Abogados de inmigración in Haines City, FL

The Brief

HAINES CITY, Fla. - Thousands are in Haines City this weekend for an international youth football tournament featuring teams from Canada and cities throughout the United States.

What they're saying:

Alex Junk hails from the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. They have the Canadian Football League, but he likes playing American Football too.

"It's different," said Junk. "It's different field sizes and there are fewer people on the field here and the rules are different, so I find it more fun."

It's his second year playing in the North American Youth Championships in Haines City. Fifty to sixty percent of the 62 teams are from Canada and the others are from throughout the United States.

"Since the day I was born and all my life, I've heard Canada was our greatest partner, and we wanted to keep that relationship going no matter what's going on in the world right now," said Horace West, the tournament's Managing Director.

Haines City is Horace West's hometown, so he was instrumental in bringing the tournament home to boost the local economy.

"We have thousands of people here. Our hotel rooms are full, and our restaurants are full," said Omar Arroyo, the Mayor of Haines City. "That's what the city has been doing to help the economics of the city."

West says he's received interest from other countries like Ghana and Israel, so they're going to try and get other countries involved next year.

"What the intent and the goal is here is to create something similar to the Little League baseball championships or World Series. We want to try to do this with football and this is our starting point," said West. "I want Haines City to be our starting point."

Junk says his team will play their hearts out for the replica Lombardi trophy and will for sure get into the competitive spirit.

"It's a whole different game than Canada," said Junk. "(In) Canada there's no trash talk or anything. It's a lot different than here. It's funny. It's fun to listen to."

What's next:

The tournament started Friday afternoon and will run through Sunday. The championship game will be played at Denison Stadium in Winter Haven.

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A 147,000-square-foot Target is set to come to the southwest corner of U.S. 27 and U.S. 17-92 in rapidly growing Haines City.

The store is the second SuperTarget in the pipeline for Polk County, with another location planned in Winter Haven at the intersection of Third Street/U.S. 17 and Cypress Gardens Boulevard, across from the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes Athletic Complex.

The retailer will anchor the planned multi-phase, $180 million Crossroads Village Center, which will include a mix of retail, restaurants, residential units, and a central lake built over three phases. A phase one final construction plan recently submitted to the Southwest Florida Water Management District revealed plans for about 320,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, including the Target, three junior anchors and three fast-food restaurants. The first phase will also include 1,888 surface-level parking spaces.

Black Mountain Group, the developer behind the 120-acre project, paid $5 million for the land in 2023. Director Syed Raza declined to provide any specific details but told GrowthSpotter that the company has “a tremendous amount of interest from multiple national big box chains, specialty retailers, and restaurants” and is in active negotiations with prospective tenants.

The shopping center is about 8 miles from the closest SuperTarget at Posner Commons.

Gavin Walsh of TSCG is handling leasing for Crossroads Village Center. A property flyer on the TSCG website indicates that phase one is set to deliver in the summer of 2026, but Raza didn’t confirm a timeline for the shopping center.

Plans submitted to the City of Haines City in 2023 called for a total of 450,000 square feet of commercial space, 224 multifamily units over ground-floor retail, a pair of hotels with a combined 240 rooms, 119 single-family houses, and 169 townhomes.

Phase two will consist of the multifamily units, hotels, and remaining commercial space. Raza previously told GrowthSpotter that the two hotels will be a Wyndham and a TownePlace Suites by Marriott. The third phase will deliver the townhomes and single-family houses, with plans for a centrally located amenity area with a clubhouse, pool, and sports courts.

Black Mountain Group will also build a central 16-acre lake in the first phase of development. The lake will have “floating docks for concerts and outdoor events” and will “feature multiple fountains, observation decks, paddle boats, fishing docks, walkways, jogging pathways and trails with seating areas, and preserved wetlands,” according to application materials.

Civil engineer Dave Schmitt Engineering, surveyor American Surveying & Mapping, geotechnical firm ECS Florida, environmental consultant Bio-Tech Consulting, Inc., and landscape architect LandDesign are also working on the project.

Target also plans to open a 150,000-square-foot anchor store in the Lake Nona West shopping center in Lake Nona, which is scheduled to open in 2026.

Additionally, the developer behind the Sunray Junction shopping center a few blocks from the Poinciana SunRail station is exploring plans to build a 145,000-square-foot Target at the center.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at (407)607-8160 or TyWilliams@GrowthSpotter.com. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.

It’s a brand-new year, but that’s not stopping Florida’s ever-popular grocery chain from expanding with even more store openings.

Publix officials have announced four new openings that range across the state — including one here in Central Florida.

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Those openings are slated as follows:

According to Forness Properties, the upcoming Publix store in Haines City will serve as an anchor for the Shops at The Grove, being flanked by a Circle K gas station, a McDonald’s restaurant, and a Mavis Tires & Brakes.

Other stores in the shopping center are set to include a nail lounge, a sushi bar, and an ice cream store, a release from the company shows.

“Plans are in place to increase both Johnson Ave & Power Line Rd to 4-lanes to accommodate the expected growth,” the release reads. “The closest grocery stores are Winn-Dixie and Aldi approximately 3 miles to the west.”

Publix lists the Haines City grocery store as being over 48,000 square feet, much in line with its other standard locations. The new store will also feature a pharmacy and liquor store, the company’s website says.

This marks another step in the company’s continued expansion across the Sunshine State, with some new stores last year featuring parking garages, upstairs dining, and even a three-story location with a boat dock.

However, these new stores will be missing out on a key element of many original Publix grocery shops: the chain’s signature scales.

The scales date back to 1930, when the first-ever Publix store was opened in Florida. As part of a business tactic, the scales were made free for customers to use, as they typically required money during this time because they weren’t often found in homes.

But customers won’t find any scales in Publix stores outside of Florida and Georgia. And that’s because there are only a few left. Publix officials told News 6 that the scales’ manufacturer — Mettler Toledo — stopped making them a few years ago.

“The manufacturer ceased production in 2015, meaning that one day — although our wonderful repair shop keeps our remaining machines in great shape — the last Publix scale will retire,” Publix wrote. “When scales are taken out of a store, they go for a spruce-up in our repair shop. They could wind up going to another store, or they may be held for parts to utilize in other scales.”

As a result, these scales won’t be coming to new Florida stores, the company explained.

Publix bought up as many of these scales as it could before Mettler Toledo stopped production, and the remaining scales are kept in stores or at a warehouse in Lakeland.

According to Publix, the scales will stay in the Florida stores as long as the technicians can keep them operational.

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An Illinois hotelier has filed construction plans for a new hotel on the U.S. 27 corridor across from AdventHealth Heart of Florida Hospital.

Haines City approved the development of a four-story hotel by Bask Development last September, and AVID Group applied for an environmental resource permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District last week.

The developers weren’t available to comment on this article at the time.

The hotel is projected to be an extended-stay style establishment, given its proximity to the hospital. The hotel will be a four-story building with 124 rooms situated on 2.2 acres of land. There will be a 1,265-square-foot patio attached to the hotel but no pool — another indicator that it’s an extended-stay brand. Alameda Architecture designed the 55,860-square-foot hotel.

Paul Sexton, Vice President of HREC Investment Advisors, believes this is the ideal location for a hotel because of the number of subdivisions in the area and the presence of the hospital. It’s likely to be the first branded hotel on U.S. 27 between I-4 and U.S. 17.

“This property is a terrific place to locate because there are amenities close by, with a Walgreens, Miller’s Ale House and more,” Sexton added. “I expect this to be an economy-level or mid-scale extended-stay hotel. Because people buying homes in the area, come down to visit the area two or three times. Also, lots of families will be visiting for the holidays.”

The hotel is situated on U.S. 27, a busy highway that offers excellent visibility. However, Sexton believes that this aspect is less significant nowadays.

“Everybody has GPS and all the search engines to find a hotel wherever they are or going,” Sexton said. “Brand matters. People are brand loyal these days. So Hilton loyal customers don’t care if there is a giant Marriott sign, they are going to find the Hilton. You don’t have to be on the corner any longer.”

Sexton also believes this hotel will be important for traveling nurses working at the hospital across the street.

“There has to be a lot of development in the area, for these types of hotels to work,” he said. “Hospitals are generators of customers. They have all kinds of people coming in for many reasons. It is not a deep market, but a wide one.”

Construction for Polk State College’s new Haines City-Davenport campus next to AdventHealth Heart of Florida Hospital began last year. The school is set to open in Fall 2026, pending funding, with an anticipated enrollment of 1,500 based on the Fall 2024 semester enrollment in targeted programs.

Saxon Partners plans to build a 240-apartment community and a 16,000-foot medical building between the new college and the hospital. They expect to break ground this year.

Pulte Homes is developing over 500 homes in a community called Hartford Terrace on U.S. 27. Just north of the site on Holly Hill Fruit Road, Alliance Residential is building one of its Prose-branded workforce housing apartment communities.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.

The fate of the FFA Leadership Training Center in Haines City is no longer in limbo after the Florida Cabinet approved $7.45 million to purchase the campus earlier this week.

The facility has been owned and operated by the Florida FFA Foundation for more than four decades, a release issued by foundation Executive Director Hilary Holley said announcing the approval of the purchase.

“Treasured for its role in shaping student experiences, the LTC has served as an extended classroom for leadership and career development, holding a unique place in FFA’s history across the state,” Holley said.

The decision to sell the facility came earlier this year after years of financial challenges arose from the ongoing maintenance and operation of the year-round hospitality property.

In February, the foundation partnered with Lakeland-based SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler to market the property, and a request for proposals was initiated. After a review of the offers, the foundation board unanimously voted to accept the state's proposal.

“The Cabinet voted yesterday (Tuesday) to accept the Option Agreement to purchase the LTF from the FFA Foundation,” Dean Saunders said via email. “It has not closed on the deal yet.”

An expansion of Catfish Creek Preserve State Park

A news release from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said the purchase allows the state to "expand the Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park, adding over 6,000 feet of frontage along Lake Pierce," giving the park essential facilities and expanding opportunities for recreation and education.

The property, on Firetower Road south of Lake Hatchineha Road, falls within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Earlier this year, the Florida Cabinet also agreed to purchase the 1,342-acre Creek Legacy Ranch on the north side of Lake Hatchineha Road for $36.1 million. That came after an intense public fight over a plan to develop about 600 acres of the property with more than 1,800 homes and retail space.

Neighbors and environmental groups argued the Creek Ranch was another critical link in the Wildlife Corridor. The ranch will now fall under the management of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, likely becoming a new wildlife management area open to the public.

Relieving the FFA of financial burdens

The pending purchase of the FFA property will relieve the foundation of operational burdens and provide a significant financial boost to its mission of securing and managing resources that support agricultural education, the Florida FFA Association and its more than 60,000 student members, Holly said.

“While the transaction marks a major milestone, the board hopes FFA will have future opportunities to utilize the facility, with ongoing conversations continuing,” she said.

The Florida FFA Foundation expressed gratitude to the industry partners and countless individuals who contributed to the LTC’s success, recognizing their hard work, generosity and financial support.

The foundation’s website lists sponsors with a financial interest in agriculture, including Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Publix Super Markets Inc., Farm Credit of Central Florida and others.

The news release quoted the FFA Creed, citing a passage highlighting the transition of land ownership as bittersweet for the foundation.

“I believe that to live and work on a good farm, or to be engaged in other agricultural pursuits, is pleasant as well as challenging; for I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny,” the FAA Creed says.

Looking ahead, the foundation board of trustees will develop a strategic plan in early 2025 “to chart a vibrant path forward for the organization,” Holly said. She added, more details on the process and the foundation’s plans will be shared in the coming months.

The FFA Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1976 to secure resources for education, agriculture and student leader development.

For more information and to support the Florida FFA Foundation’s work, visit www.flaffa.org/foundation.