Seaboard Plaza Hopes To Revitalize Black Businesses In Florida

The Black-owned Seaboard Plaza is hoping to revitalize the city of Quincy, Florida.

Seaboard Plaza is the first Black-owned business in Quincy, Florida. Located at 335 Pat Thomas Parkway, the plaza aims to revitalize the struggling area, according to WCTV.

According to the World Population, Quincy has a population of 7,943. Nearly half of the city’s citizens, 46.68%, live at or below the poverty line. The revitalization of the center will help the town’s bottom line.

Gadsden County Economic Development Director T.J. Lewis expressed his hope that the project would help Quincy generate income and revenue for Quincy.

“This helps employ local people. This helps keep local money local and not take it out of town. This also provides convenience to people,” Lewis said.

General contractor Latasha Murray, a Gadsden County native, shared similar objectives for the project. She has witnessed the plaza’s decline since the 1980s after it once thrived with businesses.

“They had many other businesses here back in the day,” Murray told the outlet. “So, we’re adopting some of that business trend here at Seaboard Plaza. We’re bringing back the great history.”

The plaza is being constructed with the community’s needs in mind. Seaboard aims not only to provide an economic boost but also to fill service and product gaps for local residents.

“We considered what people in Gadsden County wanted,” Murray said. “Restaurants were one of the main requests, along with cleaners, since we don’t have one here in Quincy right now.”

Once complete, Seaboard Plaza will offer a range of goods and services, including:

A food court
A barbershop
A hair salon
Dry cleaners
Construction and real estate offices
A full-scale restaurant with a private bar room
An event venue

The plaza will also feature office space where local youth can receive construction and real estate job training. It will also host summer programs for the city of Quincy’s youth.

Developers hope the project begins a trend of expansion for the neighboring I-10 interstate.