Florida's latest urban park: Bonnet Springs Park

[thelakelander]

Completed in late October 2022, Downtown Lakeland's Bonnet Springs Park is a $110 million public space funded one hundred percent through donations from local businesses, organizations and residents. The park was developed on the site of a Seaboard Coast Line rail yard that operated between 1906 and 1982. Bonnet Springs Park is a great example for groups seeking to improve public spaces in their respective cities, neighborhoods and communities.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/floridas-latest-urban-park-bonnet-springs-park/

[Steve]

This one is crazy to me. Lakeland isn't a big place. They just spent 9 figures on what looks like an incredible public space.

Goes to show you that businesses will contribute....if you develop a solid plan so they know what the money is going towards.

Any idea how long it took them to raise the money?

[vicupstate]

^^ Yeah that is an insane amount of money to raise privately, particularly in a city of that size.  100% private financing for a park is pretty rare as well, regardless of the amount.   

[thelakelander]

I believe the park concept was initially proposed around 2015 or so.