Lakeland commissioners approved a long-disputed development agreement for the former Wedgewood golf course on Monday, May 18, in a 6-1 vote, despite another tense public hearing dominated by traffic concerns from area residents.
Ten neighbors spoke against the agreement, arguing congestion around Carpenters Way and U.S. 98 has worsened dramatically since the project’s original traffic analysis in 2022. “Traffic is horrific, and construction hasn’t even started yet,” resident Gina Ward told commissioners.
Several residents — along with Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr. — argued the city should require a new traffic study before moving forward.
LaLonde said the developer’s transportation payment was still largely based on the 2022 study, with limited updates in 2025. “I don’t know how we move forward in this project without a new traffic study,” he said, adding that he wanted “real numbers, not methodology.”
City Transportation and Planning Manager Chuck Barmby pushed back, saying Florida law allows the city to charge developers for traffic impacts created by their projects — not to fix existing congestion problems. He argued “a traffic study isn’t going to tell us anything new from 2022,” prompting several residents to shout back, “That’s not true.”
As part of the project, Barmby said the developer is contributing about 15 acres of right-of-way land that the city has long needed for future road connections and improvements. He said a roundabout at Carpenters Way and Wedgewood Estates Boulevard is not currently proposed because of the complexity of building it, though it could still be considered later.
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