The Coral Springs City Commission approved a $50,000 reimbursement grant for a Perf Opco LLC tenant renovating a storefront at Coral Square Mall, voting 4-1 on the Economic Development Incentive Program grant application on March 17.

The grant covers a portion of a project the presenter described as “over $100,000” that will demolish the current storefront and install new windows, doors, paint, electrical work and flooring; the applicant qualified for the program’s full $50,000 reimbursement.

The vote followed more than 20 minutes of discussion about program priorities and equity. Commissioner Sarah questioned whether awarding $50,000 to a single tenant in the mall was the best use of annual grant funding and asked staff to hold funds in reserve in case multiple Simon Mall tenants apply within the same fiscal year. Commissioner Sarah said she was concerned about fairness if several applicants apply “in the same year” and urged the commission to consider visibility and citywide impact when prioritizing grants. She said she was “casting my vote with concern for the future.”

Staff said the city’s building exterior improvement program was revised in a prior September meeting to include demolition and interior storefront work, and that this is the first grant under that amended program. Economic development staff said the city budgets $250,000 annually for the program. Staff noted that $94,000 from previously approved grants remains allocated to earlier projects that span multiple fiscal years and that, if approved, approximately $200,000 would remain available in the current fiscal year for additional awards.

Commissioners who supported the grant said the tenant (Perfumania) and the mall owner have financial commitment to the project. One commissioner noted that the tenant’s total project cost exceeds the grant amount, indicating “skin in the game,” and that the storefront is located near the south entrance to the mall where improvements will be visible to mall patrons. The commission member who seconded the motion explained staff had included a “callback provision” if the tenant vacates the space before full reimbursement occurs.

The motion to approve was made and seconded; the vote carried 4-1. The transcript does not record named roll-call votes. The approval authorizes reimbursement under the city’s building exterior improvement program and does not itself alter the program rules.

The commission’s discussion distinguished between questions and requests for future policy direction (how to prioritize and ensure equity among applicants) and the present formal action (approval of this single applicant’s reimbursement). Staff agreed to continue administering the program and to monitor pending applications and multi-year allocations.

Votes at the meeting included other items; those are summarized in a companion “Votes at a glance” article.