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Lakeland took a big step Tuesday, Jan. 20, toward building a long-planned education center at Se7en Wetlands.
Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Rodda Construction to build the center with a guaranteed maximum price of $1,232,092.
The Se7en Wetlands Education Center is expected to serve as a “front door” for visitors — a place to learn what Se7en Wetlands is, why it exists and what makes it different from a typical park.
Exhibits will tell the story of how 1,640 acres of former phosphate mining land became a nationally recognized wetland and a critical part of the city’s water cycle.
The constructed wetlands filter 10 million gallons of treated wastewater daily and provide habitat for everything from birds and turtles to alligators and otters. There are also 13 public trails and a boardwalk that offer opportunities for running, walking, hiking, exploring and viewing wildlife.
Se7en Wetlands is named for seven “cells” that filter all of the city’s wastewater while also providing habitat and public trails. | City of Lakeland 
The boardwalk at Se7en Wetlands. | City of Lakeland 
The proposed Se7en Wetlands Education Center would be southeast of the park, with access through Loyce E. Harpe Park. | City of Lakeland
About the education center
Assistant City Attorney Katie Franklin Prenoveau described the project to the commissioners:
- The education center will be a roughly 2,000-square-foot facility with a welcome lobby, exhibit space, multipurpose room, offices and support areas.
- It will host school field trips, summer camps, community tours and events focused on ecology and watershed health.
- Funding will come primarily from a $972,165 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
- Lakeland has requested $115,000 for the center in the legislative session, which began last week. The city would cover the rest from its public improvement and wastewater unappropriated surplus funds.
City leaders have framed the center as both a local amenity and a regional resource for water education. Access will be from the Gopher Tortoise Gate at the Loyce E. Harpe Park, 500 W. Carter Road.
Rodda’s team has already been working with city staff and Straughn Trout Architects to help shape the project and firm up costs.
Early renderings of the center show features such as an outdoor classroom, amphitheater-style seating, rainwater-harvesting exhibits and interpretive displays on the wetlands’ historical and environmental significance.
A project years in the making
The education center has been in the works since shortly after Se7en Wetlands opened to the public in 2018. However, it has weathered setbacks along the way.
In 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $400,000 for the education center, forcing Lakeland to regroup and pursue other funding.
DeSantis also vetoed an ambitious $5 million request in 2022 that would have enabled the city to build a 5,000-square-foot center. However, he allowed $950,000 for a more modest center in 2023.
The wetlands are named for seven “cells” with a system of berms along their perimeters. There is approximately 70 feet of elevation difference between the highest and lowest points.
The City purchased the land in 1985. It filters all of the city’s treated wastewater, acting like “nature’s kidneys” and removing about 92% of the nitrogen. It feeds into the Alafia River.
Tuesday’s vote marks the most substantive milestone yet for the long-planned education center.
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