Lakeland Economic Development Council Inc

“The board of directors reviews the form 990 before it is filed and designates one of its members to discuss any questions with the cpa who prepared the return.”

“We monitor any interests with our board of directors and key employees that could result in a conflict. We have an executive board that monitors compensation with outside consultants, as well as reviewing and monitoring what other economic development councils compensate staff.”

“An annual evaluation conducted by the ledc chairman and president that is reviewed by the ledc executive board, led by david d. Hallock, jr., ledc chairman at the november board meeting.”

“The organization makes it governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public by having them available in the corporate office and by mail/ email upon request.”

“By attracting new companies as well as facilitating the expansion of existing companies in the lakeland, fl area. The goals of the organization are to retain and grow existing businesses; create jobs and investment; grow targeted industry sectors; high-skill/high-wage employment growth; support entrepreneurialism and new business creation; promote infrastructure and development, market lakeland, fl as a premier location for business and facilitate partnerships to enhance growth. The ledc's primary role is to help create jobs and capital investment by attracting new companies, as well as facilitating the expansion of existing companies in the lakeland, florida area. Day-to-day operations at the ledc are staffed by five full-time employees, and one to two paid interns at any given time. The ledc's board of directors are made of volunteer community leaders.”

“The ledc created a separately funded initiative in 2003 to focus on creating high skill, high wage jobs to improve lakeland's quality of life. The high skill initiative is focused on recruiting and retaining companies and talent that focus on enabling technologies and manufacture complex research- oriented products. The high-skill initiative works to accomplish these goals through higher education and economic development partnerships, facilitating development of high-skill infrastructure (including a research university), marketing, incentives, city visits, inventorying lakeland's cool assets, & supporting lakeland's entrepreneurial hub - catapult. Ledc held it's 2nd high skill retreat at streamsong. Two teams were formed to address future planning and new revenue sources for the city. Catalyst plans/design center - a gathering place where community and catalyst plans are created, shared with everyone in the community, consensus is built and, hopefully; execution happens: -a connected trail system - for example, connecting bonnet springs park to downtown, bartow rails to trails through the holloway property to downtown lakeland -corridor improvements - for example, connecting downtown to lrh and beyond new sources of revenue and/or expense reductions for the city of lakeland: -incentives -impact fees -hospitality tax -cleveland heights golf course redevelopment -potential expense reductions at places such as tigertown, cleveland height & rp funding center we agreed to continue our position papers/blogs on issues such as: -broadband -public education -incentives -police station garage & highline”

“Greenville city visit - "how might we's" progress ledc's high skill investors made significant progress on their priorities following their trip to greenville, sc in 2018 including: -how might we build more parking garages to recruit employers downtown? -824-space heritage parking garage -how might lakeland build a central park? -100 million, 180-acre bonnet springs park opening late 2021 -how might we create a key feature or anchor project for our city? -highline 2020 as part of summit project? -how might we build diversity and inclusion bridges in our community? -catapult's co.starters program is coming to nw lakeland in 2020 -how might we recruit developers that are willing to take risks with local entrepreneurs? How might we recognize those that do? -2019 lakeland entrepreneur champion recipient cory petcoff -how might lakeland create spectacularly wide pedestrian and caf corridors in downtown & dixieland? -dixieland road diet, summer 2020 -how might we create a connected trail system with "way stations"? -2019 new york avenue cycle track -how might we become a city that wants to get behind people who want to do something? -2019 greenwise locals including bump galletta, fred koehler, brew hub, swan brewing, seventeen20 & patriot coffee -how might we as a community come together around a shared plan? -catalyst plan - lake mirror success story - summit consulting high skill - adventuring ledc's board completed its adventuring project in 2019. Significant progress was made in three key areas of focus including: -community development - we have achieved significant results with regards to this effort with the hiring of nicole travis. There is still much work to do but we are on the right track and will continue to pursue business-friendly policies, procedures and culture change in the seven departments of community & economic development. -public education - thanks to the work of brian and david we have made a major breakthrough on the public education front with the establishment of lakeland leads who have hired a very capable executive director. Again, there is still much work to do but we are on the right track and will continue to support lakeland leads improvement of our public education system. -diversity & inclusion - we have completed a year and half of research, possibility hours, workshops and retreats: -we have learned that diversity and inclusion is about what is in your heart, it's about culture, awareness and relationships. -we cannot change other people's hearts. However: -we can build relationships with people that are different than us, which can change hearts and eventually culture. -we can invite more people into the conversation, to have a seat at the table when we are making decisions about our community, connecting the unconnected to the decision makers. -we can continue to support and create more programs and events where everyone feels equal and invited like slp, catapult, food truck rally's, etc. These are opportunities for us to build relationships with people that are different than us and by doing this we can change lakeland's culture as it relates to diversity and inclusion. 2019 member impact study ledc staff updated a member impact report from 2012. Ninety-one of ledc's 135 members remained constant over that 7-year period. Here are the findings: 2012: 2019: -number of jobs in the community 42,000 43,000 -appraised value of real property 1 billion 1.92 billion -annual ad valorem taxes paid 15 million 30 million -assessed value of tangible personal property 865 million 1.38 billion -annual tangible taxes paid 14 million 19 million -annual lakeland electric payments 64 million 44 million -annual city of lakeland water fees paid 1 million 1.5 million -annual payroll 1.47 billion 1.77 billion parking garage construction on lakeland's first private-public downtown parking garage in downtown lakeland will be completed before the end of the year. This 824- space garage is a partnership developed by and”

“OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS.”