Winter Haven’s largest church congregation has found a new home downtown. After months of construction and renovation, Heartland Community Church began services at its new location, 225 Avenue B N.W. Local developer Six/Ten LLC worked with the church to renovate the 34,000 square foot space to accommodate the more than 1,000 people who attend services at the church each week.

“We were thrilled with the growing number of people who attended our worship services, but we no longer fit in our previous space,” said Ed Kendrick, Lead Pastor of Heartland Community Church. “A few congregants who live in the growing downtown area of Winter Haven approached me with the idea of relocating to this new space downtown, and we were immediately excited by the opportunities this location presented.”
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The new building is part of Inland Fiber & Data Park, which provides an advantage to Heartland in part because of the high bandwidth the church requires for its state-of-the-art audio visual and music productions. On weekends and nights, the Data Park also provides the parking spaces needed to accommodate the large number of church goers.

By: News Chief

People of all ages are beginning to discover the many benefits of smaller town living. As baby boomers begin to retire, a majority head south to states like Florida, with areas in the middle of the state gaining many of these transplants. According to a report by NPR, Florida actually has six of the nation’s 20 fastest-growing metro areas. This growth has boosted the state’s population to nearly 20 million.

Cities like Winter Haven offer residents many of the amenities of larger cities, such as restaurants, retail and nightlife, but without the higher cost of living. These perks have multi-generational appeal since younger folks need office and living spaces.

In some cases, these cities even have additional benefits not available in other areas of the state. For example, Winter Haven passed an ordinance allowing the use of golf carts downtown.
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Six/Ten is contributing to the economic development and urban rebirth of Winter Haven through several new office, retail and  residential offerings in the historic district. The company has acquired more than two dozen properties in the area and is recapturing their original, beautiful architecture while modernizing them with updated technology and amenities.

By: NPR