Main Street Program
Florida Main Street
Program of the Month
February 2011 Program of the Month
Kissimmee Main Street
Kissimmee Main Street Designated Florida Main Street Program of the Month
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning announced today that Kissimmee Main Street has been designated the Florida Main Street Program of the Month for February 2011. Selection for this award is based on a record of active participation in the Florida Main Street Program.
"Kissimmee Main Street has been an exemplary program with exceptional leadership and community involvement," said Secretary Browning. "Residents and visitors alike benefit from successes of this revitalization effort which has enhanced the city's downtown."
Kissimmee is well known for its nearby tourism attractions and outdoor recreation opportunities. Incorporated in 1883, the city's thriving downtown offers ample pedestrian shopping areas, rehabilitated historic buildings, and provides a venue for community events and celebrations.
Kissimmee Main Street, along with the Downtown Kissimmee Area Council and the Osceola County Historical Society, has embraced the community's 127-year history and heritage as an agricultural and ranching center. In addition to its role as Florida's cattle capital, in the late 1800s the city became a shipbuilding hub when developer Hamilton Disston dredged the Kissimmee River and established his headquarters in Kissimmee. For the next 40 years, steamboats chugged from Lake "Toho" (Tohopekaliga) and downtown Kissimmee to the Gulf, and on to ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and to Cuba. The opening of Dixie Highway in 1916 linked Florida with the rest of the nation, marking the end of Kissimmee's steamboat shipping trade and the beginning of sprawl development and an eventual period of dormancy for downtown.
At the 2010 Annual Florida Main Street Secretary of State Awards Dinner, Kissimmee Main Street won a Merit Award for Outstanding Image Campaign or Promotional Material, for their Historic Walking Tour and Visitor Guide.
Since its designation as a Florida Main Street Community in 1997, Kissimmee's downtown has experienced an exciting rebirth, with 400 construction and rehabilitation projects totaling more than $30.5 million worth of investment, 259 business openings, and 587 new job creations. In addition, volunteers have donated over 12,200 hours of their time to meetings and events.
About Florida Main Street
Florida Main Street is a technical assistance program of the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State. The Bureau conducts statewide programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, and preserving Florida's historical resources. Main Street, with its emphasis on preservation, is an effective strategy for achieving these goals in Florida's historic retail districts. Since 1985, the Bureau has offered manager training, consultant team visits, design and other technical assistance, as well as the benefit of experience gained by other Florida Main Street programs.
To learn more about Kissimmee Main Street, visit the organization's website at www.kissimmeemainstreet.com or contact Cheryl Fish at 407.846.4643 or contact by e-mail at info@kissimmeemainstreet.com.
