Skip Alford, representing the Economic Development Council and Chamber of Commerce, presented regional economic data and local strategies to attract higher-wage employers to Lake Wales.
Alford highlighted population growth, tourism and logistics strengths across Central Florida and said the region’s attractiveness is drawing manufacturing, logistics and tech leads. He showed examples of capital-investment leads under consideration and said some prospects seek greenfield sites or existing facilities; energy and water demand could limit some opportunities.
Alford emphasized a workforce gap and presented literacy as a workforce-development priority. He said about 49% of children in the state are not reading proficiently by age 8 (presented as a statistic from a Florida Chamber Foundation conference) and argued that reading proficiency links directly to future workforce success. To address that, he proposed a four-part workforce strategy including “Workforce Reads,” a program to encourage chamber members to mentor and read to students weekly, plus foundation support for tutors and teachers.
He described the chamber’s coordination with local institutions — charter schools, the county and partners such as Mountain Lake and Main Street — and listed ongoing development leads, some with multimillion-dollar capital expenditures and potential thousands of jobs. “Once again, the challenges that go along with those good things though … home prices and rents are outpacing wages,” Alford said, urging city leaders to pursue “smart growth” and quality development.
Commissioners responded with broad support for focusing on education, workforce development and quality growth. Alford said the chamber will follow up with concrete action items and invited commissioners to participate in volunteer and partnership efforts.