LAKELAND, Fla — Like much of Florida and Tampa Bay, the City of Lakeland is dealing with a lot of growth and, with that, growing pains.
"But like all of Florida, we've been discovered and Lakeland in the past several years our population has boomed, and we're filling with stressors like a lot of the other places are with infrastructure and things of that nature," explains Kevin Cook, Director of Communications for the City of Lakeland.
There's no doubt Lakeland is starting to boom.
"So we're feeling the strains of replacing all the old clay infrastructure with new PVC infrastructure. We're feeling the strains of of roadways, but you got to stay on top of it," says Cook.
But, with those growing pains comes new businesses and entrepreneurs moving to town.
The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce says they're seeing more people ages 35-45 moving to the area, which is welcomed news for the Chamber.
"So we've seen a lot of interest in larger employers that are looking to come here, of course, we have great employers like Publix that are expanding as well. But that also opens up the door for a lot of great service industries and third spaces, as we call them, like coffee shops and game rooms and things like that. So it's really just been cool to see how not only the people are moving in, but then those companies and those great ideas that they have to support the rest of the community are also moving in," explains Lakeland Chamber CEO Amy Wiggins.
They're seeing not just entrepreneurs but more childcare businesses to help with the childcare crisis and schools are choosing Lakeland, too.
"The growth that we have seen is that people are moving here and bringing their business ideas with them. We have an incredible ecosystem, from the Chamber to our small business technical resources and on into our incubators, like Catapult and our co-working spaces like Co-Hatch and more. There really is, it's a really exciting time, I think for small businesses to find their place here in Lakeland and get everything that they need," explains Wiggins.
In addition, Wiggins says, Lakeland is also partnering with other companies to support these businesses and bring new ones here, too.
Wiggins says, "And our city has really taken a lead on that we have recently, over the last year brought in the services at the Black Business Investment Corporation and Prospera, USA to further support those entrepreneurs that come into the area."
For Wiggins and the Lakeland community, she says, the future is bright.
"We really see Lakeland as the very best place for people to come and build their lives and interweave themselves into the fabric of the community," says Wiggins.
