Inducted: 2021
Mulberry High , 1965
Howard Wiggs is the co-founder and president of Bagley Wiggs CoLab, which offers collaborative services in business, politics and life coaching.
He was a vice president for commercial lending and a branch manager for Flagship Bank, and following its acquisition, a vice president of marketing for SunTrust Bank of Central Florida.
Wiggs was elected to the Lakeland City Commission in 1993 and served 21 years as a commissioner before being elected mayor in 2014. He retired from public service in January 2018.
During his tireless promotion of the city, Wiggs started the North Lakeland Merchants Association with many of the banks and businesses in North Lakeland. As a result, the Merchants Association was instrumental in the widening of U.S. 98 North.
Wiggs joined with other leaders to form the Lakeland Council on Substance Abuse. It later became the Drug Prevention Resource Center and is now InnerAct Alliance. Wiggs also led efforts that created Lakeland Vision. Wiggs started a movement to encourage people to share good news on social media that included the'LoveLakeland'hashtag. He also wanted to recognize the city's unsung heroes, so he started the Love Lakeland CityMakers awards.
In recognition of his civic engagement, Wiggs received the prestigious Jere Annis Award from Leadership Lakeland in 2013. He has been named to the Mulberry High School Hall of Fame and is a Distinguished Alumnus of Polk State College.
Wiggs earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Florida Southern College. He also is a graduate of the Florida School of Banking and the School of Bank Marketing at the University of Colorado at Boulder.