BUSINESS COMMUNITY

of product distribution by rail . This addition opens numerous opportunities for businesses looking to expand their markets to the 18 million residents and 80 million visitors within 4-hours of Winter Haven, as well as the global economy through access to the Florida ports .

Winter Haven is also home to its own regional general aviation airport Several businesses are located on the airport grounds for aircraft maintenance and training, with more plans for build-out on the site for additional aviation-related businesses

Diverse Economy

development to internet security and secure inland data storage, downtown Winter Haven hosts this rapidly developing segment

In 2018, the Governor designated six Winter Haven areas as Opportunity Zones, created by the Federal Tax Cuts and Job Act of 2017 . Opportunity Zones are a new tool that provides incentives for investments in low-income communities across the country Contact the Chamber for more information on these opportunities .

The Secret Sauce

goods and services . Polk County has a long history as a warehousing and logistics hub with access to Interstate 4, Highway 27, and Highway 60, all of which traverse the state in various directions . This makes it easy for freight to make its way to seaports on both the east and west coast and two major international airports in Tampa and Orlando In 2017, our neighboring airport in Lakeland opened a customs center and can accept international shipments . Winter Haven is home to CSX’s Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center The technologically advanced intermodal center makes Winter Haven one of the main hubs

The economy of Winter Haven has greatly diversified over the past several decades In fact, in January 2020, the Winter HavenLakeland MSA was named the most diverse economy in Florida . Agribusiness, particularly the citrus industry, was the main economic driver for most of the 20th century However, economic development efforts directed at diversifying the economy began in earnest during the 1980s . Today’s economy has dominant sectors, including healthcare, technology, tourism, professional and financial services, education, agribusiness, and as mentioned, distributions and logistics .

The considerable fiber-optic infrastructure in downtown Winter Haven has led to the growth of a technology sector that employs more than 500 people . From software and blogging platform

The most crucial factor in Winter Haven’s growth is the businessfriendly climate, combined with the cooperation and synergy of our organizations working to support business sustainability and growth

The Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce and the Winter Haven Economic Development Council are two cornerstones working to champion efforts to expand local business and recruit new opportunities to Winter Haven Our economic development pace is strong . With projects of all sizes and scales planned for Winter Haven, we are working closely with all levels of government

Private investment follows public investment, and we are blessed to have a City with the foresight to understand that . In 2019-2020, the City completed several projects, including; the 7th Street complete

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