Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency

05/18/2026

Hey Newtown! Finalists have been selected for the Amaryllis Park Place Mural project and we need YOUR help choosing the final piece! 🌸🎨

🗳 www.SarasotaFL.gov/APP-Mural - View the finalists and concept designs at the link and cast your vote by Sunday, June 7. Your feedback will help shape the final recommendation presented to the Public Art Committee.

Artists:
Pommier Paintings & Drawings Nicole Salgar ZuluPainter Brittany Johnson & N. Carlos Jefferson

City of Sarasota, Government

04/27/2026

📅 Mark your calendars! The last class of our seminar series, Build Your Success in Newtown, is taking place this Wednesday, April 29 at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex (RLTCC).

Our final session, Financial Fortunes: Decoding Your Numbers, will provide participants with essential skills for effective financial planning. Small business owners and entrepreneurs won't want to miss it! 🙌

Build Your Success in Newtown is presented by the Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency, SCORE Mentors and 1st Source Bank.

This session will provide participants with practical skills for analyzing monthly financial performance by comparing current results to both the prior month and the same period in the previous year. Through hands-on exercises, participants will learn how to identify trends in revenue, expenses, and

04/01/2026

In partnership with the Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Sarasota, Government, CareerSource Suncoast is now accepting registrations for its 2026 CEO (Community Entrepreneurial Opportunity) Program!

Back by popular demand, the CEO Program is free to enroll in and offers aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs a structured 10-week training course designed to help you build & grow your business for success! 🌱

📅 Classes begin April 14 & 15 — register at https://form.jotform.com/260286660471156 while there's time!

To learn more, visit newtowncra.org/program-content/ceo

03/23/2026

🛣🚦Tomorrow, the City of Sarasota, Government will be hosting a public meeting to showcase the Draft Neighborhood Traffic Calming Maps in Area A, which includes the Amaryllis Park Neighborhood, Central Cocoanut Neighborhood, and much of Newtown.

The public is encouraged to join and share feedback prior to plans being finalized. Details below:

Area A Community Meeting
When: March 24, 2026; 5:00-6:30 pm
Where: Robert L. Taylor Community Complex (RLTCC)
1845 John Rivers Street, Sarasota, FL 34234

If you are unable to attend the meeting, more information can be found and comments can be provided through the project webpage at www.SarasotaFL.gov/TrafficCalmingPlan.

03/18/2026

Build Your Success in Newtown returns tonight! 💼📈💵 Join us at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex (RLTCC) for a FREE session all about making your small business profitable!

Tonight, you'll hear from local business owner Marla Oppenheim on developing the right plan to achieve your ideal level of success.

🕕 Networking starts at 5:30, and tonight's session kicks off at 6:00PM! Learn more at newtowncra.org.

Build Your Success in Newtown is presented by the Newtown CRA, SCORE Mentors and 1st Source Bank.

03/11/2026

We'll see you at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex (RLTCC) at 5PM today for the March NCRA Advisory Board meeting. As always, meetings are open to the public and there will be opportunities for public input!

Newtown CRA Advisory Board Meetings are regularly scheduled public meetings where board members, city staff, and community members come together to discuss projects, programs, and priorities that support the ongoing redevelopment and revitalization of the Newtown community. These meetings are an o

03/09/2026

Join our Advisory Board! 💜💜💜 A great opportunity to help shape a future for Newtown that celebrates our culture, honors our community, and preserves our legacy.

We’re looking for community members who want to help steward redevelopment efforts and support smart initiatives that keep Newtown strong, connected, and thriving.

If this sounds like you, apply to join the Newtown CRA Advisory Board at the link in the comments. Applications open through Friday, March 20.

City of Sarasota, Government Newtown Business Council Newtown Alive The Newtown Nation Inc.

02/19/2026

Did you catch Newtown’s own Odessa Butler and Vickie Oldham on last week’s Bay News 9 special as part of Black History Month?

In this segment, Butler and Oldham advocate for the importance of telling the history and preserving the arts and culture of African American communities like Newtown.

Odessa Butler is a lifelong resident of Newtown who lived through and now educates younger generations about Sarasota’s segregated past. Vickie Oldham is the president of Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, Inc. (SAACC), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and celebrating African American art, artists, traditions, history, and culture including those from Newtown.

SAACC is located in the Historic Leonard Reid House in Newtown, one of our communities many structures on the National Register of Historic Places. The Leonard Reid House was gifted to SAACC by the City of Sarasota, Government in 2020.

Watch Butler and Oldham’s segment below, part of Bay News 9’s full special on 100 Year of Black History Month: https://bit.ly/4kK1v3n

For one Florida museum, the price tag pales in comparison to the history they’re determined to tell with their museum and planned cultural center.

02/17/2026

🗣️Hey, all you Newtown entrepreneurs! Join us tomorrow for the next installment of our FREE business seminar series, Build Your Success in Newtown!

Tomorrow's session is Market Mastery: Know Your Customer; Beat Your Rivals. This is the session you need to give your business plan an edge!

Networking starts at 5:30PM and the session begins at 6:00. See you at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex (RLTCC)!

City of Sarasota, Government Newtown Business Council SCORE Mentors 1st Source Bank

This session focuses on equipping participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to conduct effective market research—an essential step in building a robust business plan. Participants will learn how to systematically identify and analyze their target market, examining demographic, geographic...

02/04/2026

Calling all Newtown entrepreneurs! Join us TONIGHT for our next installment of our FREE seminar Series, Build Your Success in Newtown!

📈 Tonight's session, "The Blueprint Bootcamp: A Business Plan Overview" will provide a practical introduction to the essential components of a business plan for startups and growing businesses.

Networking starts at 5:30PM and our session kicks off at 6:00PM! Learn more and register at https://www.newtowncra.org/meetings-events

We'll see you there!

City of Sarasota, Government 1st Source Bank SCORE Mentors