Lakeland is at the center of one of the nation’s largest transportation project and the vital on Interstate-4. Connecting our business and education community together, a new multi-billion dollar high-speed rail system is expected to be completed by 2015. The Federal government has committed and funded connecting Tampa and Orlando along the High-Tech Corridor of Interstate-4. Lakeland is slated to get one of the five stops along, with downtown Tampa, Orlando International Airport and Disney World.
Lakeland is located between two ports that serve a variety of international regions. Many companies use Florida’s largest Port, the Tampa Port, to send products to Caribbean and South American locations, while the Port Canaveral location on Florida’s Atlantic Coast offers companies a water transportation system to get to the European, African, and Middle Eastern Markets. Lakeland’s central location between these two ports make it the ideal city for international commerce.
The City is additionally surrounded by three major airports which provide both residents and business professionals alike expedient and effortless travel to anywhere around the world. Tampa International, Orlando International, and the Lakeland Linder Airports can accommodate several large passenger, cargo, and military planes and provide a catalyst for economic growth.
In addition, the various highway and railroad networks located throughout Polk County make Lakeland the ideal accessible city for the county’s other citizens. At the turn of the 20th Century, Lakeland had the distinction of the most connected city in Florida, having over 300 miles of roads. In the 21st Century, we would like to continue that distinction by being one of the best connected communities in the world. Being selected for this Google Initiative would help us achieve that goal by bridging the digital divide.
As many would notice, The City of Lakeland’s ability to have infrastructure that caters to planes, trains, and automobiles makes it a premier commercial destination in Florida. With the development of the Google broadband network in Lakeland, we can not only have some of the region’s finest transportation networks, but we can allow our communication infrastructure to flourish.