Florida Projects

{{short description|Former housing project located in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana}}

{{Use American English|date=March 2020}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}

{{Infobox housing project

|building name = Florida Avenue Housing Development

|image =

|caption =

|location = New Orleans, LA 70117
{{USA}}

|coordinates =

|status = Partially extant (remodeled in 2005)

|constructed = 1945–1946

|demolished = 1998-2004 (partial)

|governing body = Housing Authority of New Orleans

|famous residents =

}}

Florida Avenue Projects or Florida Projects is a public housing project in the city of New Orleans. The development was built in 1946 on an 18.5-acre tract of land bounded by Florida Avenue and North Dorgenois, Mazant and Gallier streets in the Upper 9th Ward. It contained 47 two- and three-story brick buildings, arranged around courtyards and largely isolated from the rest of the community, for a total of 734 units housing 1,297 residents. Originally built for whites, it was later desegregated and by the 1970s was becoming predominantly a black project. In the mid-1990s, Florida and nearby Desire Projects were dubbed the most violent housing projects in the nation. In 1994, Florida recorded the highest homicide rate of all HANO developments, with 26 slayings, surpassing the 13 killings in Desire which previous held the highest record a year before. The majority of the Florida killings in 1994 were fueled by drug wars, specifically between the notorious Hardy Boys and the Poonie Crew. The homicide spike in Florida and Desire contributed to New Orleans being dubbed "the nation's murder capital".{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-07-mn-43234-story.html |title=Police now the usual suspects in New Orleans: Officers have been tied to killings, including serial slayings. Yet the department has helped slash the murder rate |website=Los Angeles Times |date=September 7, 1995}}{{cite web |title=Housing project razed after decades of unrealized dreams |url=https://azdailysun.com/housing-project-razed-after-decades-of-unrealized-dreams/article_670c9368-8041-5c7c-a65b-00bee0a1cf2d.html |access-date=February 15, 2021 |website=Arizona Daily Sun|date=April 10, 2004 }} That year the city's homicide rate reached 424, 47 of those killings occurring in HANO developments.{{cite news |last=Bragg |first=Rick |title=New Orleans's Hopes Rise As Crime Rate Decreases |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/25/us/new-orleans-s-hopes-rise-as-crime-rate-decreases.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 25, 1995 |access-date=March 29, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}

In 2005, the project was heavily flooded in Hurricane Katrina and was partly demolished by the end of that year. One half of the complex was remodeled.{{cite web |last= |first= |title=HANO to build 51 new units at Florida public housing development |url=https://www.nola.com/news/politics/hano-to-build-51-new-units-at-florida-public-housing-development/article_3fe7df09-d84b-55f9-a1de-1d8ffdddf1ef.html |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=NOLA.com |date= March 2, 2013|language=en}}