In the fall of 1985, the two-lane road that had been a path lined with orange groves had become the major corridor through Carrollwood: North Dale Mabry Highway. The growth of new businesses in the Carrollwood area had created the need to widen our corridor from two-lanes to four-lanes.

Among those business owners were 16 concerned members of our community who had witnessed business closures during the widening of Waters Avenue, and they were concerned that the Dale Mabry widening would hurt local business.

The group contacted the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and a business to government partnership was formed, leading to one of the first major states of Florida construction projects completed almost solely at night.

The successful partnership with FDOT was not the end; it was the beginning of the Carrollwood Area Business Association (CABA) whose founder, John Baumann, noted that this small group had begun to pass referrals among each other. In the Spring of 1986, CABA became a volunteer-run business association with the sole purpose of helping members grow their business. Their slogan was “We helped ourselves by helping others.”

35 years later, CABA continues to connect businesses with each other and with our community.