Lakeland has a new mayor for the first time in four years.
Longtime city commissioner Howard Wiggs was sworn into office in a ceremony at the Lakeland Center Monday morning.
Wiggs defeated incumbent mayor Gow Fields in a November election. Both Wiggs and Fields have served on the city commission for more than 20 years.
Wiggs and Fields fought a tough campaign.
But after being sworn in, Wiggs had some nice things to say about FIelds. "I've never seen anybody work any harder than you," Wiggs said to Fields as they sat next to each other on a podium. "The things you represented have been the things I wanted to follow in your footsteps," Wiggs said.
Wiggs said he would be setting up task forces to look at several issues in the city including diversity in city government and ways to make the city more business friendly.
"I want us to be known in Lakeland and throughout the state as the most business friendly city in the state,” he said. “And the only way we can do that is to look at our ordinances and regulations."
Two returning city commissioners and a new commissioner were also sworn into office Monday.