Winter Haven adopts comp-plan amendments to preserve future transportation corridors

The Winter Haven City Commission on second reading adopted Ordinance O‑25‑14 on a voice vote, amending the city's 2035 comprehensive plan to add policies intended to preserve future transportation corridors and to support the Florida Department of Transportation's work on the proposed Central Polk Parkway East.

City planning staff told commissioners the revisions add a new policy (future land use objective 1.7, policy 1.7.3) requiring the city to consider future transportation corridors when changing land‑use designations and add language to transportation objective 1.8 that supports FDOT's corridor‑planning for Central Polk Parkway East. The staff presentation said the city transmitted the proposed amendments for state and local review on March 24, 2025, and that Florida Commerce, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, FDOT and the Southwest Florida Water Management District returned letters raising no objections. The planning commission unanimously recommended approval, and staff reported there were no public comments.

Assistant City Attorney Drew Crawford read the ordinance title and the commission voted to adopt O‑25‑14 on second reading. The change becomes part of the 2035 Winter Haven comprehensive plan; staff said the text amendments are intended to secure corridors deemed necessary for future transportation projects to support the city and surrounding communities.

The ordinance does not itself authorize construction but adds planning policies to preserve right‑of‑way and to coordinate with state agencies on corridor location and design. Staff noted that other agencies' comments were either supportive or nonobjections and that no unresolved review comments remained on the item.

The commission closed the public hearing with no members of the public speaking on the item and adopted the ordinance by voice vote.