Chamber Urges CRA Board to Keep Local Funds Working for Coral SpringC

by Sharon Aron Baron November 12, 2025

by Sharon Aron Baron November 12, 2025 2 minutes read

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Coral Springs Weighs 5 Percent Tax Hike for Local Businesses

{City of Coral Springs}

The Coral Springs Coconut Creek Regional Chamber of Commerce is urging the City of Coral Springs Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board to uphold its commitment to the local business community by maintaining the current 50% Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement and rejecting a proposal to raise the developer’s subsidy to 75%.

In recent months, the Chamber has heard directly from local business owners who are concerned about how CRA funds are being distributed. These entrepreneurs—who employ residents, invest in the city, and drive economic growth—believe CRA resources should remain focused on improving Coral Springs’ economy and public spaces rather than benefiting a single private developer.

“A Community Redevelopment Area exists to uplift the community,” the Chamber wrote in a statement. “CRA dollars are meant to support small businesses, improve public infrastructure, and enhance the quality of life for residents—not to increase private profit when original commitments are not met.”

If the CRA Board restores the 75% TIF level, the developer’s payout would rise from approximately $9 million to $10.8 million, while the CRA’s share would decrease from $5.3 million to $3.5 million—a nearly $1.8 million shift away from community projects.

This proposed change follows several modifications to the development plan—each approved at the developer’s request. The project now includes less commercial space, twice as many residential rentals, and no hotel, a significant departure from the original vision that gained community support.

“Restoring the TIF to 75% now, when the project no longer reflects what was promised, is neither reasonable nor fiscally responsible,” the Chamber said.

Instead, the Chamber recommends directing CRA funds toward initiatives that would serve the broader community, including:

Infrastructure upgrades
An amphitheater on newly acquired green space
Underground utilities
Digital wayfinding to help residents and visitors locate local businesses
Façade and interior buildout grants for small businesses

“These investments would create long-term value and measurable community benefit—not just private profit,” the Chamber emphasized.

The Chamber concluded with a pointed question: “Do we want to grant an additional $1.8 million to a developer who did not fulfill his commitments, or do we invest those funds back into our community—to support local businesses, residents, and our shared economic future?”

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Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.