Winter Haven pledges $200M wastewater upgrade, continued road resurfacing and fiber expansion

During the State of the City address, City Manager T. Michael Sabers detailed capital investments in transportation, water and digital infrastructure intended to sustain growth.

Roads: Sabers said Winter Haven crews worked on "36 miles of roads" in 2025 through resurfacing, milling and asphalt rejuvenation — roughly 20–25% of local roads — and announced an additional $2,000,000 planned for resurfacing in the coming year to further reduce the share of roads rated less than satisfactory.

Wastewater and water: Sabers said the city is investing "well in excess of $200,000,000 into rejuvenation and expansion of our wastewater treatment plant" to replace aging components and increase capacity; he said the facility dates to the 1970s and needs upgrades to serve continued growth. On drinking water, Sabers said staff sample 90 collection points four times monthly and are completing a federally prompted inventory to find lead components; he said the city expects to complete the overall inventory by about 2032 (ahead of a federal 2037 expectation).

Fiber: Sabers described work with HIP to extend fiber optic connections to city facilities, Florida Poly, schools and partner agencies to improve communications and resiliency.

What’s next: The city will proceed with planned resurfacing and the wastewater upgrade program; project scopes and contracts will be finalized through staff and commission processes.