Development

Evinston resident Ashley Wood is spending his retirement completely renovating his more than 100-year-old home. The house was built by Evinston’s founder, an ancestor of Wood, and has stayed in the family for generations.

Three separate proposals were submitted by Gainesville entrepreneurs with the hopes of being chosen to open their restaurant in Bo Diddley Community Plaza. The Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency hopes to choose a new restaurant by the end of the year, according to Lynn Janoski, the city manager with the Gainesville CRA.

Annual chowder contest brings huge crowds to St. Augustine, Florida. Around 30 restaurants participated in the 31st Great Chowder Debate to raise funds for the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Halloween pop-up stores provide temporary work, but are also a year-round business. Americans are expected to spend more than $7 billion on Halloween costumes and decorations this year.

An amendment designed to annex more than 1,000 acres of land into Hawthorne continues to move forward. Should the amendment succeed, up to 2.8 million square feet for industrial space and 150,000 square feet for commercial space could be developed, but at a consequence to natural wetlands.

East Gainesville has experienced declining population and limited economic investments since the 1960s, but the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce is looking to tap into its economic potential. The chamber wants to address income disparity by diversifying job opportunities in the region.

Trenton High School's old gymnasium will finally receive the funding it needs to be restored. The gym now awaits repair at Trenton Elementary School.

Over the past 20 years, Newberry's population has grown from around 1,500 to 5,000. With 40 new businesses and 2,000 new jobs, people are moving to Newberry rather than commuting elsewhere.

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Kilwins Jacksonville was recognized as an Exceptional Employer on Oct. 7 at Tallahassee City Hall. Dana Stallings, owner of Kilwins Jacksonville, has made it a mission to consistently employ people with disabilities. Not only does employment benefit people with disabilities, but it also benefits their co-workers, she said.