and Orlando would someday grow together—and Haines City is in their path. Not much changed for years as Haines City remained virtually untouched as a citrus town in northeast Polk County. The loss of the citrus industry and the growth of the major metros to the west and the east, plus the general population increases to the state as a whole, have pushed Haines City into the path of progress. The stage is set for development across many asset classes in single- and multifamily, retail, industry, transportation, entertainment, and hospitality—and the infrastructure is in progress to support it all. “It truly is the chicken or the egg syndrome,” Kenny said. “Development has to occur to justify transportation improvement. And transportation improvement has to occur to justify development.” The use of land always changes to meet the needs of the population, and the population in Polk County is changing. The land is evolving from rows of fruit trees to cars and trains moving people to jobs in industries completely unrelated to agriculture. Land is available for development to provide for the people that have found a new home or who seek one. For Polk County landowners, this may be as bittersweet as the “greening” of the trees—while there may not be a market for their fruit, there is certainly a market for their grove. •
Polk County, with future plans for annexation into Haines City. Restaurants, retail, and mixed-use buildings are in progress in the area. Developers are building townhomes and rental home communities to house the demand of new residents. Haines City Mayor Anne Huffman believes that when the two major developments currently underway are complete with an additional 10,000 single-family homes, Haines City will rise to the second largest city in the county, unseating Winter Haven to the southwest. “The residents in Haines City are requesting full-service restaurants and Planet Fitness. They want what is available in Lakeland and Orlando,” said Mayor Huffman. Local developer Garrett Kenny believes one key to additional traffic reduction is to have people live where they work. His plan is to build a 16,000-square-foot “food court” entertainment plaza along Highway 27, the main north-south corridor linking to I-4, which will allow for 10 food vendors offering anything from pastries to hamburgers to ice cream. This large dining complex will provide entertainment on weekends, a microbrewery and sports bar, a place for kids to play, and an additional 16,000-square-foot culinary academy. Kenny also has a 120-unit mixed use condo/apartment complex due for completion at the end of 2024 in the revitalized downtown area. The complex will supply mostly one-bedroom and studio units above retail shopping with an attached parking garage—all pedestrian friendly. He believes this project will fuel retail and restaurants across the entire community. Visionary old timers said 50 years ago that the cities of Tampa
either Florida coast, and accessible major airports.
SUNRAIL AND BRIGHTLINE EXPANSION BRING DEVELOPMENT So why is Haines City in the path of progress now? Haines City, it appears, is a likely candidate for the next SunRail stop. SunRail is a light- rail commuter line that will provide easy access to Orlando and greatly reduce the I-4 driving nightmare going east. Another train is also in the mix. Brightline is a high-speed train traveling 125 miles per hour; it is due to complete the link to Orlando in late 2023. The plan is for it to then turn its attention to building the link west to Tampa. It is thought the line will run along the I-4 corridor only 12 miles north of Haines City. The improvements in transportation are critical to Haines City. Even so, Haines City leaders contend it will maintain its small-town appeal while providing services to residents they cannot get in smaller Polk towns. Haines City wisely began working on its image as far back as 2012 when it began a downtown revitalization, building a new City Hall and library in the center of downtown and creating a pleasant pedestrian streetscape. Today Haines City has a lot of room to grow, and the population is certainly trending upward. In 2018 the Haines City population was 24,967; by the end of 2022, it had grown to 28,508. The city itself is approximately 54 square miles, of which only a little more than half is developed. The city is frequently faced with developers seeking approval to build in unincorporated
Susan Reilly is a commercial real estate investment specialist with Berkshire Hathaway Florida Properties Group. She specializes in
multifamily properties across Central Florida, from Tampa to Orlando. Email comments or questions to sreilly@bhhsflpg.com.
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