Learning a new skill or trade can be daunting, but there’s a lot of money that goes into these pursuits. Despite 59.3% reporting difficulties being able to afford spending on their favorite hobby, data from a Self Financial survey shows the average American spends $98 per month to pursue it. Hobbyists find value above the cost, with 93.2% of survey respondents reporting no regret for putting money and effort into their hobbies, regardless of financial difficulties.

In short, people pursue their passions despite the hardship. From memberships to gyms and martial arts schools to learning to bake or create art, people are willing to budget for the privilege of learning hands-on skills.

There is an extra layer of grit required to take that hobby to the next level and become skilled enough to monetize on teaching others or creating products to market. We have reached out to several business owners who made that leap, moving beyond a hobbyist to sell their trades. In this closing bell, these entrepreneurs share the thoughts behind forming or maintaining their businesses.

Though some were fueled by passion, others saw an unsupplied demand and filled the market by learning a skill and selling the product of that labor or by selling these skills to hobbyists.

→ Dylan Whyte is the owner and lead trainer at Positive Balance BJJ, based in Tallahassee, a martial arts school focusing on grappling techniques. Instructors are active competitors and world-class practitioners. Whyte has grown his school from a few students in a garage to a few hundred members in his 3,500-square-foot space.

“I just started doing jiu jitsu as a hobby with my dad and brother to hang out with them before I went to college,” Whyte says, but now he has built a community he is proud to be part of.

→ Megan Pratt earned a BS in Chemistry from MIT, then went to Harvard University, where she completed an MS in Chemistry and received a Ph.D. in Neurobiology. Before founding MESS Hall—which stands for Math, Engineering, Science, and Stuff—Pratt led an impressive career in education and as a civil servant.

“I started Pensacola MESS Hall because I believe at every age, there’s a need for continual learning even in informal settings. There needs to be more public places where questions can be answered, interests can be followed, and ideas can be challenged.”

→ Kristina Pate founded Still Waters Boutique in Panama City to fill a niche market, offering women’s clothing for season-transcending fashion.

“I used to work in health care and knew I needed to find a new passion.
I saw a gap in the market in town. There were plenty of trendy boutiques, but not many that offered timeless, versatile pieces. I wanted to create a space that made shopping simple, uplifting, and accessible.”

→ J.T. Taylor owns and operates Soo Trucking Delicious, a chef-driven fast-food truck, based out of Panama City, known for smash burgers, shrimp and fish tacos, fries, and other casual comfort foods.

“It’s more of a hobby. I’ve been an entrepreneur, and I’ve been self-employed most of my life. So, you know what the main trick is to start a business? Start it. Do something. A lot of people talk about it, but you know they never do anything.”

→ Brentley Dumas is the owner of Browns Kitchen in Tallahassee. The boutique kitchen store provides an outlet for the passionate home chef.

“I love the energy and connection that happens around food. I feel so fortunate that I get to create a space for others to explore their passion for cooking. I enjoy curating the products and collaborating with other local businesses and talented instructors, and our role at Browns is really to build the environment—whether that’s through a cooking class, a thoughtfully chosen knife, or a gift that inspires someone to cook.”

→ Gabriel Montuani co-owns Resilient Jiu Jitsu with his spouse, Carly, out of Marianna. Now, an IBJJF-certified first-degree black belt with over a decade of teaching experience, his motivations to start his business were born out of a passion to help others.

“I was bullied in school in Brazil, and a friend who had trained in jiu jitsu kept other students from physically hurting me. So, I started training. Now 16 years later, I teach jiu jitsu because it’s an effective tool for people to improve their lives.”

Global Demand for Digital CurrencyCryptocurrencies are growing in popularity as a decentralized global currency. The current global market cap is roughly $2.73 trillion, with an increasing number of merchants accepting cryptocurrencies as legal tender.

Unlike physical monies, which can always print more, cryptocurrencies hold value, due in part to the scarcity created at conception. Cryptos vary wildly in their maximum circulating currency. Some have relatively low caps, such as Bitcoin at a limit of 21 million coins and Litecoin at a cap of 84 million, the Pi Network has maximum mineable coins of 100 billion.

Like with all currencies, supply and demand determine the value of each crypto. With a fixed supply, demand for cryptocurrencies fluctuates based on the mood of the market and transaction capability. With the allure of increased security and reduced transaction fees, more consumers have an interest in transitioning to digital wallets for online purchases. This creates an opportunity for early adopting vendors to dominate the market. Bitcoin and Litecoin are now used for trading goods and services at over 15,000 businesses globally.

While consumers and businesses looking to enter the market might balk at the price tag of a single Bitcoin, at a 6-month average value of around $85,500, other coins are gaining ground.

Though newer to the marketplace, networks like Pi are using a social peer-to-peer model to grow their user base and increase their global currency cap. Unlike with other currencies, pioneers must prove they are human to generate new coins from the app on their phones.

What is a blockchain?

In 1979, Ralph Merkle patented the hash tree, more commonly referred to as a Merkle tree, a concept important to cryptography and computer science for the organization and secure transfer of large data structures or blocks.

A tree is a perfect metaphor to use when explaining a blockchain. The first block in any chain is like the seed from which all other blocks grow. As the tree grows and more blocks are added, the original block is hardcoded into every new branch of the tree. This maintains the integrity of the entire structure, allowing new blocks to be securely added.

On the Blockchain

Crypto foundations

→ The very first block of a cryptocurrency is the genesis block and is unique to each cryptocurrency.

The genesis block for Bitcoin was written in 2009, and there are currently about 19.85 million
in existence with 1.15 million remaining to be mined. This intentional scarcity was created at the onset of Bitcoin’s inception.

A block is the fundamental unit for a blockchain, containing transaction data, an individual identifier, or hash, as well as the previous block’s hash, giving directionality to the cryptographic links in the chain. Validation of each block by multiple miners with a consensus of 51 percent is required for a block to be rewarded.

The majority of each block contains the transaction data, including the generation transaction, which assigns ownership to the address of the miner who successfully added the block to the chain. Adding new blocks to the chain requires solving a proof-of-work (POW)puzzle, hashed from a secure hash algorithm (SHA). Designed by the National Security Agency, SHAs are data-securing methods that work by transferring data across a hash-function algorithm consisting of unique compression functions.

Becoming a link in the chain

→ Getting started trading cryptocurrencies is relatively easy. Venmo will allow users to get rewards in cryptocurrencies for purchases with their credit card. Bitcoin.com
and Robinhood also allow for seamless trading and have easy-to-use apps.

Alternatively, individuals can increase their digital portfolio directly through mining. Some currencies are easier to mine than others.

Getting started with Bitcoin requires a dedicated ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) mining rig. An ASIC is an integrated circuit chip designed for the sole purpose of mining digital currency and optimized to solve a cryptographic POW puzzle.

However, mining Pi is as simple as downloading an app to a smartphone and hitting a button every day. To remain a human-driven network, joining requires an invitation by someone on the network (feel free to contact me for an invitation).

Small businesses wishing to accept cryptocurrencies need a crypto wallet, such as Exodus, Coinbase, or Zengo, which will allow online purchases to be paid directly to the wallet. Adding this option to a website requires a payment processor plug-in for cryptocurrencies. Trading crypto for goods and services at a brick-and-mortar store or restaurant is also possible through a point-of-sale system with an integrated app.

Beyond currency

→ Blockchain technology has applications beyond cryptocurrencies. The secure transfer of large data is becoming increasingly integral to all aspects of society. In the medical industry, it is crucial to protect the transfer of patient data. Sensitive legal documents or company secrets can also be protected while transferring documents. 

Sending and receiving encrypted data is at the core of blockchain technology, which leverages the inherent properties of immutability and decentralization. Data is first encrypted with a cryptographic algorithm then distributed across multiple nodes, making it impossible to access without the specific key to unlock the data.

Beyond having a great business model, products, goods, and services, all businesses require stable financial and asset management. With approximately 92 percent of global trade conducted electronically, there is a growing need for innovative solutions to banking needs.
We briefly discuss the business of banking and related topics with Lee Morgan,
CEO/President of PenAir Credit Union, taking his perspective on how to best serve business owners in his community.

Innovative Banking

“Like any business,” Morgan says, “we need to be efficient.”

Traditional banks are dressed up like vaults, covering 4,000 square feet—pillared buildings with a dozen people waiting to service their communities, each specializing in a specific area. With the rise of digital assets, this model is dated. Additionally, the U.S. has a fractional banking system, which requires financial institutions to only hold up to 10 percent of deposits in reserve. With a reduced dependency on physical currency, large vault-like structures are not necessary at every banking location.

PenAir has two new prototype facilities, one is only 1,200 square feet and the other 2,500 square feet, staffed with only three to four employees, utilizing technology to better serve members with Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs).

“It’s like an ATM on steroids,” Morgan says. “It has a big screen. You go in there, you touch the screen, and a teller member service rep pops up.”

These tellers are cross-trained to assist with any banking need. Though on-site assistance is available, mostly employees act as trainers for the ITMs, teaching credit union members how to utilize the interactive system.

Morgan emphasizes that PenAir offers the traditional banking feel with more efficient, modernized practices to better serve business owners and union members.

→ On cryptocurrencies

According to Morgan, a central bank digital currency is likely. “You know, the Fed’s been working on it,” Morgan says, while also acknowledging that cryptocurrencies are not an asset traditional banks can utilize, “until it’s backed up by the full faith of the federal government.”

Morgan believes that Stablecoin will get through the legislature. Unlike virtual currencies, Stablecoins are fiat-backed coins, available to trade like other cryptocurrencies but considered less volatile due to the 1:1 value provided by its ties to government-issued currency, like the U.S. dollar. The U.S. Congress is currently framing a bill, The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act of 2025, to establish a comprehensive framework for Stablecoins as use for trade and payments.

When GENIUS 2025 passes, Morgan is confident in the ability of banks, particularly PenAir Credit Union, to incorporate these assets into their business models. Morgan says, “A lot of the small businesses we are dealing with want the safety and security of a federally insured institution, but they also are looking for the capital needs they have.”

→ Community advocates

Though many businesses utilize online banks with integrated point-of-sale technology, such as Square, Morgan believes PenAir has an advantage over these competitors because of their impact on the community.

To Morgan, serving is more than about being a bank, but being a force for good in the communities they serve. “We want to make sure we give back as much as we can to our communities and employees but also our members.”

PenAir provides paid time off to employees to go into their communities and offer volunteer work. In 2024, employees gave a combined total of 7,000 hours to organizations in need. Additionally, the credit union provided approximately $865,000 in donations and sponsorships in support of their communities.

“A lot of the small businesses,” Morgan says of their service efforts, “every time we’re out and talking, [owners] say, ‘Hey, I love what y’all are doing for the community.’”

→ Advice to business owners

“Be true to yourself,” offers Morgan as advice to entrepreneurs and business owners. “And make sure you understand what you are getting into. And once you’re in it, devote yourself to it.”

It’s not about getting rich quickly but putting in the work. Morgan encourages entrepreneurs to focus on one idea, then make it profitable.

“Find something you know—that you like and care about,” Morgan says, “and then replicate it.”

Having one outlet store for Product X may not provide high cashflow, Morgan explains, “but doing it 20, 30, 40, 50 times will be.”

Before automobiles or even electricity existed in Tallahassee, there was Capital City Bank, which first opened its doors on April 1, 1895, to service a population of 3,000 people. After weathering two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Great Recession of 2008, Capital City Bank has become a pillar of fortitude and stability within the region.

According to the Social Security Administration, more than 9,000 banks failed during the 1930s. As a point of scale, 567 banks closed from 2001 to 2024. During all this time, Capital City Bank expanded operations. As the institution’s 130th anniversary approaches, there are more than 50 locations across Florida and into South Georgia and Eastern Alabama. Most recently, they have opened a new location on North Florida’s Emerald Coast.

“We already had a small presence there with our Chipley office over in Washington County and Port St. Joe in Gulf County,” explained Beth Corum, Capital City Bank’s COO, “but Panama City, Destin—that area had not been as high on the radar.”

In 2017 and 2018, the Panama City-based St. Joe Company made the area much more attractive to financial institutions. The real estate developer and asset company owns, sells, develops, and manages a broad and expansive portfolio of real estate and properties across the Emerald Coast. In 2023 alone, the company sold 1,704 residential properties in Northwest Florida and opened 5 new hotels, totaling 646 rooms.

“Any time you see the type of growth that occurs in a market like that,” Corum said, “you not only can bring in new consumers, but you also have all the ancillary pieces. You’ve got the businesses that pop up, and you’ve got all of the construction that goes on, whether it’s homes or office buildings. And because we have offerings for all those different verticals, it just made a really good opportunity for us.”

Capital City Bank opened its first office in Bay County in 2020 at Breakfast Point, the Watersound office in South Walton County in January 2023, and the Bay County branch in the Panama City/Lynn Haven area this year. Early next year, there will be another ribbon cutting at the Latitude Margaritaville mega-development in West Bay.

Capital City Bank takes pride in its customer loyalty. Despite steep competition in financial markets, they maintain a strong base and marketing strategy specific to Florida’s demographic. In terms of knowing how to keep its customers, Stephen Stabler, Capital City Bank’s regional market executive for the Emerald Coast, pointed to the institution’s long and lucrative history.

“What has made us so successful is the personalized approach that we have,” Stabler said. “Relationship banking has been a cornerstone for us, and it’s what has enabled us to keep our name on the door for 129-plus years. When people see that star on our building, they know what we’re about—a bank of choice for individuals and businesses seeking a financial partnership. When you come in and meet our people, you’ll know that we make a difference, and any client will quickly see that the knowledge and guidance provided by our associates is what sets us apart.”

Corum agreed, saying, “We have always operated with the philosophy that we can ‘out-product’ a smaller bank, and we can ‘out-service’ a larger bank.” Meaning, their staff makes the effort to provide a personalized touch to every customer coming into their branches, from managing assets and succession to setting up a child’s first account or planning for college.

“We want to assist our clients in building secure futures because we really believe whether it’s an individual, or a small business, or a large company,” Stabler said, “if they’re successful, the community will be successful. So, we like to play a part in all of that.”

Another policy that sets the bank apart from competitors is that the Capital City Bank Foundation supports local nonprofits and encourages their associates to volunteer within their communities. One of the bank’s fundamental principles lies in the notion that building a strong community will create a strong bank.

Corum and Stabler are optimistic about the bank’s future on the coast.

“We have operated in North Florida for 129 years,” Corum stated, “and I think that gives us a little bit of a competitive edge at times because I think we understand what North Florida looks like. Obviously, the Emerald Coast complexion is a little different, but at its core, it is still North Florida, and we think we can put together a successful franchise in that area that’s complementary to what we have done for the last 129 years.”

Stabler agreed, adding, “This area continues to experience strong growth, and we believe these communities embrace our approach to banking. The counties have grown tremendously, and we believe they will continue to grow, which creates great opportunities for us on the banking side to grow with them.”

A name is a defining feature. Often, it establishes a reputation and equates to an understanding before business proceedings even begin. Loyalty Credit Union is a company whose intentions and expectations are understood from its name.

In August of 2023, Central Credit Union of Florida officially announced their new name as Loyalty Credit Union. This decision came after much deliberation and consideration from the credit union’s board, leadership, staff and members.

“As we discussed who we are and what we do, the word loyal kept coming up,” said Lisa Brown, president and CEO of Loyalty Credit Union. “It’s a reciprocal relationship where we are loyal to our members and they are loyal to us.”

This member and community loyalty dates back to 1936 for Tallahassee Leon Credit Union and 1962 for Central Credit Union​ of Florida. Eventually, the name evolved to Central Credit Union of Florida serving Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Washington, Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Franklin and Duval counties for over 60 years.

In January of 2022, Brown, who had been CEO of Tallahassee Leon Credit Union, merged the two credit unions, bringing together two entities that held long histories. The merging of the two credit unions brought an awareness of employee loyalty, as many employees had been with the company for 20 to 50 years.

Being a community-minded credit union, they strive to help those who are most loyal to their communities — first responders. Loyalty Credit Union is a proud financial partner to the Florida Sheriffs Association, providing services to deputies across the state.

As a full-service financial institution that is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), they provide services that include checking, savings, retirement planning, investment services, loans, credit cards and more. With the merger and a new name, Brown is looking forward to being able to expand their business-lending services, especially to small businesses.

Whether you are a couple seeking out a small business loan to begin your first bakery or a longtime business owner beginning your transition into retirement, Loyalty Credit Union desires to set you up for financial success.

Helping members achieve their financial goals has been the mission and vision that Brown has advocated for ever since obtaining her first credit union job at the age of 17. In her 30 years since, she has traveled worldwide, from conferences in Belfast to speaking as the first female commencement speaker at the African Credit Union Development Educators Program in Nairobi, promoting the fundamental importance of credit unions.

“My travels have changed my life giving me a deep awareness and appreciation of the power that having access to savings, to capital, to starting your own business can have to fundamentally change communities,” said Brown. “It inspires me to make change within my own community. Those are the kinds of things this credit union is passionate about.”

LoyaltyCU.org

Capital City Bank Group’s future branch location at the WaterSound Town Center in South Walton is taking shape.

Construction workers were on the job Wednesday when Capital City Bank Group (CCGB) and the St. Joe Company joined in a “groundbreaking” ceremony that had been scheduled for March, but was postponed due to the weather.

So, the groundbreaking was more of a celebration of construction progress.

CCBG president/CEO Bill Smith said he was grateful for the bank group’s partnership with St. Joe and said leaders from both organizations have done a “wonderful job” in bringing about the new branch office.

“On April 1, we started our 128th year in the banking business,” Smith said. “We’ve got two areas we’re expanding to, and this was first on the list.”

With $4.3 billion in assets, CCBG is among the largest publicly traded financial holding companies in Florida, and currently boasts 57 banking locations in Florida and Georgia.

The new bank faces U.S. Highway 98 and is located at the entrance to Watersound Origins. It will be situated next door to a Publix Supermarket, which is also under construction.

“Capital City Bank has had great success expanding across Northwest Florida and this ideal location at Watersound Town Center will provide an even greater ability for them to serve customers throughout the market,” Dan Velazquez, St. Joe’s senior vice president of commercial real estate, said in a prepared statement.

“Throughout recent years, we’ve followed St. Joe through some of their growth and have offices in a lot of their locations,” said CCBG Walton County president Stephen Stabler. “We’ve got a very good working relationship with St. Joe.”

Stabler said that CCBG’s growth relates closely to that of St. Joe. In addition to its new location at Watersound Origins, the bank will be establishing an office at the massive Latitude Margaritaville Watersound development.

“What we’re seeing down here is that a lot of out-of-town people are making this area their home,” Stabler said. “We’re looking forward to continuing our community banking approach that focuses on relationship banking and really making a difference in the communities that we serve.”

Stabler said that the new CCBG location at the Watersound Town Center is projected to open by the end of the year. Smith joked that it will open its doors for the first time on Friday.

Which Friday has yet to be determined.

courtesy of OEV and Blueprint

As Tallahassee and Leon County have learned over the past few decades, it makes sense to mind your pennies.

Three different times since 1989, voters have approved adding a penny per dollar to the local sales tax to fund major road improvements and other infrastructure projects. With each iteration of the tax, local leaders, residents and staff members have refined the process, creatively planning together on how to get the most bang for those pennies.

And there are a lot of pennies. In the third vote in 2014, voters agreed to extend the tax for another 20 years — from 2020 to 2040 — which is expected to generate revenues estimated at $756 million.

Most counties in Florida also have approved an extra tax for improvements, most using them for roadways and facilities such as jails. Tallahassee-Leon County did much the same when the tax was first approved for 1989-1999. The money raised was divvied up between the city and county and used to pay for the Leon County Jail and major upgrades to Blairstone Road, Capital Circle Northeast and other roadway projects in the community.

Bruce Palmer Autumn Calder, planning manager at Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, helps bring projects such as the award-winning Cascades Park in downtown Tallahassee to fruition.

In the run-up to the second vote held in 1999, a citizen’s group called the Economic Environmental Consensus Committee (EECC) favored the penny-per-dollar tax being extended but asked for more citizen oversight about the projects the penny would be used to build. “That’s when Blueprint 2000 was born,” says Autumn Calder, planning manager for what is now known as the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency.

Also born was a “holistic” philosophy. This joint city-county effort would leverage the penny by partnering with other public entities and private developers to take a single improvement — a roadway, a stormwater pond or the like — and layer multiple benefits for the betterment of the community as a whole.

One of the biggest Blueprint 2000 projects was the widening of Capital Circle Southeast. Already in the plans for the Florida Department of Transportation, “for every one dollar that we spent of local sales tax revenues, we were able to obtain three dollars from the state to put toward the road improvements,” said Calder. “What we were able to do with that one dollar was implement the Blueprint holistic philosophy,” so stormwater ponds became visual amenities instead of eyesores, a multiple-use trail was added and the right of way was widened to be able to accommodate traffic for at least the next 50 years. “These are things that we as a community identified as priorities and were willing to fund through the sales tax,” is how she explained it.

Perhaps the most well-received project funded during the 15 years of Blueprint 2000 was downtown’s Cascades Park. Attempting to solve major drainage and flooding problems, a massive amount of stormwater storage would be required. But rather than just digging a holding pond, Blueprint money was used to create a 24-acre urban park that includes an amphitheater, walking trails, waterfall, memorials, playground, landscaping, dancing fountain and play area, and Florida’s prime meridian marker — the point from which all surveys in Florida begin.

It was immediately popular and reinvigorated a downtown area that was previously deserted after business hours.

After its 2014 opening, Cascades Park would go on to win two prestigious national awards from the American Public Works Association and the National Recreation and Park Association and serve as an inspiration statewide.

“Going around to other communities, you can see everybody’s starting to … take their stormwater ponds and turn them into amenities, like Depot Park in Gainesville,” Calder said. “The Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency and the citizen’s committee were so visionary in establishing this holistic philosophy. That was very innovative at the time, and now it’s not necessarily innovative anymore because all of these other communities are doing it.

“One of our biggest challenges … moving into these next 20 years is to continue to implement innovative approaches into our community projects,” she continued. “That’s the forward-thinking vision that Blueprint has always embodied and will continue to embrace into the next round of projects. That’s exciting.”

Although the latest tax approved doesn’t kick in until 2020, Blueprint still has its hands full, finishing up the Blueprint 2000 to-do list and ramping up for the 27 projects already earmarked for funding in the future.

courtesy of OEV and Blueprint / Adam Cohen

Penny sales-tax revenue added to state transportation funds enabled the widening of Capital Circle Southeast to be not only utilitarian for motor vehicles but also beautiful and useful to pedestrians and cyclists.

The 2020 list (see sidebar on previous page) was recently prioritized. No. 1 on the list is the completion of widening Capital Circle Southwest near Tallahassee International Airport. It was originally supposed to be a Blueprint 2000 project but was scuttled for years when sales tax revenues dropped during the Great Recession.

Unlike the previous two taxes, the 2020 plans earmark 12 percent of the money raised for economic development. With some funds set aside for the airport and a planned convention center, there will be an estimated $54 million allotted to the newly created Office of Economic Vitality. Also a joint city-county effort, OEV mirrors Blueprint’s holistic attitude to growing business by not only trying to attract businesses from outside the area, but also by working to help existing businesses connect, grow and prosper.

Calder said the 2020 program has more diversity that will “physically touch more parts of the community and … improve our quality of life by creating more spaces for people to live, work, play and connect.”

Even though the first funds won’t be generated for more than two years, the Blueprint team is already laying the groundwork for projects.

“One of the things we’re starting to think about now is the community and the outreach, how critical it is to start building relationships with the communities that (will be) impacted by our projects,” Calder said. By visiting neighborhood associations, businesses and others, they will learn who the local contacts are and their concerns. When it is time to sit down and start drawing up plans in the future, “we have something to start from,” she said. “It’s going to take some work, but I think we’re up to the task.”

Big-ticket Blueprint-funded projects

Water quality and stormwater improvements (annual allocations) $85 million

Widen Capital Circle Southwest $70 million

Airport Gateway: Springhill Road and Lake Bradford Road $58.7 million

Northwest Connector Corridor: Widen Tharpe Street $53.2 million

Sidewalks (annual allocations) $50 million

Northeast Gateway Welaunee Critical Area Plan Regional Infrastructure $47.3 million

Northeast Connector Corridor: Widen Bannerman Road $33.3 million

Orange Avenue: Widen from Adams Street to Springhill Road $33.1 million

The Blueprint Governmental Agency breaks down the 27 projects into these five general descriptions.

Gateways
Entryways to different parts of the community that “foster a unique sense of place.”

Community Enhancement
Projects that create special urban places which foster a sense of community, mostly what they call “placemaking.”

Connectivity
Projects to improve and expand local roads, with funds allocated for entry points to Florida A&M University, sidewalks, greenways, bike routes and enhancements to the bus system.

Quality of Life
Projects that promote public recreation and ecotourism while protecting and preserving the community’s environment and natural resources.

Regional Mobility
Creating a holistic transportation network that includes air, mass transit, automobiles, bikes and pedestrians.

For in-depth descriptions of the projects and to view an interactive map, visit leonpenny.org.