Fifth Third Bank Invests $20M into Opportunity Zones

Fifth Third Bank invested over $20M into the Opportunity Zone initiative in Illinois. They invested into the Chicago region through the Opportunity Zone program because it is designed to bring public and private dollars to designated communities that have suffered from disinvestment over the years. There are 135 opportunity zones designated…

Flo Rida comes to Florida to open a Distillery in Opportunity Zones

The rapper, singer and songwriter is partnering with Fort Lauderdale businessman Victor G. Harvey Sr. to create Victor George Vodka, a partnership that includes building a distillery in the Sistrunk neighborhood.Flo Rida, whose reaSource: therealdeal.comFlo Rida is planning to open a distillery in Fort Lauderdale's #OpportunityZones. "Instead of popping bottles,…

Starbucks in Opportunity Zones

Starbucks Commits to Opening 85 Community Stores in Opportunity Zones: Wow, what exciting news. Starbucks has committed to opening 85 new locations in #OpportunityZones! They are looking to expand through Washington State and California. Starbucks launched a Community Store Program initiative 5 years ago, and now Starbucks is announcing it will increase its commitment to…

INSIGHT: Opportunity Zones—Final Regulations and Outlook for 2020

The opportunity zone program—enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at the end of 2017—has led to tens of billions of dollars of investment and development in low-income communities over the past two years. Libin Zhang of Fried Frank walks through some practical considerations and the 2020 outlook for…

Final set of OZ Regulations have been released 

The IRS and Treasury released the final set of regulations for Opportunity ZonesSource: therealdeal.comThe IRS and Treasury released the final set of OZ regulations. This provides investors and developers with a more direct set of rules for opportunity zone investing. Now, the hesitation can begin to resolve itself for those…