SouthState Bank plans to build a $17.2 million, five-story office building in downtown Winter Haven that would house about 125 employees in a regional operations center.
Plans call for a 40,035-square-foot Class A office building on two vacant parcels in the downtown core. Construction is expected to begin in July 2026 and take 12 to 16 months.
The building would serve as SouthState’s Winter Haven regional operations center, bringing a concentrated employee base into the downtown district. Project materials estimate the development would increase the site’s taxable value by at least $15 million.
The site has remained vacant in the downtown core, and plans include an elevated pedestrian bridge connecting the building to an existing city parking garage, which will serve as the primary parking option for employees. SouthState is not requesting reserved parking spaces.
SouthState has applied for incentives through the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, including tax rebates tied to the revenue the project generates and reimbursement of certain utility connection costs.
Project documents show that SouthState will fund the full development cost, while the city’s role is limited to performance-based incentives tied to the project’s tax generation.
Six/Ten LLC, a Winter Haven-based firm active in downtown projects, is leading the development. C&K Architects is the project architect.
The Community Redevelopment Agency advisory committee and board voted in April to recommend approval of the developer agreement. The City Commission is expected to consider the agreement at its May 11 meeting.
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