LAKE WALES, Fla. — Lake Wales is a city in the middle of a redevelopment or, as some city officials say, a renaissance.  

The city kicked off a major redevelopment project beginning in 2020 and is expected to be completed by 2025 with even more projects planned beyond that.

It’s revitalizing several areas, including its downtown by expanding walkways and revitalizing storefronts and pushing to bring in more businesses. 

What You Need To Know

  • Lake Wales is in the middle of a massive multi-year redevelopment project 

  • Redevelopment is being brought to all corners of the city 

  • Economically depressed areas will soon have more businesses 

One area that has been economically depressed for years is the northwest portion of the city.

It has faced years of decline and in some once vibrant areas are now empty storefronts. However, this could soon change. The city is pushing to bring in businesses to bring more life to the area.

Derrick Blue is the co-founder of the Florida Development Corporation and is in charge of Biz-Linc, a business incubator that helps entrepreneurs learn the ropes of business, including planning and budgeting. They’re currently working with more than 30 different entrepreneurs to set up shop in Lake Wales and some are interested in setting up in the northwest part of town. One area that is the focus of Biz-Linc is Lincoln Avenue. It’s where Blue set up a business center. 

“You can kinda see everything that used to be...I heard a lot of the great artists, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, they all frequented this strip..a barbershop, grocery stores and they were all locally owned by people who actually live in this community,” Blue said. 

One business owner, Michelle Threatt, is hoping to set up shop right on Lincoln Avenue. She grew up a short distance from the strip and says she wants to see it brought back to life.

“The fact of the matter is of being here on Lincoln Avenue where Black businesses...you know the street was full of them and we want that again,” Threatt said.

She has run her own food truck for several years but is looking to possibly expand to a building. Her food truck is called “Topy’s — A Taste of Love.” She named it after her mother and says her business is booming.

She wants to give back to her community that she so dearly loves. 

“I’ve now been here 53 years, the same area within three blocks, its really beautiful,” she said. “I can see the vision, some of us aren’t going to see it until it’s into fruition,” Threatt said.