Business View Civil & Municipal Apr-2023

99 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 In 1972, the Village of Wellington was approved for development, after Roger Wellington, Charles’ son, sold some 7,200 acres to developer Jim Nall of Fort Lauderdale. The 150-acre Lake Wellington was developed and a golf course, a country club, and residential neighborhoods were constructed. In 1980, the population of Wellington was 4,622. “We started out as a master-planned community development in an unincorporated area of the county,” explains Village Manager, Jim Barnes. “The draw for most who originally moved to Wellington was the typical suburban draw– larger lots, good schools, and good amenities. And we evolved over time.” On December 31, 1995, Wellington was officially born as an independent municipality and its evolution blossomed.. Over the last three decades, its population increased from 28,000 to more than 61,000 people living within its 45-square-mile footprint, of which 20 percent is reserved as a stormwater treatment area. Today, Wellington continues to be a highly attractive suburban community, once named by Money Magazine as a “Best Place to Live.” “What makes it a great place to live and thrive boils down to families,” says Barnes. “We remain a bedroom community made up of great neighborhoods, with great amenities, including best-in-class parks and recreation, facilities, and great schools.” What makes Wellington even more special is its designation as a major center of equestrian show events -- jumping, hunting, and dressage – as well as for hosting several international polo tournaments every year; establishing it as “The Winter Equestrian Capital of the World”. The Winter Equestrian Festival, held from January to April, is the largest and longest-running circuit in horse competitions, with competitors from 50 states and 30 countries. And recently, the United States Polo Association established its headquarters and its main seasonal polo venue in Wellington. “Both those groups continue to be partners in the community and economic drivers in that four-to-five month window that attracts a lot of the non-residents that are here,” Barnes says. A more recently emerging economic driver in Wellington is its position as a medical hub with WELL INGTON, FLORIDA three close-by hospitals in the region providing services to the greater community: Wellington Medical Center, which is within the Village boundaries, plus Bethesda Hospital to the south and Palms West Hospital to the north. Available office space in the Village continues to be filled with medical-related practices and businesses. That being said, Barnes notes that many of Wellington’s non-seasonal and non-medical businesses are small and home-based -- both professional and service-related. “And that predated COVID and the whole trend of remote work,” he states. When COVID finally did hit Florida in 2020, “Wellington was already well- positioned, having committed a lot of resources to technology, so we were able to continue serving the community rather seamlessly,” he adds. “We recognized the importance of telecommunications as part of the community’s infrastructure, even more so because of COVID and the demands we had for our residents and our kids doing virtual schooling.”