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.