TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A joint city-county board will soon consider whether or not to give cash grants to 51 retail based businesses in the Market District because of prolonged construction in the area.<\/p>\n
The item will come back for consideration before the Blueprint board in June, Leon County Commissioner Brian Welch said. Under his proposal, which is not set in stone, each business would receive about $10,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy idea for the Blueprint board was to explore creating a program to create some gap financing, some kind of an impact fund that can help make some of these retail and restaurant establishments whole during this construction process,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n
Blueprint administers a one-cent sales tax paid on purchases across Leon County, and the board includes each and every city and county commissioner plus the mayor.<\/p>\n
Former Mayor Dot Inman-Johnson, who is now in charge of watchdog group Citizens for Government Accountability, said she supports the idea with conditions. Namely, she said Blueprint will need to set parameters over the payments and ensure the rules apply equally to less affluent neighborhoods like Frenchtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support it with parameters… businesses should have to show that there was actually an impact on them,\u201d Inman-Johnson said.<\/p>\n
She added that if Blueprint changes its rules to support the Market District, they should also be receptive to asks for public housing money or other direct assistance to residents. In general, Blueprint is limited to the projects and areas voters approved when passing the tax, though they have made exceptions, Inman-Johnson explained.<\/p>\n
More Tallahassee news: <\/p>\n
Welch said the June item would determine if the assistance is already permitted or if internal Blueprint codes would need to be changed. He added that saving retail jobs is just as important as generating new business, and that many Market District shops have taken a hit because foot traffic is lower.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve had to lay off employees,\u201d he said. \u201cParticularly the restaurant industry, obviously they\u2019ve got Gordo\u2019s back here. You got Sage right here. You got Chicken Salad Chick. Just to name a few, there\u2019s a lot of restaurants and retail in this sector. And those are the ones that are hurt the most because they need foot traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those businesses had complained publicly<\/a> that construction in the area was taking too long. In response to those concerns, the City of Tallahassee agreed to speed up the timeline<\/a>, especially to re-open Maclay Commerce Drive by \u201clate summer\u201d of this year. <\/p>\n The Market District Association also supports the subsidy plan.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely the businesses would welcome that. It has to be applied evenly. And not only to businesses on the edge of the park but must include the businesses on Market Street,\u201d Serena Moyle, President of the Market District Association.<\/p>\n Moyle said much of the discussion has focused only on shops that are directly next to the torn up roads, but said the detours are impacting many more.<\/p>\n Even if Blueprint assistance comes too late to help the Market District, Welch said Blueprint could consider expanding the program to other areas of town. The capital city has often experienced major construction projects on Capital Circle and Apalachee Parkway.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n