January 2007 to February 2017, Chloe Coney served as District Director for Congresswoman Kathy Castor, who represents the 14th District of Florida.  She managed the District Office that covers parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

 

In May 2006, Chloe Coney retired as the Founder/President of Corporation to Develop Communities to run for Hillsborough County Commission District 3 in a very close race.  She was the Founder and the First Chief Executive Officer.  Chloe successfully implemented her strategic vision for CDC of Tampa to be a community-based and community-owned nonprofit development corporation whose mission is to raise the economic, educational, and social levels of residents in economically depressed areas across Tampa and throughout Hillsborough County. 

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This is currently being done by creating jobs, providing job training, building community pride, promoting entrepreneurship, developing youth leadership, revitalizing commercial areas, and building affordable housing.

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CDC Of Tampa's Nehemiah Community Building “Brick by Brick” Project has spent more than a decade providing community and economic development services to East Tampa bringing $25 million in public/private ventures to the community.  Under Mrs. Coney’s leadership, CDC of Tampa successfully built a 2,700 sq. ft Laundromat and Ice Cream Shop run by the area’s youth, rehabilitated an old bar into a 5,000 sq. ft. Youth and Family Center and created an East Tampa Business Center, which houses six small businesses.  She also operated a One Stop Capital Center (24,000 sq. ft.) that was sold to Suncoast Federal Credit Union. The last project was a $3 million building that was named the Chloe Coney Urban Enterprise Center on Hillsborough Avenue--which houses CDC of Tampa's administrative offices.

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The nonprofit corporation (CDC of Tampa) enjoyed local, state, and national recognition for its revitalization and economic developments, which includes an Urban Infill Tax Credit Apartment Complex of 43 units of affordable housing for families.  The CDC has also built 30 new single-family homes.

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Previously, Mrs. Coney was the Center Manager of the Lee Davis Neighborhood Service Center, the largest (36,000 square feet) “One Stop Social and Medical Center” in Hillsborough County, Florida.  As the Manager of the Center, Mrs. Coney led the effort to restore a sense of pride, ownership, and community in Tampa’s East side neighborhoods.  She has served as the Seed Coordinator for the Department of Justice Tampa Weed and Seed Program.  She has also worked as the first black female Probation and Parole Officer with the Department of Corrections (1972); Intake Counselor/Mediator with the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Hillsborough County; and Marketing Representative for Florida Power, Inc.

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A thirty year veteran and advocate for community building and revitalizing of neighborhoods, she conducts workshops across the country.  She also speaks at Women’s retreats and churches about Christian Community Economic Development.  Mrs. Coney was featured in the “Beyond the Comfort Zone” section of the book God Just Showed Up: “Stories of Hope In Everyday Experiences” by Linda Watkins.

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She has a B.A. in Sociology/Corrections from Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, FL and a Master’s Degree in Biblical Counseling from Florida Beacon Bible College in Largo, FL.  She completed courses on Community, Housing and Economic Development from Development Training Institute (DTI), Neighborhood Leadership Development Institute (NCCED), NeighborWorks America, and the Bank of America Leadership Academy.  She received her Honorary Doctorate Degree from Blessed Hope Bible College, Tampa, Florida. Mrs. Coney is married to Pastor Ernest Coney Sr., Senior Pastor of Spirit of Truth Ministries, and is the proud mother of three lovely children.

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Mrs. Coney is often described as "the woman who wears many hats." Also acknowledged as the "Mother of Economic Development," Chloe has helped to mentor other CDC’s including the University Area CDC, the Greater Palm River CDC, and West Tampa CDC.

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