Major Area Projects

Zephyrhills Attracts Businesses

In keeping with its Comprehensive Plan, the city of Zephyrhills strives to attract the kinds of businesses and industries that will lead to well-paying jobs for its residents and help the area become recognized as a major business player in the region.

City leaders believe that unchecked growth and development will only lead to the same urban and suburban sprawl that has choked many communities around Florida and would compromise Zephyrhills' many natural and historic resources.

Thanks to the many modes of highway, interstate, railroad and sea transportation that frame the city, that doesn't have to happen. To view a copy of Zephyrhills comprehensive plan, visit:
www.ci.zephyrhills.fl.us

One major project in the nearby area that has succeeded is the development of Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel, about 15 minutes west of Zephyrhills. The ranch originally was about 14,000 acres when the Porter family purchased it in 1937. Today, the ranch is over 5,000 acres and has become popular among business developers.

In the early 1970s, the Porters first sold acreage to the sprawling Saddlebrook Golf and Tennis Center, which is now a sought-after facility for professional and aspiring pro players.

The ranch is now also home to The Shops at Wiregrass, an 800,000-square-foot open-air mall off State Road 56, Wiregrass Ranch High School and Dr. John Long Middle School.

With more than 2,000 acres of available industrial land, such opportunities also exist in and around Zephyrhills, including thousands of acres at the industrial park at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. To developers, business leaders and local officials, Zephyrhills is no longer merely "The City of Pure Water," it is positioning itself as a veritable "Oasis of Opportunity."