BARTOW, FL — July 29 2026 — A judge has ruled in favor of Polk County in a legal dispute over the City of Lake Wales’ plan to expand its Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), declaring the proposed expansion invalid.
The ruling, issued Tuesday by the 10th Judicial Circuit Court, granted Polk County’s motion for summary judgment and voided the city’s plan to nearly double the size of its CRA.
A Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is a special district created to help improve areas that are considered economically distressed or blighted by using tax revenue to fund redevelopment projects.
The City of Lake Wales had proposed expanding its CRA by 2,465 acres. According to Polk County, about 75% of that land (1,841.5 acres) was undeveloped and had already been approved for a major development that includes 6,100 homes, 400,000 square feet of commercial space, 125,000 square feet of office space, and 200,000 square feet for assisted living and public facilities.
Polk County argued that the city improperly classified the area as blighted in order to include it in the CRA. County Attorney Randy Mink said the expansion would have redirected as much as $155 million in county tax revenue into the CRA over its initial 30-year lifespan, depending on how the development progressed.
“This is a great order for Polk County,” Mink said, adding that the county believed the city had overreached in its attempt to expand the redevelopment district.
Mink also praised outside counsel Jon Trohn, his legal team, and Assistant County Attorney Breezi Hicks for their work on the case. The court’s decision means the proposed CRA expansion is no longer valid. Nothing further at this time.
SOURCE: POLK COUNTY GOVERNMENT PRESS RELEASE
