City of Mulberry Innovates to Add Amenities and Programs For Its Residents

June 6, 2025 • News

Dealing with the effects of rapid growth is always on the mind of City of Mulberry City Manager Rick Johnson. But serving the residents of his southwestern Polk County municipality takes an even higher priority.

“We hear a lot of folks are concerned about too much growth and too much traffic. There is increased car traffic from developments north of town, and the commission is concerned about adding to the traffic – we’re very aware of making a bad situation worse,” Johnson said.

The City of Mulberry is also challenged by railroads crisscrossing the center of town and truck traffic on busy State Road 60, he said. “We want to make certain we retain our small-town charm without getting overrun.”

When Johnson took the position in October 2012, the city was in a financial crisis and faced criticism for its spending. Johnson has turned that problem around while making strides in moving the city forward.

“The city is in amazing financial shape,” said Johnson, who was a city commissioner in the Town of Dundee before accepting the City of Mulberry job. “Our finances are strong, our commission is working extremely well together. Our department directors are all working in harmony with one goal.”

Mulberry’s population has increased 16% since the 2020 Census, from 3,964 to 4,600. It’s growing at a rate of 2.84% annually.

Building on Recent Successes

During the COVID pandemic, the city opened the Gem Theater using money from the Community Redevelopment Agency it formed in 2016. “The CRA has become very robust in the short time we’ve had it. There’s up to $1.8 million is going in every year, allowing us to revitalize downtown and provide small businesses grants,” Johnson said.

The International Chemical Workers Union purchased the theater in 1959, which had been in operation on First Avenue from 1947 to 19579. After several failed attempts to acquire it, the city offered to gut and rebuild the dilapidated building and rent the union office space for $1 a year forever, he said. “We let them use the theater if they have a big voting event or something. It has worked out really well. Now, the theater is revitalized and there is a thriving ice cream shop out front.”

Area residents who had worked in theater companies in Lakeland, Brandon and other cities made the Gem their home and started the Missing Piece Theater. They put on four events a year, Johnson said, and are already winning awards for directing and acting.

“Right out of the chute they were nominated and picking up awards,” he said. “They just finished a run and are already doing auditions for the next production. They are great partners with us.”

Broadening Theater Events

But Johnson, who toured all local and high school theaters before opening the Gem, noticed all could do concerts or movies or plays, but none could handle more than two types of entertainment.

“The goal was to do all four, including dinner theater. We do a lot of concerts, plays and films, but we also do dinner and a movie, which sells out immediately,” Johnson said. “We do themed ones, like ‘Jaws’ and a catered seafood dinner.”

The city is also attracting celebrities to come in and talk about their movies, answering questions afterward. Keith Coogan, who starred in “Adventures in Babysitting,” has been to Mulberry once. And, he is returning to teach a class on acting to local students, Johnson said.

In August, C. Thomas Howell is coming from Nashville for the showing of the 1983 hit “The Outsiders,” in which he co-starred with the likes of Tom Cruise and Matt Dillon. It will be followed by a question-and-answer session. “I’m excited about having him down. He’s in the newest ‘Yellowstone,’ (‘1923,’ the Yellowstone prequel) so he’s very current.”

Studio 37

Johnson and his staff have also focused on programming for adults. “One thing we added a year ago was Studio 37. We have so many programs here for children between the library, museum and fine arts/cultural center, but we needed programs for adults.”

Enter Studio 37 in the old Sun Trust bank building, which offers a maker’s space with machines for crafts, sewing and painting, among other things. With a theme of Meet, Make and Move, the studio also offers everything from Zumba and chair yoga to guest speakers and cooking classes.

The private program SOY — Save Our Youth – uses several classrooms after school to teach area youth life skills like sewing on buttons and preparing a budget. At night, a Girl Scout troop meets there.

“We’re adding more adult programs there and are trying to make them free or very affordable for citizens,” he said.

The city also does a lot of outreach outside its borders to attract residents from nearby municipalities, as well as the Hispanic community.

Depot 303 Grand Opening

Several years ago, the city purchased an old one-story Badcock Furniture warehouse using CRA money for $75,000. “We were trying to figure out a way to save that, but we didn’t want to be in the restaurant business. We wanted to be in the revitalization business,” Johnson said.

After visiting The Joinery in Lakeland and meeting with its owner, Jon Bucklew, Mulberry started work on The Depot 303, which opened the second weekend in April 2025. The Joinery and Bucklew will manage Depot 303, which has seven restaurants and a bar, including a ramen noodle/dumpling location, the brick-oven restaurant Pizza Odyssey, Fat Maggie’s and an Asian fusion restaurant.

“We’re anticipating the place will be jammed. People are chomping at the bit to get over there,” he said.

A-C-T Environmental & Infrastructure completed environmental and design/build work, Straughn Trout provided artist renderings and Rodda Construction built the 14,000-square-foot facility.

City of Mulberry Welcomes Businesses

A few businesses are entering the market, others are considering it, and some local companies are expanding, Johnson said. Those include:

Carter’s BBQ on East Canal Street is expanding, adding a store. Construction should be completed by the end of the year. The restaurant received a grant from the CRA for the work.
Coast Concrete Co. is entering the market, adding a fourth location to the three it operates in Placida, Ellenton and recently, LaBelle. Its entrance into the CRA’s industrial park will help pay for water/sewage expansions, Johnson said. Part of the property was in the city, but most of it was in the county, so Mulberry annexed it.
A campground along S.R. 60 with more than 40 campsites should open by the end of the year. “The RV sites are right on the water, on a little peninsula,” Johnson said. The land is the former site of Ski Paradise.
Work should begin this year on an apartment complex off Church Avenue in the northern part of the city, he said.

Infrastructure Challenges

Meeting the future water needs for the city is “everybody’s challenge,” Johnson said. They are “making sure the timing of supplying water to folks meets the needs and demands.”

The city is also working on replacing underground water lines that contain lead and copper. The federal government has mandated all such lines be replaced in 10 years; this is the second year. The city received a grant last year to inventory and test lines. It has applied for another grant this year and expects an answer by May 2025. “We will proceed with getting rid of all those lines after that.”

As Mulberry continues to grow and evolve, City Manager Rick Johnson and his team remain focused on balancing progress with preservation. From enhancing the city’s cultural and recreational offerings to attracting new businesses and addressing critical infrastructure needs, Mulberry is charting a thoughtful course forward. With its strong financial foundation, community-driven initiatives, and commitment to retaining its small-town character, the city is poised for a future that honors its past while embracing the opportunities ahead. For Johnson, it’s not just about managing growth—it’s about making sure Mulberry thrives for generations to come.