vice Chair Ashcraft? >> Aye. All right. CRA items with board discussion and direction.
Okay, Commissioners to Let me get to the right page here. Okay. Uh, Commissioners, we have two reports for you tonight. Uh, the first one is the 2025 uh annual report for the CRA.
Uh, I'll be highlighting uh a few of those activities from that report. Uh, and then Lori Carr will introduce our auditors uh from uh Purvis Gray, who'll give you a brief report on the uh CRA's internal audit.
I'm going to start uh on page eight um in the um report um and let you know that uh there's been significant progress um in the uh revitalization activities of the CRA this past year.
Uh, the there's been infill development. Um, we've got three projects, so which are highlighted on page eight, uh that are going to bring 190 infill homes. Uh, infill is significant because it means the city's not paying for additional
uh infrastructure that stretches for miles. We're taking advantage of the land that's in the city. Um Can you see the point of that? Uh the next highlight I'd like to call your attention to is on page 12. Um and that is improvements at Carver
Park. Um the basketball courts there were renovated. We've got new adjustable goals. The use of that facility has increased dramatically. And the youth are uh participating in
more than just basketball programs. So that's really drawing them in, having a good positive community effect. The Clifford House. Um you know, we continue to improve our tourism assets. And the Clifford House is a very very
strong asset in terms of its culture uh and history. So again, just uh we're revitalizing our tourism assets. So relative to the CRA, there are things happening inside the CRA and then there
are things that are happening on the perimeter that are having an impact on the revitalization of the CRA area. One of those impacts is the one of those things that are occurring on the peripheral is the location of national brands. We've got a 7-Eleven
that's located on East Orange Avenue that's providing a convenience. They're providing jobs and they're providing revitalization for the corridor, the business corridor. Um
a Dairy Queen is also in um you know, in concept for East Orange Avenue right between the Dollar General and the 7-Eleven. And that's going to have some
additional catalyst providing jobs, providing convenience, further developing the corridor East Orange corridor as a business corridor. On page 16,
the Gateway grants The grants we had 20 projects this year. Those projects were awarded $107,000. The magic in that is that you know
the applicants have to match the award. So that resulted in $214,000 being invested in projects to improve you know, the aesthetics and the um infrastructure
in the CRE area. The business incubator on page 17 continues to do what we expected it would do. And that is to provide a very very strong foundation for young startup businesses and businesses that are ready
to scale. Just one highlight here. Of the excuse me, of the businesses companies that took advantage of incubator services They enjoyed $950,000
in revenues. They hired 16 full-time employees and 11 part-time employees. Very very significant event there. Um page 18 is Eustis in Bloom. Eustis in Bloom is
uh um is a a chapter of America in Bloom and it is providing beautification for our downtown and East Town area which is enhancing
the which is enhancing the the casualness the you know the attraction of the area. And then the last thing I will highlight is that
the taxable values within the CRA are up 10.1% page 20 up 10.1% over what they were last year. If you have no further questions we'd like to ask that you accept this report
as the annual report for the CRA which allows us to post it online and send it to the Florida Redevelopment Association. And then what I'd like to do now if you have no questions for me is bring up
Lori Carr to introduce Purvis Gray. Any questions? I move acceptance of this report. I second. Okay, thank you. We we just need a consensus on that all right? Yes. We don't need to sorry we don't need a
vote we just need a consensus on that all right? No it's just consensus. Just a okay. Everybody okay with it? Okay. I'm Lori Carr finance director. My item tonight is actually kind of two pieces. We have the annual
report for the CRA which is required to have it separate audit and that audit is also a component of our regular annual audit. The auditors are going to present just a very brief results of the CRA and then they'll go more in depth of the entire city's audit
when they do it under the regular city commission meeting. So, if you don't mind. These are our auditors from Purvis Gray. They come in for 2 weeks in the beginning of the year and a week in the summertime. Helen Painter and Lori
Walker. Thank you. Good evening. Helen Painter with Purvis Gray Company and with me is Lori Walker. In your board package is the annual audit for the US Downtown East Town Redevelopment Agency. We are required by the Florida statutes
to have the CRA audited separately from the city. The state of Florida has a special interest with special districts to make sure that you are spending the funds in accordance with the CRA. So, we are required to issue an
opinion on the financial statements. We also in addition to that we have to ensure that you're in compliance with the statute. In compliance with the statute regarding special districts that you offer the approved budget to the
county within 10 days after acceptance and that was done. We have to test the expenditures to make sure that the money's in the CRA are only spent in that CRA and as your CRA director indicated that just
brings in more and more tax revenues as you reinvest into that CRA and we saw that as the increase. So, it's it's like putting money you know, buying equity into the the area. We are required to also
ensure that um there's uh no deficiencies in your internal controls. So, we concluded that we have given an unmodified opinion on the financial statements. That means a clean opinion that we believe these
financial statements are fairly stated in all material respects. So, it has the full showing all the revenues, the assets, the liabilities. And one of the significant transactions that occurred during the year is that the CRA loan was due at the end of the year, a balloon
payment for approximately 2.5 million, and that was paid off. And right after year end, the general fund you were trying to go out and get financing and you very wisely uh borrowed from the general fund at the same interest rate. So, that you'll see that in next year's audit.
So, those are some of the brief highlights of the CRA audit, and I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. Any questions, Commissioners? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Anything else for the CRA CRA? There is no action to be taken on that one. Okay. Thank you. Anything else for the CRA? Okay, we're adjourned. I'd like to take a 10-minute break and be back at 6:35. 6:35. Promptly at 6:35. Thank you. We're
adjourned.