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Image Source: Lakeland Economic Development Council
For people strolling the vibrant sidewalks of downtown Lakeland, Florida today, it’s hard to see the evolution that has taken place over the last 20 years.
“Lakeland was absolutely dead with lots of vacancies,” said Mayor Bill Mutz, about the scene he witnessed when moving to the area in 1996.
There was no place to grab dinner on a Sunday afternoon and few options to pick up a last-minute present or take care of any business. There were some warehouses and industrial centers, as well as well-respected colleges. But otherwise, it was just on a “steady, mid-size town trajectory, which is normal and acceptable,” said Mayor Mutz.
About 15 years ago, all of that started to change. Today, Lakeland is the heart of the fastest-growing county in Florida, Polk County, and the fifth fastest-growing area in the United States. What was once a sleepy bedroom community between Tampa and Orlando is now a vibrant destination all its own.
Throughout and around downtown, there are coffee shops, restaurants, breweries, specialty shops, and residential developments that make it a place where people want to live, work, and play. It’s a magnet for young professionals, entrepreneurs, and companies — including Publix Supermarkets, which recently decided to add 2,000 more jobs to its local corporate headquarters.
In fact, the city’s turnaround was so dramatic that they expect nearly double the population, from around 260,000 in 2024 to a half-million people, by 2035, according to Mayor Mutz.
The community and elected officials are ready for the growth, thanks to years of envisioning, planning, and investing to create the kind of redevelopment that is supported by and benefits the residents.
“We want to be a city that honors everyone. It means you make much more human-centric decisions as a city,” Mayor Mutz said.
Image Source: Visit Central Florida
Brian Rewis, the director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Lakeland, said the work began
at the end of the Great Recession, which impacted downtowns throughout the nation. Back then, he oversaw the city’s housing and code enforcement. He dealt with a lot of abandonment and foreclosures.
That’s when the elected officials started working with the Lakeland Economic Development Council, a private-sector funded nonprofit dedicated to recruiting new businesses and supporting the existing industries.
Those business owners invited the elected officials to visit cities throughout the nation that were doing a great job of growing their tax base with high-wage, high-skill jobs in a responsible, attractive way. By touring Nashville, San Diego, and other successful communities, their mindsets started to shift.
“It’s really been an evolution of attitudes and expectations,” Rewis said. “Our city’s vision is a vibrant, culturally inclusive, world-class community. That vibrancy in the urban core became central to that vision, particularly where under-utilized, very valuable downtown land was concerned.”
As part of the early transformation, Lakeland’s EDC opened Catapult in 2014. The Catapult project was designed to attract entrepreneurs to launch their businesses in Lakeland. Within three months, 100 people were incubating companies.
By 2019, the growth of Lakeland really took off. Developers, attracted in part by private-public partnerships, incentives, and funding packages, built multi-family residential communities near downtown. New lights and traffic patterns were installed throughout the city, and empty storefronts were replaced with hip spots that made downtown a fun place to hang out.
Rewis credits the city’s use of tax increment funding, which allowed for redevelopment incentives in the numerous community redevelopment areas throughout Lakeland. Revenue from new projects go back into the same geographic area, such as downtown and midtown, creating opportunities for facade improvements, adaptive reuse projects, and public art murals.
At the same time, Mayor Mutz said work began to ensure adequate housing and infrastructure were available to the new residents they were looking to attract. For example, they used a federal block grant program called State Housing Initiative Partnership to encourage developers to build more affordable housing. City officials also recently allocated $1.4 million from the American Rescue Plan Act as incentives for developers focused on affordable housing.
One big success they’ve had is enhancing the parks throughout the city and creating connecting pedestrian and bike trails.
“We win hugely in parks. We are a park leader across the state,” Mayor Mutz said. “You want your downtown to be fun without it being disruptive and disorderly. We want places for people to play responsibly.”
Today, a farmer’s market takes place weekly, and a “First Friday” artisan market event brings even more people downtown. Residents and visitors alike head to Lakeland for art events at the RP Funding Center, Lakeland Community Theatre, and the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra, as well as two venues downtown. There’s a food truck rally and even a new food hall called The Joinery.
Image Source: Visit Central Florida
Of course, challenges remain — but the elected officials are working to address concerns that impact their community head-on. For example, they invested in police force training and were early adopters of body cameras to ensure fairness for everyone.
They also focused early on affordable housing, which has quickly become one of the biggest challenges for many cities throughout the nation, especially in Florida. Elected officials worked closely with the nonprofit community, which helps homeless people get their needs met. They also partnered with private developers, who were passing over the town for other municipalities with incentive packages.
“Having homes is a baseline for honoring people,” the mayor said. “When we changed for the right incentives, we weren’t passed over (anymore). We have 1,200 apartments that aren’t even started yet, plus another 5,000 homes.”
Transportation also remains a concern. The Downtown Development Association, which is supported by local business owners, funded a golf cart that serves as a people mover around downtown at night. Lakeland planners are working on enhancing walkability and bike trails, too.
Mayor Mutz also said he hopes Brightline, a passenger railway, will decide to put their Polk County station at Florida Polytechnic University, which is a 20-minute drive from Lakeland’s popular 168-acre Bonnet Springs Park.
“Private sector partnerships aren’t just important, they are vital to community success,” Rewis said, adding that the official policy decisions can only work to encourage and leverage private investment.
In the meantime, some roadways remain clogged — and funding for big investments in infrastructure is something officials continue to seek. But the changes in Lakeland aren’t just economic, the mayor added.
“People centricity is a tough commodity in a world that can be as polarizing as our world can be today,” he said. “This is about investment in human beings 10 years out. You have to put your money and your heart where your mouth is. It’s hard work.”
