Tallahassee commission reviews five‑year strategic plan with focus on Southside, housing and infrastructure

Tallahassee commissioners met at a retreat to review the city’s second five‑year strategic plan and hear department updates on housing, infrastructure and community programs.

City Manager and Dr. Thomas Whitley framed the retreat as an accountability milestone for the plan, which the administration says integrates the Southside Action Plan into the city’s performance dashboard. Dr. Whitley introduced the strategic‑innovation team and said the presentation was meant to “give a glimpse” of the broad work across departments.

The economic‑development presentation noted 5,200 net new jobs in 2025 and roughly 1.5 million square feet of new commercial space permitted last year, while airport economic impact rose from $399 million in 2014 to $859 million in 2023 and is targeted to reach $1.25 billion in future analyses. The city reported a 2.39‑day average permitting turnaround for residential construction and 2,200 new residential units completed in 2025, about a quarter of which were on the South Side; staff identified the Ridge Road Flats project as a 400‑unit affordable housing development on the South Side.

On housing affordability and poverty, Cristela outlined workforce and education programs the city supports, including TFLA and the Temple program (which she said produced 136 graduates, including 111 GED recipients). The presentation highlighted 6,933 homes that received energy‑efficiency assistance and 104 homes repaired or rehabilitated in 2025; staff said 7,500 free monthly transit trips were provided to K–12 students to remove transportation barriers to education.

Several commissioners pressed staff to show whether these investments move broader poverty measures. “Are we tracking whether poverty is actually declining?” Commissioner Porter asked; staff and other officials replied that the city is one actor among many and that the strategic‑plan metrics focus on areas the city can influence directly while acknowledging broader measures like the ALICE reports.

Utility and infrastructure updates included a $24 million investment in potable water system improvements, $9.6 million in pedestrian and street‑safety grants, and nearly $13 million in federal and state funds for public‑transit modernization. The presentation also noted the Southside Transit Center is scheduled to open later this year.

What’s next: staff said semiannual updates will appear on the city’s online performance dashboard and that the commission will continue to review targets and adjust them where necessary as results and funding evolve.