Newtown CRA New Director – Onya Bates

BY MWEZI DAKE write4living@yahoo.com

The Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency has a new director, Onya Bates from Panama City which will begin her new duties soon. Bates comes with a long list of qualifications to join the Newtown CRA current staff and she brings a level of enthusiasm to enhance the current staff ’s dedication to Newtown. Rowena Elliot, the current Redevelopment Specialist at Newtown CRA said that the CRA was looking for a candidate that would bring a level of expertise and specifics in County Redevelopment, Elliot said there was a local candidate from the area that had sustainability experience but lacked the experience in CRA with the focus to remove the blight from the Newtown area. Elliot said this was a very important quality for the person to fill the director’s position. Bates earned an Associate degree in Criminology at Gulf Coast State College in 2006, Bachelor of Arts in Criminology at Florida State University in 2014 and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Troy University in 2018. Bates received a Florida Redevelopment Association Certificate Professional. She also managed three CRA districts of Milltown, Downtown and St. Andrews Programs Manager in Panama City. Bates has extensive experience in grant writing, public policy, county and economic development, medication, Citizen Engagement and in Juvenile Diversion programs.

In an interview with Bates she said that her passion and focus is to help and create the areas she works within to promote economic growth, sustainability, affordable and quality housing as well as steady improvements in the area. Bates said she believes that housing should draw people of all income and educational levels to bring an economic growth to Newtown.

When asked why Bates wants to come to Newtown she replied, “Once I started reading through the plans and history of Newtown area, I was thrilled! There is such a rich history in Newtown; I was floored by it when I read it. This is what I’ve been looking for and wanted to do and beapartof.Iwantto be a part of making this county great and I’m aware of the gentrification and have faced the same issues in the area I’m coming from in Panama City.

A lot of times when I brought things to the table, it would be dismissed but I didn’t stop there.

I kept going until we got what we needed in the three CRA districts I served. “Bates said her focus and goals would be to work together with the community and make all of Sarasota a great destination to want to come and visit and Newtown at the top of that list of places to visit. Bates and Elliot both stated that CRA is not into gentrification but of restoration and longevity of the community to continue its’ rich history and importance in the City and State.