PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County and local leaders are working to spotlight Palm Harbor. They met this afternoon to talk about changes coming to the growing community.
The Main Street Historic Designation for Palm Harbor was reestablished last year, and with that, the area can now qualify for grants to fund development.
Bree Mraz lives in Palm Harbor and loves her community.
"Just a nice area to walk around, we are very close to Honeymoon Island, it's just like an old town. It definitely deserves to be put on the map," said Mraz.
She said she could see the community benefiting from growth.
"There's so much potential. Like they could really use more shops and everything just to bring people in," said Mraz.
She works at a local restaurant called Bogota Kitchen and Bar and said that although there's a lot to do, Palm Harbor is just a drive-by community for many people.
"I feel like food brings them in, but shops keep them here, you know? It keeps them walking around and hanging out in the town," said Mraz.
But that could soon change.
Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott said the community could soon receive grants to revitalize the area. The goal is to preserve historic buildings while also attracting visitors.
"A lot of it is just, it will be new on the inside, but it will look as it was on the outside maybe 100 years ago," said Scott.
The Palm Harbor Main Street Historic District is working to bring in more street lights, signage, and opportunities for festivals and businesses.
"It brings more to the area, more to do on a Friday or Saturday night, you know what I'm saying. To be able to walk around and hit block to block to block and just see different things and do different things there," said Mraz.
But some residents have concerns.
Debbie Walker said she doesn't want overcrowding.
"Perhaps quaint shopping, we don't want to go overboard, but a few shops to bring people into the area. But it's a fine line, it's a fine line before you turn it into a mass city that's like any other city. And we don't want to lose our cities," said Walker.
Mraz believes development could be beneficial if it's done right.
"They're not putting in too much all at once, you know? It's just slowly, gradually like building its way up," said Mraz.
