Secretary Detzner Designates Lynn Haven Florida Main Street Program of the Month

TALLAHASSEE –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that Lynn Haven Main Street has been designated the Florida Main Street Community of the Month for August 2014. Communities are selected based on their developmental achievements and participation in the Florida Main Street Program.

Since Lynn Haven Main Street’s designation in 2010, the program has had an impressive 64 rehabilitation projects, totaling over $3.2 million. Along with those projects, 38 new downtown businesses have been created, bringing in 73 new jobs in the last four years.

“Lynn Haven is a great community, with so much to offer its residents and surrounding area,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “With events like the Summer Concert Series, the annual Halloween Carnival, and their flourishing Farmer’s Market, the Lynn Haven Main Street program has created a friendly and successful community for everyone to enjoy.”

Completed in 1912, the historic Roberts Hall building is located in the heart of Lynn Haven and restoration began in 2008.

When discussing the Lynn Haven weekly farmer’s market, Lynn Haven Main Street Executive Director Ben Janke was happy to share how successful the growing market has become in recent years.  “Extending the market dates and times from April to December, and opening from 11 am to dusk was an idea that both the vendors and the local community welcomed,” said Janke.  “It has become a very convenient and enjoyable place for locals to support their town.”

Established in 1911, Lynn Haven is the third of three union veteran colonies established in the South.  Similar to Fitzgerald, Georgia and St. Cloud, Florida, Lynn Haven’s location was chosen because of its health, climate, and rich soil.  Mr. W.H. Lynn, an associate of the Grand Army of the Republic Veteran’s Organization, was an investor in the Gulf Coast Development Company, and decided to settle the area for northern veterans of the Civil War. In June 1911, the town’s population was 200, and within five months it numbered over 1,200. The city flourished and attracted so much national media attention that Lynn Haven was known as the “Queen City of the South.”

For more information about Lynn Haven Main Street or the Florida Main Street program visit floridamainstreet.com or facebook.com/FloridaMainStreet.

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About Florida Main Street

Florida Main Street is a program administered by the Division of Historical Resources under the Florida Department of State. By implementing the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach®, Florida Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation through the revitalization of the Florida’s downtowns – the community’s heart and soul. Since the program’s inception in 1985, the Florida Main Street programs have cumulatively created 22,487 jobs, 6,442 new businesses and produced $2.322 billion in reinvestment.