More Than 284 Acres Approved by Winter Haven City Commission for Community Development District Containing 667 Lots
by James Coulter
More than 667 new homes, located within 284 acres of land, will be coming to Winter Haven now that City Commissioners have approved the establishment of a new community development district.
At their regular meeting last Monday, the Winter Haven City Commission voted unanimously to approve the establishment of the Willowbrook Community Development District (CDD).
The proposed district consists of approximately 284.905 acres of land located south of Lucerne Park Road, west of Lake Fannie, and north of Martin Luther King Boulevard, NE. The district is expected to contain 667 lots within its boundaries.
The CDD request received preliminary approval during its first reading at the city commission meeting on Oct. 9. 2023. Since then, a revised petition was submitted, which corrected the acreage of land as being 284.905 acres (not 132.944 acres, as stated in the original petition) and increased the number of lots from 666 to 667.
The CDD will initially consist of a five-member Board of Supervisors who, according to the city memo, will have, “the authority to oversee the installation of infrastructure improvements, secure financing, and to levy non ad valorem special assessments on future property owners within its boundaries.”
The city memo further elucidates: “As residents begin to move into the development, future CDD Boards will be elected by the residents of the CDD.”
This new proposed residential development has been announced as the county’s population is expected to increase exponentially within the coming years. Polk County is the fastest-growing county in Florida and the seventh fastest in the country, according to a study conducted by the GiveWell Community Foundation in conjunction with United Way Central Florida.
As of the approval of this newest CDD, the City of Winter Haven currently has seven similar CDDs operating within its city limits, including Lake Ashton, Lakeside Landings, Harmony at Lake Eloise, Villamar, Lucerne Park, Pollard Road, and Peace Creek Reserve.
