The diverse, 4-square mile city sits north of I-4 near Haines City and has more than tripled from a population of 2,888 in 2010 to more than 9,000 in 2020, according to U.S. Census data. And it’s still growing.

City Manager Kelly Callihan said about 100 new families move to Davenport each month. In November 2021, permits were approved for 96 single-family homes, a slow month, he said. The average is about 125. “We’re just growing really, really fast.”

Keeping up with that growth means constantly focusing on infrastructure. “When we have this kind of growth, it’s hard to keep up with the utilities,” Callihan said, adding that he is proud of where the city is in that regard.

Davenport just replaced 90,000 feet of old water lines in the old part of town, just east of U.S. 17/92, where pipes were more than 100 years old, he said. The lines in the fast-growing west side of town are all new. 

In the last five or so years, the city has also installed new fire hydrants, valves and meters, built a new fire station and bought a new fire truck. It also bought a $500,000 truck for the utilities department.

“Infrastructure was one of our first challenges, and now it’s all brand new,” Callihan said. “Not a lot of cities can say they have all new water lines and a sewer plant, and they added a new fire station.”

To keep pace with residential growth, the city has added more than 20 new employees and now has 90, he said. Most positions have been added in the fire, police and utilities departments, but the city also added a new building inspector and permit technician. 

“We’re doing everything we can to keep up with the new residents and growth,” he said. 

Education

Polk County Public Schools has also taken note of the growth in Davenport, building three new schools, Callihan said. Those are: 

• Navigator Academy of Leadership, a charter school that opened three years ago and is devoted to a SMART curriculum, one that focuses on Science, Math, Arts, Reading and Technology.
• Davenport Elementary, which was renovated two years ago. At the same time, the district added a new section to the school.
• Davenport High School, which opened this year.

“There certainly was a lot of overcrowding, and the three new schools helped tremendously with the growth that’s going on,” he said. In addition, a middle school is in the planning stages.

Attracting New Businesses

Callihan said the city is continuing to seek more commercial and retail companies. He’s quick to mention one company that’s already there.

J & N Stone on Bargain Barn Road manufactures veneer stones that can be found on many houses and businesses in the area.

“It automated its business and has tripled in size,” he said. “Now, they can make five times what they used to make. That added jobs there. They work all over the Southeast and they’re based out of Davenport.”

With residential growth, the likelihood that a new business will succeed is very high, Callihan said. “A business goes in and immediately they’re successful. Talk to businesses that just started or have been here a while and they will tell you they are just thriving.” 

In the last few years, a couple of strip malls have been built, and one older building downtown was renovated, he said. A barbershop and nail salon are thriving there. “When you start to have parking issues, it’s a good thing. It shows some things are going on. We’re seeing more of that.”

With new construction filling up immediately, the city is looking to annex land north and east of the city, he said. “The community is supporting our local businesses. We are starting to see more commercial growth as people figure out Davenport is a great place to be able to live, work and play.”

Community Friendly

Noticing the lack of recreational and other activities for Davenport’s residents, Callihan set out to change that. 

“There were not a lot of things to do in Davenport as far as parks and recreation, so we added a lot to our park system and just built an $8 million community center,” he said. The Tom Fellows Community Center boasts two gyms, an arts/crafts room, a fitness center and a banquet hall; classes in karate; a pickleball tournament; youth basketball leagues, and more. “The community has really embraced it.” 

The old community center will be turned over to the Davenport Historical Society in January, Callihan said. The historical society offers maps that can be downloaded for a self-guided walking tour of the historic downtown and a driving Citrus Label Tour.

“People always want to figure out where to work, live and play, and it’s in Davenport,” he said. “Our city has that hometown feel with lots of lakes and outdoors, and mom-and-pop businesses.” 

The city is also continuing to host special events for its residents. Callihan mentioned the Christmas parade, which draws about 6,000 people, and WinterFest. “We keep adding more events like that. I think it gives folks a lot of activities and events right here in town. I feel the events we put on are as good as any around. You won’t see better fireworks on the Fourth of July anyplace around. They give families something to get out and do.”

The Future

In the next five to 10 years, Callihan hopes to continue to balance residential, commercial and retail growth while adding more parks and recreational facilities, as well as new programs at the community center.  

“Davenport should be a great community. Growth and infrastructure are keeping pace. And we should be in great shape financially.”

The post Davenport Keeps up with Booming Growth appeared first on Central Florida Development Council.

“As one of the largest hospitals in the country that does not have a GME program, this is the sensible next step of growth and development that will help reduce the shortage of doctors, which is a significant issue,” said Michael Spake, vice president/external affairs, chief compliance and integrity officer at Lakeland Regional Health (LRH). 

According to LRH’s latest Community Needs Assessment, Polk County has one primary care doctor for every 2,080 residents, falling far short of the 1,380 doctors per resident in the state and 1,210 in neighboring Hillsborough County. 

Behavioral health physicians are also scarce, with only one per every 1,070 in the county compared to 570 in the state and 550 in Hillsborough County. 

“As one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, the need for access to health-care services is tremendous, so addressing the shortage of providers in the county is paramount, and we hope to draw even more top physicians to practice in our area,” Spake said. “In addition, it will encourage job creation, including opportunities for highly skilled positions.”

The hospital has one of the country’s busiest emergency departments and the county’s only Level 2 Trauma Center.

LRH has an economic impact of $1.3 billion, supporting nearly 8,900 jobs, according to an August 2021 report prepared for the hospital by the Washington Economics Group. The GME program is expected to add another $48 million.

About the Program

The GME program will include 190 residents in six areas beginning in July 2023: 

• Internal medicine
• Emergency medicine
• Family medicine
• Obstetrics and gynecology
• Psychiatry
• General surgery

It will also provide a surgical critical care fellowship and a transitional year program for residents who want to stay in Polk County and work at LRH.

“Many patients and families actually find having an attending physician and a group of residents providing care gives them greater comfort and security, and they feel that their diagnosis and treatment plan benefit from the combined experience and expertise of the medical professionals involved in their care,” Spake said. 

By becoming a teaching hospital, “we will see an increase in robust clinical research completed at the medical center,” he said. “Having a fully functioning GME program means more research, education and training, which all become natural parts of the medical care delivered at the hospital, which can greatly benefit our patients.” 

Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz said the city has been waiting for this opportunity for nearly a decade. “Teaching hospitals have a higher quality of care and higher retention rate for those physicians in the program. This is a desirable community so we hope to keep some local.”

The health system will also be reimbursed for some expenses, he said. “So the health system benefits, the residency program benefits and the residents benefit. It’s an important time for that to occur.” 

Behavioral Health

The need for more services to help those with mental health, substance abuse and similar issues were noted as the top issue in the county’s 2020 Community Health Assessment and LRH’s own research. To help meet those needs, the hospital system is building an 80,000-square-foot, free-standing Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness, which will provide 96 inpatient beds and a host of new programs to meet the county’s needs. The $46 million center is expected to open in summer 2022.

“Currently, the inpatient beds available in Polk County do not meet the growing needs in mental health care, and this lack of accessible psychiatric and substance abuse beds means that many individuals are at risk of not receiving the care they need,” Spake said. “As a safety net hospital, Lakeland Regional Health provides essential, often life-saving

, mental and behavioral health care for those in our community, and our new center will allow us to add more services. Having a vigorous Psychiatry GME Program is a natural outgrowth of some of these other initiatives in that it will help us support these additional services and train future psychiatrists to provide care.”

The coronavirus pandemic has increased anxiety and other mental health issues for many people. A study by the National Institutes of Health on isolation showed the number of people struggling with mental health issues and needing treatment has increased from about 20% before the pandemic to 33% now. 

Moving Forward

The new GME program will continue to set LRH apart from other healthcare providers in the county.

“Approval of these programs by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) followed a rigorous process involving review of the proposed residency program structure and curricula, the expansive scope of services offered at Lakeland Regional Health, the commitment of Lakeland Regional Health’s exceptional physicians and the health system’s ability to oversee education and clinical experience, among other criteria,” Spake said. “Becoming a teaching hospital is a significant achievement and creates a medical center where education, research, training and instruction take place on a daily basis.” 

The largest source of funding for the GME programs will come from Medicare, which reimburses teaching hospitals for many, but not all, costs. The amount of money teaching hospitals receive depends on things like how many programs are offered, the number of residents and the responsibilities of the faculty. It will also receive money from the state.

The hospital system anticipates unreimbursable costs, like salaries for directors and capital improvements. “In order to mitigate this expense, LRH is exploring funding alternatives, such as state appropriations and philanthropic support,” Spake said. 

Winter Haven Hospital started its Family Medical Residency Program, affiliated with Florida State University’s College of Medicine, a few years ago. It built an academic training facility/clinic to meet the needs of the program, which had a successful first year.

“Both programs address community needs based on physician shortages across Polk County,” Spake said.

In the coming year, the hospital will introduce program directors and other members of the GME team, he said. “We are a year and a half away from having our first residents on campus, but the interview process begins before that time. We are looking forward to a busy and fruitful year, and we are certain that this endeavor will benefit our patients and our community in many ways.”

The post New Residency Program Will Accelerate Lakeland Regional appeared first on Central Florida Development Council.

“As we’ve grown, Orlando Health has really looked at creating more access points, especially along the Interstate 4 corridor,” said John Moore, senior vice president of Orlando Health West Region and president of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. “Expansion into this area creates a convenient access point for residents of this rapidly growing community of south Lakeland, where there is a need for additional health care services.”

Orlando Health Lakeland Highlands Hospital will be built on 80 acres south of the Polk Parkway at Lakeland Highlands Road and the Winter Lake Extension Road. Pre-construction work is underway, and construction will begin in 2022 with an expected opening in 2024, he said. 

The first phase of the multi-story hospital will contain 136 inpatient beds and 24 Emergency Department beds. Future phases could have it expanding to 360 beds.

“Full build-out will depend on a variety of factors,” Moore said. “When we open, we will have enough capacity in phase one to address immediate needs that will serve us for the first four to five years of operation. Going forward, expansion will be based on analytics and will occur in phases of approximately 90- to 120-bed increments.”

 A surrounding campus could include:

• A 20,000-square-foot ambulatory surgical center.
• 240,000 square feet of medical office space.
• 20,000 square feet of retail space.
• A 150-room hotel. 

Orlando Health announces new hospital on Lakeland Highlands Road #CFDCInvestorhttps://t.co/kSF3VfPxqB

— Central Florida Development Council (@CFDCPolk) November 16, 2021

The hospital system is planning the hotel to meet the needs of patients and their families, Moore said.

“Hotel accommodations play an important role when providing health care,” he said. “They are an extremely important factor when discussing out-patient procedures, especially for those driving in who have a procedure on day one and a follow-up appointment with a surgeon the next day. We have successfully partnered with hotel developers on our downtown Orlando campus as a way to provide patients and their loved ones with much-needed amenities, including overnight accommodations.”

Orlando Health

Founded more than 100 years ago, Orlando Health is a not-for-profit health care organization with $7.6 billion of assets. Headquartered in Orlando, it serves the southeastern United States and includes such hospitals as Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center and Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. According to its website, Orlando Health served nearly 160,000 inpatients and nearly 3.6 million outpatients in the fiscal year 2021. 

Orlando Health will be building in an area served by Lakeland Regional Hospital and Bartow Memorial Medical Center. It is using market data to provide services in the areas where medical care is needed most. 

“Our strategic planning team conducts extensive research and reviews areas where there are deficits or gaps that can be filled by Orlando Health,” Moore said. “For example, Lakeland Regional Hospital has the highest volume emergency department in the area, which is a challenge for anyone facility to manage.”

The Veterans Administration is also building in the area, along Lakeland Highlands Road. It will open a new $112 million veterans clinic in 2024 to serve the county’s nearly 65,000 veterans. Although talking about partnering with the VA is premature, Moore said, it’s conceivable.

“It’s well known that Orlando Health has a track record of partnering with like-minded people and organizations.” 

With a reputation for treating its employees well, Orlando Health isn’t worried about finding enough doctors and nurses to work at the hospital.

“Orlando Health has been repeatedly recognized as one of the best places to work by multiple prestigious organizations, including Forbes and Fortune,” Moore said. “Part of that is due to the culture we have created and which we continue to develop every day to ensure that our team members feel respected, supported and valued.”

Orlando Health officials have been meeting with the city of Lakeland officials and community leaders for several months, Moore said. “We have received a wonderful welcome.”

The post Orlando Health Serving Fast-Growing South Lakeland appeared first on Central Florida Development Council.

He succeeds Greg Ruthven, who will work part-time as chairman and CEO of the company his father founded in 1957. 

“It was earlier than I was expecting, and I think it’s going to work out great,” Clark said. “It will allow Greg to reduce some of his office time and focus on the stuff he likes to work on, like leasing. He’s ridiculously good at it. He has a large portfolio of tenants, and he likes to help them if they need more space or are expanding or renewing.” 

Ruthven will also focus on strategy and the big picture, said Clark, who is married to Ruthven’s daughter, Lauren.

Clark said Joe P. Ruthven never fully retired before he died suddenly in December 2019. That, along with his sister’s illness and death in October 2019, prompted Greg to make stepping back a priority.

“When Kay got sick, it really rocked the whole family a little bit. You have to enjoy time with family and friends when you can.” 

Clark will be the company’s third president, following Joe P. and Greg. He will be responsible for The Ruthvens’ construction and development activities, leasing, finance and operations. Since he joined the company, it has developed more than 560,000 square feet of new warehouse space and increased occupancy to 99%.

Before joining The Ruthvens, Clark worked at J.P. Morgan and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey for 11 years. 

“Brandon’s prior experience in finance and his time at The Ruthvens has prepared him well for this next step in his career,” Ruthven said, “The Ruthven family is excited to have Brandon on board and leading our company into the next generation.”

Central Florida Development Council President & CEO Sean Malott said The Ruthvens are an important contributor to the economic engine of the community. “Greg is admired as a businessman and person, and Brandon shares many of his qualities,” he said. “Together, they have continued to grow The Ruthvens, and fulfill a critical niche in the real estate market, Polk County, needs to help industry grow and attract new employers.”

Ruthven joined his father’s company in 1983, overseeing the company’s growth from about 350,000 square feet to more than 4 million. “I was fortunate to work alongside my father for 36 years. He would be proud to see Brandon taking over as president of the company he founded,” Ruthven said.

Clark said both Ruthvens worked in the industry so long they’ve forgotten more than most people ever learn. He reminds people that the company first was a real estate development firm, with holdings that included apartments, shopping centers, retail and, yes, warehouses.

“Then, with Interstate 4 and Tampa and Orlando growing, they started seeing more and more demand for warehouse space. Greg pushed to sell non-warehouse holdings and really focus on the warehouse piece. He’d say, ‘Specialize in it and make that what we do and what we do well. They made that decision to be the warehouse specialists.”

Ruthven was so focused on it he took a tennis ball and wrote the letter W on it and hung it from his office ceiling, Clark said. “You had to see it. You couldn’t not see it. Every time you started working on something else and taking your eye off the ball, you saw the W and were reminded what you should be working on.”

The company evolved using feedback from tenants and prospects to thoughtfully design spaces that would be in demand, Clark said. And their tenants evolved because The Ruthvens were there to help.

Krystal on Memorial Boulevard was the company’s oldest tenant until The Ruthvens sold the land the restaurant sat on to the restaurant’s owner. Now, Omnia Inc., a disposable medical supply company, is the longest-running tenant at 32 years, said owner Cindy Maddox. 

“They treat their tenants like family,” Maddox said. “Joe P. was like a second dad to me; he treated me like his child. I could call him and ask him for anything.” Greg has followed in his footsteps, she said. Both would bring people by her manufacturing space to show them what Omnia makes, including cotton balls for Publix.

 “I’ve watched them grow through the years,” Maddox said. “Nothing changed with them; they’re the same people who I met 30 years ago. They were very active in helping (her late husband) Ed and I become part of the community. We moved here and didn’t know a soul. They encourage tenants to get involved in the community and help them meet people.”

Clark said he was involved in the company from the outside at first, serving as a board member. Now that he’s involved in the day-to-day operations, he appreciates all the small businesses like Omnia he works with. Many tenants are small mom-and-pop shops “that are doing really unique things in Lakeland. We’re not one of 50 distribution sites for them; we’re their corporate headquarters.” Those include companies that modify cars and bakeries that sell goods, along with appliance repair, air conditioning and solar businesses.

“When you spend time with our tenants, it’s just neat to learn their story, how they got into it, what they do, then help them be successful,” Clark said. “It’s the most fulfilling part. I knew it existed, but you don’t really think about that from the outside.”

Clark said in the next few years he wants to continue adding to the team and building out some additional capabilities. “Strategically, we’re looking more broadly than we have before. Our focus is on Lakeland, but we’re also looking in Central Florida. We want to make sure we stay focused on our core and keep growing in a non-flashy way, to be as conservative as you can be in spec construction.”

The Ruthvens currently own 90 buildings located along the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando, providing quick access to all major north, south, east, and west highways.

The post Local Company That Helps Others Grow Continues Its Own Growth appeared first on Central Florida Development Council.

The company celebrated its 25th anniversary and move into its new offices in November with a barbeque at its new headquarters in Lakeland. A full-service land and commercial real estate brokerage that represents buyers, sellers, investors, institutions and landowners, the company started as Dean Saunders Real Estate in 1996.

“We’ve grown the company organically. We didn’t buy companies. We’ve got great salespeople and a great staff. It’s all about the people. If there’s a secret sauce, that’s it. They’re good at what they do. They stay ahead of the curve,” said Saunders, a senior adviser.

Saunders admits he has some crazy ideas at times, but he loves his staff because they help him implement them. “It’s hard to get things implemented, and sometimes people don’t want to pay for them. I have a farmer mentality: inputs equal outputs. If I invest money into technology or an idea, my expectation is we’ll have some output.”

An eighth-generation Floridian, Saunders said being excellent at what the company does is the most important thing to him. Along those same lines, it’s also “providing that example for everybody throughout the organization. Be the best and help them get there. Help our clients — give them the best service they can get.”

Saunders joined Coldwell Banker Commercial in 2006 and quickly gained recognition and awards as a high-performing office. Gary Ralston and Todd Dantzler joined Saunders in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Both are now partners and senior advisers.

The firm left Coldwell Bankers and joined SVN (Shared Value Network) in 2019 to have a broader network of like-minded brokers, Saunders said. “We wanted to be known as a stand-alone commercial company. It’s a much better fit.”

Saunders said the company doesn’t have any specific plans to grow, but that could happen. “I don’t have a plan to have a nationwide firm, nor do I have plans not to. Our move into Georgia made sense and we got some really good agents and we’re trying to grow there with really good people.”

With a background in agriculture, Saunders doesn’t want to see every piece of land developed. “There’s just a natural love there from a farmer. It’s who you are. It’s part of your core. It’s always been that for me. I’ve always had that passion for land. The commercial part really is an add-on. The core has been land brokerage. Wanting to help other landowners with whatever their real-estate needs are was the growth of the commercial side.”

Saunders has a strong passion for private property rights. When he served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1992-1996, the Legislature passed what has since become known as conservation easements, which keep land for agricultural or open-space uses. 

“Our state is a leader in that throughout the country,” Saunders said. “I do a lot of conservation-oriented work. From my time in the Legislature, I know how it works — half politics and half real estate. I position our client to know what the state is looking for.” 

He is a past chair of the Florida Real Estate Commission and past president of the Florida Chapter of Realtors Land Institute (RLI). In early 2021 he received the RLI APEX Awards program’s most coveted and prestigious award, the APEX 2020 Top National Producer. The award is given to the applicant with the highest overall qualifying transaction volume — Saunders closed more than $126 million of the combined $3.5 billion in 2020. It’s the second time he’s won the award in the four years it has existed. He also was included in Florida Trend magazine’s Florida 500 list for the last three years.

Gary Ralston

Ralston met Saunders in 2009 when he was teaching a CCIM Institute (Certified Commercial Investment Member) real-estate class. “I was very impressed with his practice and personality,” Ralston said. “We became friends. When I decided to move back to Lakeland, I decided to join him.”

“Dean’s influence on land is across the state,” he said. “There’s nobody who does exactly what he does.”

The two complement each other, he said, “We do see the world differently. Dean has very good interpersonal skills. He accuses me of living in a spreadsheet. It makes for a very effective balance when we analyze investment opportunities. It’s very synergistic.”

The firm works hard to find ways to add value for clients, and Ralston is a leader in using data to generate and understand reports. “Dean understands how the use or application of the property fits into the local economy. He is a leader in this.”

When discussing real estate, people always say that location is the most important thing, Ralston said. But when you ask them to define that, there’s silence. The firm is able to use demographic and other data to clearly articulate why a certain piece of land or location works better than another.

“Dean’s Parcel Based Mapping Program allows us to articulate sales of properties that have similar characteristics and figure out where the market is,” he said.

Unlike trying to find the price of a publicly-traded company like Apple, which is easily accessible, real estate requires additional analytics, Ralston said. “Our programs allow us to do things many other service providers can’t.”

The firm annually produces the “Lay of the Land” report to understand real-estate valuation and trends, and where the market is going. 

“Dean has been a pioneer,” Ralston said. “It’s the best articulation of valuation and trends for land tracts. Others may produce a commercial report, but ours may be a little more focused. We have the location technology tools to understand and articulate land values.”

Ralston is “a recognized subject matter expert on retail and commercial properties and a successful real estate developer, investor and group investment sponsor,” according to CCIM.com. In addition to teaching there, he is an adjunct professor teaching real-estate principles at Florida Southern College.

He was the president and a member of the board of directors of Commercial Net Lease Realty Inc. for about 10 years, during which he guided the company’s growth from less than $15 million in real estate assets to more than $1.5 billion.

Todd Dantzler

Realizing the firm was weak on the east side of Polk County, Ralston approached Dantzler about joining the firm as Dantzler was in the middle of a campaign to become a county commissioner. He told Ralston to contact him when the race was over, but on election night, Saunders attended Dantzler’s victory party, saying, “Are you ready to talk?” 

Dantzler said he was already going through a lot of changes in his professional life and figured if he was going to make a career move, that was the time. After several meetings, Dantzler said he thought it would be a good relationship for all parties. “It worked out pretty well.”

“I’m a commercial broker and it gave me a lot of opportunity to be with a firm that was strictly commercial,” Dantzler said. “At Saunders Ralston Dantzler, which we were at the time, we had a lot of tools I didn’t normally possess when I was with my residential company.”

SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler has grown steadily ever since, opening an office in Lake City, Florida, and Thomasville, Georgia. “We’re the largest in Polk County,” he said, and estimates the company is one of the larger commercial firms with the most CCIMs in the state. “We rival any of them with the associates we have, the tools we have, the resources we have.” 

Todd is a past president of the Florida Real Estate Association. He received the 2012 Florida Realtor of the Year award, a lifetime achievement award given by Florida Realtors.

He says the company’s strength and growth speak to the character of its owners, “our work ethic, our goals to run a competent, qualified real-estate company that pays attention to education, ethics and our reputation. It’s a reflection of the three of us and to a greater extent everyone who works for us.”

The post SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Celebrates 25 Years as a Leader in Commercial Real Estate appeared first on Central Florida Development Council.

“We went to Lake Nona because not a lot of people had been there or experienced it,” said CFDC President & CEO Sean Malott, who cited it as a great example. “A lot of thought was put into the planning of the transportation system and the type of development that fits well, be it residential or commercial or otherwise.”

He added: “We wanted our investors and city/county leaders to be able to see what private industry and government working together can do to produce high-quality type solutions.”

Tavistock, which started Lake Nona as a city devoted to the medical industry, planned how everything would work together from the beginning, Malott said. 

“For years they planned how all of this comes together and how to work with local and state officials early on to recruit multiple well-known, well-respected medical institutions to property they own. It’s grown to be its own city. We wanted people to come to this community and see what a community looks like that’s been planned in a purposeful way.” 

Now, Lake Nona has attracted a variety of innovative, high-tech companies. For instance, BEEP, which makes autonomous shuttles, has moved its operations to Lake Nona, where they now have a research hub. “It is trying to showcase advanced transportation and purposeful development.” Attendees had the opportunity to ride the driverless BEEP shuttles, which attendee David Shepp of The Southern Group said was a fun experience. “It definitely has a promising future. There may be a few kinks to work out, but that’s true with any new technology.

It has very good safety features and it will be a very good option for people to use to get out of their cars in certain settings, like in a crowded downtown after a sporting event.”

According to ridebeep.com, “Move Nona has created a highly efficient mobility network within a (17-square-mile) planned community that connects residential, commercial, retail, recreational and medical services. The autonomous vehicle service is currently the largest and longest autonomous vehicle network at one location in North America. The alternative mobility network consists of five routes and eight shuttles connecting nearly 10 key destinations within the community.”

Tavistock officials said they had a vision for the type of community that is now Lake Nona, which boasts an estimated population of 64,000 within the city limits of Orlando, southeast of Orlando International Airport (MCO). “It’s a community where innovation lives,” Malott said. 

Attendees also visited the intermodal terminal at MCO to meet with officials from Brightline, which operates a privately run train in South Florida and is now expanding to Orlando. A train from Miami to MCO, which will be Brightline’s main hub, is expected to open by early 2023. That service will then be extended to Tampa, a route that will most likely follow the I-4 corridor.

Shepp said knowing that high-speed rail is a reality was the highlight of the trip. “I’ve lived here long enough to see the fits and starts that high-speed rail went through in the past. It was the apple in the tree — just out of reach. Being with Brightline executives, we know it’s closer to reality now. We certainly do have the best opportunity to have relief for I-4 between Tampa and Orlando, and we know that a stop in Polk County isn’t in the first iteration but isn’t off the table and could become a reality. Have a willing entity to be able to make that happen — it’s nice to see that there’s a plan.”

Shepp said other investors were “excited about what the future might hold and being able to come away not thinking we don’t have a seat at the table, that we can be an active participant with Brightline.”

SunTrax and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, which operates it, and Lilium, a company that’s developing air taxis and providing its first service from Lake Nona, also provided attendees with information. Lake Nona will be the hub for Lilium, which is one of the first companies to open air-taxi networks, what Malott calls “big drones for small groups to go from place to place.”

When people first hear about Lilium they think about the old cartoon, “The Jetsons,” Shepp said. What Lilium wants to do is transport people who want to go from their office to a business meeting in the city. “You don’t want to deal with I-4, so you get into this vertical flying taxi and it will take you to where you need to be. Then take the last mile on SunRail, Uber, Lyft. It’s a time savings, a sanity savings, and it gives you time to prepare for your meetings. It’s also a safe way to go out at night.”

The CFDC, along with its partners in the county, cities and economic development agencies, want to attract a developer like Tavistock, which is owned by a billionaire. “Having money is beneficial,” Malott said. “Getting the right developer on these initiatives is key.”

Disney is moving several thousand people to Lake Nona to work, and the U.S. Tennis Association has its National Campus there, the largest training center in the country.

“What we can glean from being in Lake Nona, where they put together a quality development with interesting designs and transportation initiatives, can lead to another level of success for Polk County,” Malott said. 

But it takes time, he said, noting that nothing completed in Lake Nona was an afterthought. “It was all very purposeful. There was a grand vision that took many years to get to the place it is today. Even if we may not necessarily have all of our people in the right spots from a development perspective, you can still have planning and participation in that process to maybe influence what happens down the road.”

Collaboration is the key to moving forward, Shepp said. “We got a blueprint from presenters on what they are looking for in communities to be able to place their facilities and services there. What kind of local government and business cooperation is there? What needs to come together to make it an enticing location to put down roots.”

Exposing rifts or territorialism could jeopardize projects, or at least delay them, costing time and money, he said. But he thinks government leaders are strong and collaborative in Polk County, and the time may be right to develop the Central Florida Innovation District into a community like Lake Nona. 

“Maybe the CFID is the right place to put it, on the interstate, central location with a lot of room to grow. Government leaders recognize they have to work together to make it a reality. If there’s a division or a lack of focus, some companies might ask, ‘Where can we locate that makes more sense?’ ”

The post Mission to Lake Nona Shows “Purposeful Development” appeared first on Central Florida Development Council.

Polk County Public Schools is developing a strategic plan to ensure all graduates are ready to enter college or the workforce. As part of that initiative, it is conducting the “Portrait of a Graduate” survey to gather input on the qualities the community thinks graduates should possess. Results will enable the School District to better support students and improve our schools, all leading to goals in the strategic plan.

In the first month of the survey, which is offered in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, the School District received about 2,400 responses. But it would like more people to participate, especially those in underrepresented groups and stakeholders and demographics where participation is lacking, so it has extended the deadline to Nov. 30.

“I’m very grateful to everyone who has taken the time to participate in this brief survey,” said Superintendent Frederick Heid. “Although there isn’t a specific threshold for the number of responses that we would like to receive, we are one of the fast-growing areas in the nation. We must make every effort to reach as many stakeholders as possible.”

Of those who took the survey through Oct. 31, the top five groups that have responded are:

• Parents and guardians, 75%  (nearly 1,900 people)
• Polk County residents, 45% (1,154)
• Polk County Public school employees, 32% (818)
• Graduates from Polk County schools, 21% (522)
• Business owners, 8% (209)

“We would love to have everyone in the community take part,” Heid said. “Please reach out to your family members, neighbors, coworkers and friends. Encourage them to also share their thoughts. We want to get as much feedback from our community as possible.”

Respondents were given the opportunity to select more than one category, so some people may have responded as a parent and business owner, thereby driving up the response numbers listed above.

“Polk County businesses need skilled, qualified and competent employees,” says Sean Malott, President and CEO of the CFDC. “This survey offers the community an opportunity to give critical input regarding the skills business leaders hope future employees will possess.”

Before taking over as superintendent of Polk County Public Schools in June, Frederick Heid listed three initial goals he had for the district, including conducting this survey. The survey asks respondents to select 10 of 30 key competencies/terms that best reflect the skills, characteristics and traits Polk County should strive for in a high school graduate. Respondents are also invited to add two that were not on the list. 

“Here is a word of advice,” Heid said. “When taking this survey, carefully read all of the definitions first. It’s a little bit like a shopping trip where you need to browse what’s available before deciding what’s essential. What attributes will best position our graduates for success in their lives?”

He added: “Keep in mind that you can add up to two competencies, but we ask for a detailed definition to accompany them. We will review these written responses and consider what other traits are being suggested for our graduates.”

Polk Vision has been helping with the process to get people to respond to the survey. 

“Polk Vision is excited to partner with Superintendent Heid in sharing the Portrait of a Graduate survey,” said Executive Director Kim Long. “It is an opportunity for members of the community to take part in shaping the new strategic plan for Polk County Public Schools, focused on improving outcomes for our students.”  

The 30 listed include such things as civic literacy, innovation, conflict resolution and problem-solving. 

The survey says the information gleaned from respondents “will be used to help guide the rest of our Strategic Plan to ensure that each of our goal areas include initiatives and action steps that support our collective vision for our graduates.”

 Visit polkschoolsfl.com to access the Portrait of a Graduate survey.

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Nonprofit organizations play a significant role in our community, everything from the United Way and Volunteers in Service to the Elderly to economic development and visioning agencies.

We all know Polk County is a charitable community. Numbers back that up. In 2017, 43,000 Polk Countians donated just shy of $350 million, according to the Florida Nonprofit Alliance (FNA).

The United Way of Central Florida consistently raises more than $10 million a year, and for 2020-2021 it has pledges of $23.8 million. Publix Charities, the charitable foundation of Publix Super Markets, routinely donates millions of dollars to organizations that support food insecurity, homelessness, and children’s programs, as well as to disaster relief funds.

Such donations make positive impacts in our community. But thinking more broadly, so do organizations that work to spur economic development and focus on things like education and health.

The Central Florida Development Council, designated as Polk County’s economic development agency, works with its partners to build a prosperous future with high-skill, high-wage sustainable employment opportunities. We are proud to collaborate with other economic development councils in Polk County — some of which are nonprofits — to attract new business and industry to our area.

Those businesses not only diversify our economy, which helps during everything from a recession to a pandemic. They also:

• Provide jobs for residents.
• Increase our tax base to fund police, fire, recreation, infrastructure, and other projects.
• Enhance Polk’s quality of life.
• Give back to the community by offering internships for students, providing sponsorships for events, and so much more. And many of their employees volunteer for various organizations.

We also work with Polk Vision, a community-led partnership of organizations, businesses, government and individuals acting to ensure Polk County’s community vision is implemented.

Polk Vision has taken a leadership role on projects that are vital to the community. Those include:

• Working with the CFDC’s Talent Pipeline’s Countywide Higher Education Workforce to produce a new Internship Guide to assist businesses wanting to start or advance a program to attract young talent to their companies.
• Developing Be the Future Be U, which focuses on improving educational attainment and workforce readiness. To spread the word, Polk Vision collaborated with businesses, the Polk County School Board, government officials and students. It also has worked with the school system’s career academies to provide training to middle school counselors.
• Following up on the 2020 Community Health Assessment (CHA), which found mental health resources lacking in the county. Polk Vision’s Behavioral Health Team has identified the need for a comprehensive behavioral health strategic plan for mental health and substance abuse services and is working to provide that.

As economic development councils, Chambers and others work together, we attract new businesses and help others expand, supported by the work other nonprofits tackle to ensure our residents are safe, fed and empowered. They go hand-in-hand to help Polk County remain Florida’s Best Place for Business. Together, we work to move POLK FWD.

The post Nonprofits Work With and Support Economic Development in Polk appeared first on Central Florida Development Council.

A private, nonprofit administrator of workforce funds, CareerSource Polk is partnering with Polk Vision and the Central Florida Development Council to host the Nov. 17 event from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the AdventHealth Fieldhouse and Conference Center in Winter Haven. 

Veterans may enter early, beginning at 9:45 a.m., part of CareerSource Polk’s involvement in Paychecks for Patriots, a statewide initiative to connect veterans and military families with employment opportunities. The effort is highlighted during November; Veterans Day falls on Nov. 11 each year.

“Our goal is to help the Polk community get back to work,” said Kathy Suttles, director of Business Services for CareerSource Polk. “[We are] proud to be the bridge connecting employers  with talented job seekers in Polk County.” 

In August 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the workforce in Polk County totaled nearly 312,000, including nearly 70,000 people in the trade, transportation and utilities category, the county’s largest. Polk County’s unemployment rate was 5.0% in September.

More than 100 employers representing dozens of industries are participating in the event. With workers in demand, everyone from the Florida Department of Transportation and the city of Bartow to BayCare Health Systems and Polk County Public Schools are looking for candidates. A full list of participating employers can be found at www.careersourcepolk.com.

“It is a great opportunity to visit face to face with over 100 companies that are in need of employees and hiring,” said Susan Hames, Business Development Manager at RITA Staffing. “You will be meeting many of the hiring decision-makers for these companies. Rita Staffing will be making offers on the spot,” pending screening.  

The county’s nine institutions of higher education, including two technical schools, will also be on hand. Polk State College, Florida Polytechnic University, Florida Southern College, Southeastern University, Webber International University, Warner University, Keiser University and Ridge and Traviss technical colleges also participate in the Countywide Higher Education Workforce group, which works to ensure students are prepared to enter the workforce when they graduate.

CareerSource Polk urges those looking for employment to register at employflorida.com as a job seeker before attending the job fair. It also suggests candidates:

• Bring multiple copies of your resume/portfolio.
• Dress professionally. CareerSource Polk may be able to help those who need assistance.

Job fairs are easy ways for students entering the workforce to find internships or start their careers, and those between jobs, unemployed or seeking a new start to meet a variety of employers at one time. They allow job-seekers to:

• Explore various careers and employers.
• Meet with companies that have job openings and are ready to hire.
• Network. Making connections is critical in all industries, so even if the fair doesn’t lead to a job today, it could as the company sees a different fit for your skillset or shares your name with their colleagues at other businesses.
• Hone their interviewing skills.

In turn, employers at CareerSource Polk’s job fair gain access at no cost. Other benefits include:

• Speaking with candidates who are eager to work, saving them time in the hiring process.
• Developing a list of potential future prospects. Most employers retain notes on people who they are interested in but may not be the best fit for a job at that particular time.
• Meeting face to face. The resume is important, but so are interviews. At times, employers find candidates who they may have discounted when reviewing only a resume.
• Extending their brand to people who may not be familiar with it.

Hames said there are jobs aplenty. “The only difficulty is finding the right fit for both the applicant and the employer.”

For more information, call CareerSource Polk at 863-508-1100.

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“It’s the last asset owned by the Winter Haven Corp., and this plan will protect floodplains and wetlands. What’s developable, we want to make sure it’s done right. It has a lot of potential,” said Peterson & Myer’s Bart Allen, attorney for the landholder and CFDC Board Chair.

Winter Haven Corp. has owned the 1,841 acres — located west of U.S. 27, south of Thompson Nursery Road and north of Mountain Lake Cutoff Road — for more than 25 years. It’s the last piece of land from holdings that originally stretched from Cypress Gardens to Mountain Lake Cutoff Road. 

“We took a holistic look at the property, which had been agricultural for decades,” Allen said. “We evaluated existing conditions to identify wetlands so we can use the best land management practices. Then we found the best areas for development and figured out how those can be connected. The landholder didn’t want to max out usage to the greatest extent possible. We worked around the natural characteristics of the land and brought forth a plan that’s good for the property owner and good for the city.”

Lake Wales annexed the land into the city decades ago and provided sewer and water lines as part of an expansion to include Eagle Ridge Mall and Lake Ashton. But the land, zoned for residential, wasn’t ready for development. Working together, the city, Allen, Winter Haven Corp. and Diane Chadwick, a planner for Stantec in Tampa that the law firm hired, created several new land-use classifications that were added to the city’s comp plan, Allen said. The land now includes retail, commercial and other designations.

Now, those involved will begin to find a developer who has the same vision to make the plan a reality. “Eighteen-hundred acres is a lot of land. It’s market driven how quickly it develops and which parts develop first.”

Winter Haven Corp. “feels like it’s been an extremely collaborative effort with the city of Lake Wales,” Allen said. “It was a thoughtful process, and that’s why it has taken as long as it has. A lot of people might be saying, ‘Oh, it’s 6,100 homes.’ But they started this 10 years ago. This isn’t something we pulled out of the hat in 2021.”

City Reaction 

Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton welcomes the project. “We certainly view the growth as a good thing,” he said. “The influx of new residents will expand the customer bases of our local businesses and it will increase the city’s tax base, allowing us to invest in the community through higher levels of municipal services and enhanced amenities. We also believe the development will attract new restaurants, commercial and retail businesses to Lake Wales.”

Mark Bennett, Development Services director of Lake Wales, said the number of new homes could double the city’s current population of 17,000. “Using a persons-per-unit figure of 2.5, this could result in an expected population increase of 15,250 persons at buildout.”

That could help attract more restaurants, he said. “A common statement frequently heard is that the city needs more restaurants. Having more residents in the city will help create a customer base.”

Bennett said those familiar with land development know growth is moving south along U.S. 27. “This growth will occur one way or the other.  It is better that the city retain control of this new growth by having it occur in the city so that it can develop to our standards.”

Opportunity for the Community

When the landholder presented its Winter Haven Corporation Master Development Plan to the city for approval at the Aug. 17, 2021, City Council meeting, city staff provided the following analysis:

“Approval of the Master Development Plan would enable the development of this property and the potential increase in property value. Specifically, estimating a conservative median taxable value of $100,000 per unit, it could potentially result in over $610 million in taxable value, and generate $4 million in ad valorem taxes. This does not include potential revenue generated for non-residential uses.” Adjusted values for potential homesteaded properties were not factored into the estimate.

“This is a good thing because it provides additional funds to maintain and improve our level of service to our residents,” Bennett said. “Our Capital Improvements Program (CIP) already identifies an aggressive list of needed improvements over the next five years. Obtaining additional funding provides the city with the opportunity to perhaps advance the proposed projects in the CIP, plus implement new projects.”

Lake Wales has already identified $4 million in public facility needs, and additional property tax revenue would help the city move forward with those projects.

The city works closely with the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce/Economic Development Council on economic development issues, Bennett said. “A project of the size of Winter Haven Corp. has the potential to bring new businesses to the city to provide the services necessary to support the additional population.”

Through it all, the city will work to retain the small-town charm it’s known for, Bennett said,

“We will continue to emphasize the revitalization and redevelopment of both our downtown and our northwest neighborhood as outlined in the Lake Wales Connected Plan,” he said. “Additionally, the new growth and development activity that is expected to occur is on the fringe of the city, as opposed to in existing developed areas. Ultimately, the Lake Wales of the future will retain its small-town charm by having revitalized neighborhoods/downtown (that will also benefit from a greater population base), while receiving the benefits of growth.”

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