City Commission adopts ordinance creating Wedgwick Community Development District amid resident maintenance concerns

The Lakeland City Commission on a unanimous vote adopted Ordinance 24-061 to establish the Wedgwick Community Development District (CDD), a local special district that will cover 104 of the 128 acres of the Gibson Trails (formerly Wedgwood) development.

The ordinance, approved on second reading, authorizes the district to provide project-based financing and typical CDD functions described by the developer’s counsel, and names an initial five-member board of supervisors. Commissioners voted to adopt the ordinance after public discussion and a roll-call affirming unanimous approval.

Supporters, including petitioner counsel Jerry Earlywine, told the commission a CDD will allow the developer to issue tax-exempt bonds to fund infrastructure such as utilities, stormwater and road improvements; that construction funds are placed in trustee-controlled accounts and that the CDD structure generally provides more durable maintenance and financing tools than a homeowners association. “The CDD … allows us to put in a better quality project because the money costs less and it can be spread over 30 years,” Earlywine said during the hearing.

Opponents and several commissioners focused their remarks on recurring code-enforcement and maintenance complaints about the property while it remains in developer control. Commissioner Long and others cited dozens of prior code-enforcement notices and said they had seen problems such as overgrown lots and obstructed fire hydrants. Resident Beverly Copeland Inman, whose property borders the site, told the commission she and neighboring HOAs were concerned the required notice for the hearing was incomplete and asked how residents would be protected if the development produced more multifamily apartments than initially expected. Earlywine and city staff responded that multifamily areas are excluded from the 104 acres that the CDD will tax and that, in their view, the CDD’s governance and ability to collect assessments through the tax roll would provide more reliable, professional maintenance than an HOA. The petitioner also said the developer remains responsible for maintenance while the project is in the early, landowner-controlled phase.

City staff and the petitioner said the CDD financing is expected to cover a portion of an estimated $22 million in public infrastructure for the project and would be used for items including road connections under I‑4, drainage infrastructure and lift stations. The petitioner’s attorney said state law prohibits a city or county from assuming a CDD’s debt and that bondholders assume the financial risk. Commissioners asked staff to follow up with the developer on outstanding code-enforcement items during the interim before the CDD is fully operational.

Action: Ordinance 24-061 establishing the Wedgwick Community Development District was adopted (vote: unanimous).

The commission’s adoption triggers the CDD’s ability to move forward with bond financing and the district’s initial governance steps; commissioners and staff said they would continue to monitor interim maintenance and coordinate with code enforcement and the developer.

The commission also directed staff to continue to work with the developer and county agencies on outstanding transport and drainage commitments tied to the overall development timeline.