by James Coulter
The Lake Wales City Commission will be voting on several ordinances for a proposed 1,287+ acre mixed-use development that will serve as the “Entrance to the City.” However, opinions about the proposed development prove to be equally mixed.
At their workshop on Wed. May 14, 2025, Lake Wales city commissioners reviewed six ordinances about Stoneridge, a proposed mixed-use development located at the western edge of the city along Highway 60 and adjacent to the Lake Wales Municipal Airport.
The first three ordinances would annex 1,202 acres of land and change their land use and zoning designation to Mixed-Use. The next three ordinances would annex 38 acres, change their land use designation to Industrial Park, and their zoning to Industrial. 
The subject property will be utilized for Stoneridge, a proposed industrial mixed-use development which will serve as the “Gateway to the City” with commercial, residential, and industrial properties.
As the proposed project is located near Highway 60 and the Lake Wales Municipal Airport, the location was chosen for its unique convergence of road, rail, and air, which would prove beneficial for attracting prospective businesses and industry, explained Shelton Rice, authorized agent for the property’s owner.
“It is the perfect place for industrial,” he said. “Our client has gotten leads continuously about this site and what we have, and what entitlements we have. We are working as fast as we can to get these approvals in place so that we can work with the EDC to try to bring these uses on.” 
Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson commended the proposed development for utilizing this unique convergence of transportation to its advantage.
“They have got to love the convergence of the airport, rail, and highway,” he said. “It is good for them and good for us. This is really a wonderful convergence.”
However, Commissioner Carol Gillespie proved to be less on board with the proposal. She worried that the proposed development would receive backlash from local residents, as have many other similar proposals to bring industrial development to the city.
“This seems to me the sort of thing that our citizens don’t want,” she said. “At this point, I am not ready to approve this. I think that we need to do more consideration of what we want our city to look like. We have a responsibility to manage development in such a manner that people want to be here, and it will be a beautiful place.”
As such, she claimed she was not ready to cast a vote on the proposed ordinances without more information about the proposal, and she suggested even tabling the discussion of the ordinances.
“I think this is too early to consider this and that we [need to] table this,” she said. “We need to consider why are you so much in a hurry to approve every development that is ahead of you.”
Commissioner Keith Thompson, on the other hand, voiced the opposite opinion. He claimed the time to approve such a proposed development was now rather than later. He insisted such development was vital to the economic future of the city.
“I do not believe it is the city’s role to stand in the way of economic development for people. I don’t think we are in a rush. I think we are actually far behind,” he said. “It is time for us to make some bold decisions. This needs to happen for the future of our community, for the economic future of our community. I am not in favor of postponing this. I am in favor of voting on this next week.”
Deputy Mayor Gibson likewise urged the approval of the development. He compared the proposal to a similar development in Greenville, NC, which likewise incorporated a mixed-use of industrial and commercial properties, and which led to a thriving economy for that community.
“Greenville is bigger, it has a lot of lots and residents, and it a heck of a lot better than it ever was,” he said. “Our mission is to make things better and more beautiful. The property right now is doggone ragged, and it brings no economic benefit to our citizens….I am for it, and it is consistent with our mission to be better and more beautiful.”
The six ordinances will be considered at the next city commission meeting scheduled for Tues. May 20 at 6 PM at Lake Wales City Hall.
