Q5: Mayor John’s Response

Florida communities are growing rapidly. How can Lake Placid balance economic growth and development while still protecting the small town character residents value?

This question is close to my heart — because protecting Lake Placid’s small town character while embracing the right kind of growth is something I have been actively navigating for nearly three decades.

Let me be clear about something. Growth itself is not the enemy. The wrong kind of growth — unplanned, unmanaged, and disconnected from community values — is the enemy. And that distinction is exactly what guides every development decision I make as your mayor.

Lake Placid has something that most growing Florida communities would give anything to have — a genuine identity. We are the Town of Murals. We are the Caladium Capital of the World. We have a walkable, charming downtown on Interlake that is coming alive with new businesses, outdoor dining, and foot traffic that feels authentically ours. That identity is not accidental and it is not guaranteed. It must be actively protected by leadership that understands what is at stake.

Here is how I approach that balance in practice. First, we plan before we permit. Our Downtown Master Plan and our Parks and Recreation Master Plan exist precisely to ensure that growth follows a community-driven blueprint rather than the other way around.

Second, we invest in the infrastructure that responsible growth requires — the nearly $40 million in water and sewer improvements currently underway ensure that new development does not overwhelm our existing systems or our existing neighborhoods.

Third, we are intentional about the businesses and employers we recruit — companies like Amazon and Culver’s bring jobs and careers while fitting within the scale and character of our community.

Yes, we work with outstanding regional partners — the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Highlands County, our Chamber of Commerce, and economic development professionals who bring valuable expertise to the table. That collaboration makes us stronger. But make no mistake — the vision, the values, and the final decisions are driven right here by the people of Lake Placid and the leadership they elect.

I have watched other Florida communities lose their soul to unchecked development. Strip malls replacing Main Streets. Chain restaurants crowding out local businesses. Traffic choking neighborhoods that used to be peaceful. That is not the future I am building for Lake Placid.

My commitment is this — every development decision I make will pass one simple test. Does it make Lake Placid better for the families who already live here? If the answer is yes, we move forward. If the answer is no, we don’t. That is not a complicated formula. But it requires the experience, the relationships, and the institutional knowledge to execute it — and that is exactly what 28 years of service to this community gives me.