Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee Recognizes Florida Main Street Day Celebration

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee recognizes January 18, as this year’s Florida Main Street Day. The purpose of Florida Main Street Day is to raise awareness of the local, statewide, and national Main Street programs and celebrate their accomplishments and achievements.

“I am thrilled to recognize this year’s Florida Main Street Day,” said Secretary Lee. “Our Main Streets have proven to be vital in protecting and revitalizing our state’s historic downtowns and commercial corridors, and I look forward to their continued success.”

Originally developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and now overseen by Main Street America, Main Street programs work to revitalize historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial corridors by encouraging economic development within the context of historic preservation. By preserving unique historical and cultural assets, building community pride, and supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship, the local Main Streets help to create an inclusive, welcoming environment for all to enjoy.

Florida is home to two Coordinating Programs, Florida Main Street and Orlando Main Streets, and they collectively oversee 65 local Main Street programs throughout the state.

“In DeLand, the Main Street Approach® has created broad community support through partnerships with stakeholders. Revitalization efforts have established an environment for businesses to be successful, which illustrates the value of the program to communities across the state” said Wayne Carter, Executive Director of MainStreet DeLand Association.

“Allapattah is proudly the only Main Street program in the City of Miami. Although we believe there are other groups that need these resources, we are excited to pioneer this community-driven and community-focused development effort,” said Francesca Escoto, Director of Economic Development and Strategy of The Allapattah Collaborative, CDC. “The sun shines bright in the future of Allapattah. Thanks to Main Street for a great model for us to follow.”

“The Orlando Main Streets program is one of the city’s most successful initiatives to-date, having invested more than $1.39 billion into Orlando’s local economy since the program’s inception in 2008 and adding more than 1,500 new small businesses and 9,000 new jobs and opportunities for our residents,” said City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Our city is now home to 11 districts that define Orlando’s local culture, architecture, art and cuisine, and create a sense of local pride and ownership that is evident throughout our community.” 

“The Florida Main Street program and Main Street Bartow has a huge impact on the downtown district providing programs and events which brings in revenue to the downtown businesses as well as providing awareness of what our downtown has to offer the community,” said Linda Holcomb, Executive Director of Main Street Bartow.

To learn more about Florida Main Street or find your local Main Street program, visit FloridaMainStreet.com or Facebook.com/FloridaMainStreet.

To learn more about Orlando Main Streets, visit OrlandoMainStreets.com or Facebook.com/OrlandoMainStreets.

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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, which currently oversees 54 communities throughout the 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 Florida’s downtowns – the community’s heart and soul.