Winter Haven reports lowest crime rate on record, adds officers and funds vehicles and fire equipment
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
City Manager T. Michael Sabers announced Winter Haven’s crime rate at 1.714 per 1,000 residents (lowest recorded), cited nine new officers added over two years, and said the commission approved about $1.7M for police cars and over $2M for two fire trucks; Fire Station 5 GMP has been accepted.
City Manager T. Michael Sabers used the State of the City to highlight public safety investments and staffing increases that he credited with pushing crime rates down.
Crime and staffing: Sabers said Winter Haven’s crime rate stands at 1.714 per 1,000 people — the lowest recorded — and that the commission added three officers this year and six last year for a total of nine new officers over two years, enabling strategic response units and bike units.
Equipment and facilities: Sabers noted the commission approved roughly $1,700,000 for new police vehicles and earlier approved over $2,000,000 for two new fire trucks (received soon after construction) that will be placed into service. He also said the guaranteed maximum price for Fire Station 5 was accepted, and the station is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
What’s next: The city will continue to recruit and train staff, place purchased vehicles and fire trucks into service, and finalize Fire Station 5 construction and planning for further stations as growth requires.