oct-2017

240 241 WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA different entities working onWinter Haven’s future,” she says.“We have a very intentional partnership among the EconomicDevelopment Council,the Cham- ber,Main StreetWinter Haven,which is focused on the downtown core,the citygovernment,and private sector businesses.” Worthington explains that,over the last several years,those entities have collaborated on a vision for the community that rests upon four“pillars.”The first pillar ismaintainingwhat she calls the“lakeside lifestyle.”Winter Haven’smany lakefronts are home tomanybeautiful and historical single-familyhomes, manyof whichwere built in its citrus heyday.Thus,the lakeside lifestyle is a perennial drawfor newresidents; especiallyas the cityhas,of late,been paying particular attention towater conservation and the qualityof its lakes.“As a community,we’ve been funding research around the lakes’water qualityand long-termdevelop- ment opportunities,”says Bruce Lyon,President of the aforementionedWinter Haven EconomicDevelopment Council.“We’re probablyone of themost progressive communities in the statewhen it comes to thinking about water.” Lyon’s domain,theWinter Haven EconomicDevelop- ment Council,is a private,non-profit consultant,funded by the CityofWinter Haven and local business leaders. Its objectives are to foster expansion of existing busi- nesses and industry; attract newhigh-skill,high-wage business and industry; expand economic and job opportunities forWinter Haven residents; broaden the local taxbase; and enhance relationships with local, regional,state,national,and international economic development organizations and agencies. Tourismhas been an important industry inWinter Haven for decades,so a second pillar,according to Worthington,is continued growth of the city’s tourism industry.Ayear after Cypress Garden closed,LEGO- LAND Florida Resort was built on the same site.Over the last five years,the newtheme parkhas employed 1,600 people and added $1 billion to the local econo- my.Two hotel properties are scheduled to openwithin the next two years,and a $25million field house for sports tourismwill come online in January,2019,hous- ing the LakelandMagic,a developmental NBAteam,as well asmore youth sports and tournaments. Athird pillar concerns the revitalization of down- town.“Over the course of the last five years,there’s been over $150million invested downtown,”Worth- ington reports.“WhenWinter Havenwas incorporated, the downtown corewas the hub of business.But,like manydowntowns,it started to become somewhat blighted in the 1980s and‘90s.And then,in the early 2000s,sparked by some public investments in side- walks and landscaping andmoving the library to the