Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The City of Lake Wales negotiation team has apparently approved a settlement agreement with Dixie Walesbilt LLC that will result in the return of the landmark Walesbilt Hotel to the City. The City Commission and CRA agendas Tuesday evening include the agreement which should end a two-year legal battle and set the stage for renovation of the 98-year-old hotel. The agreement attached to the meeting notices has already been executed by Dixie Walesbilt owner Ray Brown and City...
There's still time for lovers of spine-tingling thrillers to enjoy a recreation of the spooky genius that made Alfred Hitchcock the most popular director of his era. The opportunity is presented by the Lake Wales Little Theatre, which is offering a final weekend of their production of Vintage Hitchcock. "Spies, murder, love, and other trademarks of Alfred Hitchcock come to life in the style of a 1940s radio broadcast" in the three remaining shows. The "Master of Suspense" was...
The future redevelopment of the Walesbilt Hotel and the ongoing Lake Wales Connected effort would be placed at serious risk if the Florida Legislature adopts a pair of bills currently being considered. Florida House Bill 991 and Senate Bill 1242 would put severe restrictions on Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) in Florida, effectively stopping their efforts to address declining neighborhoods. “This is serious,” said Lake Wales CRA chairman Robin Gibson. “It is incon...
After nearly a decade of operations in Lake Wales, the Merlin Magic Making facility at Longleaf Business Park is apparently closing its doors. A filing with the Florida Department of Commerce informed them of the layoffs of 31 workers at the facility beginning May 31. That number approaches the total number of employees at the site, leading to expectations that it will be closed completely, according to local sources. Merlin is the parent company of Legoland, which recently...
Lake Wales Mayor Jack Hilligoss won an easy reelection victory Tuesday, turning back a challenge from former city commissioner Curtis Gibson in a race that saw record amounts spent, primarily by outside groups. Hilligoss received 1390 votes, or 60.96 percent of the vote, while Gibson took 890 votes, or 39.04 percent. Hilligoss will be sworn in to serve a new three-year term as chair of the five-person commission. Voters also approved a charter amendment that will require...
What has undoubtedly been the ugliest Lake Wales municipal election campaign in memory is coming to a conclusion on April 1, when voters will have a last chance to help select a mayor who will serve a new three-year term. Incumbent Mayor Jack Hilligoss is being challenged by former city commissioner Curtis Gibson. The campaign has been marked by a series of attacks using both direct mail and text messages funded by a "dark-money" political action committee based in Tampa. The...
A ruling by Circuit Judge Jennifer Swensen this month has brought the City of Lake Wales and the city's Community Redevelopment Agency significantly closer to reclaiming the title to the landmark Walesbilt Hotel, bringing redevelopment of the building within reach. The legal battle over control of the historic structure began when the city filed the suit in February 2022. The most-recent ruling dismissed a counter-suit and appeal for summary judgement filed by defendant...
A celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for Friday evening in downtown Lake Wales will mark the successful completion of the biggest element to date in the city's pursuit of the Lake Wales Connected plan. The transformative redevelopment of Park Avenue and the Market Plaza will be celebrated by residents, business owners, and city officials alike, all of whom are eager to show off the beauty of the new streetscape. The event will be held in the expanded new Market...
The city of Lake Wales is moving forward with the expansion of the city's fire department after city commission approval of design work for a third station planned for Hunt Brothers Road. A five acre site at the southeast corner of South Ninth Street (Nest Egg Road) was purchased at a cost of $300,000 in November after a search in that area turned up no other site that was both appropriate and available. Fire Department Chief Joe Jenkins told the commission at that time that...
A ceremonial ground-breaking for a multi-million dollar water desalination facility east of Lake Wales has marked the next step in a multi-jurisdictional effort to assure adequate water supplies for the future of Polk County. The rapid development taking place across the region has created a looming water crisis, with at least one town, Dundee, forced to declare a building moratorium due to a lack of potable water supply. Led by the Southwest Florida Water Management District...
Art lovers from across central Florida are expected to flock to the shores of Lake Wailes this weekend for the 54th annual Lake Wales Arts Festival, which takes place Saturday and Sunday under the shade of the live oaks. The juried show will feature scores of artists displaying artistic creations in multiple categories. Prize awards and purchase prizes totaling thousands of dollars await the winners chosen by judges. The art will be exhibited from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on both...
After months of intensive reconstruction, the intersection of Park Avenue and Scenic Highway is expected to open to traffic this week, marking the end of one phase of an expansive Lake Wales Connected project to reconfigure and beautify the urban core of Lake Wales. Merchants, residents, and visitors alike are ready to celebrate the opening of the refurbished Park Avenue, which features wider, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks with room for outdoor café seating, as well as lush la...
Riding high on the emotional juice of their first district title in years, the Lake Wales High School Highlanders will host round one of the regional championship tournament Tuesday at Legion Field in Lake Wales. The local squad took the district title with a convincing 6-1 victory over Middleton Thursday evening before hundreds of joyous fans. Middleton had previously knocked off the district's top-seeded team, Lake Region, by a 4-2 score. The Highlanders will next face the S...
A controversial proposal for a new toll expressway running through eastern Polk County is meeting with opposition, including a likely resolution from the Lake Wales City Commission. A map showing four potential routes for the proposed limited-access highway was recently released by Florida’s Turnpike, a state agency that is proposing the route. The proposed road is intended to more-directly link SR 60 and the greater Orlando area, eventually connecting, at least indirectly, wi...
The Lake Wales High School Highlanders' soccer squad will host the Class 4-A District 2 Championship game against Middleton Thursday night at Legion Field in Lake Wales, hoping for their first district title since 2017. "It's gonna' be a big game," said Highlanders Varsity Assistant Head Coach Mehki Williams. The Orange and Black earned a first-round bye and second seed in the tournament by virtue of their 9-8-1 record. Middleton, 6-8-1 on the season, climbed up the board by...
A light spectacle in honor of the Lake Wales High School Class of '75 will guild the white limestone walls of the Walesbilt Hotel Friday night and the sponsor has promised that "as bright light will shine over uptown Lake Wales." A changing display of graphic images will be projected on the walls of the ten-story building in Lake Wales by River City Lights, a production company based in Decatur, Ala. The show will include school logos and 70's themed images with a "more...
A proposed toll expressway linking Lake Wales to US 17-92 and indirectly to metro Orlando was the subject of a public presentation that brought plenty of critical questions and skepticism from the public but support from major land owners and development interests. The Central Polk Parkway East is proposed to run from SR 60 on the west side of Lake Wales to connect to 17-92. A planned Poinciana Connector segment will link 17-92 directly to I-4. The route is seen as a way to...
The sight of street resurfacing has been welcomed this week in Lake Wales, but nowhere more than at the intersection of Scenic Highway and Park Avenue. The work is the final step in the complete reconstruction of Park Avenue in accordance with the Lake Wales Connected plan to reinvigorate the city's urban core. Crews moved closer to completing the reconstruction of that intersection, which has been closed to traffic for three months. New road surfaces were put down this week...
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that the Lake Wales Fire Department was not involved in fighting this residential fire which took place outside city limits. A raging fire that sent flames leaping dozens of feet into the air and alarmed many area residents destroyed a Lake Wales residence shortly after 5:30 Monday afternoon. The emergency call was received by first responders at 5:28 p.m. and within minutes at least 13 fire rescue and medical team vehicles...
A new controversy has emerged in association with the BizLinc business incubator in Lake Wales. BizLinc operator Florida Development Corp is being sued by a trio of investors who claim the company owes them more than a quarter-million dollars. According to the lawsuit filed in the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court, the three investors are being denied access to company books and dismissed by FDC officers. The lawsuit says that, after acknowledging the $260,000 cash infusion made...
January is shaping up to be the coldest month in recent memory for central Florida as several sharp cold fronts lead icy blasts dropping south into the Sunshine State. Temperatures in southeast Polk are expected to dip into the 20's by late next week after a series of drops. Area growers of citrus and vegetable crops are preparing to protect their greenery from the potential freeze. Florida's embattled citrus growers are hoping that the cold weather, approaching just as trees...
As an increasingly-serious drought has wilted crops and increased fire dangers across the region, the hope for rain may be atop the holiday wish list for many. It's a hope that may be answered. With little measurable rain across the area since the October 10 passage of Hurricane Milton, much of central Florida, including southeast Polk, is suffering from rainfall deficits and parched vegetation. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) lists central Florida as "abnormally dr...
The purchase of 4,158 acres of land on the southwest side of Lake Wales by an active land-development company may be a harbinger of yet another major development proposal. The long-discussed 5-R Ranch property could potentially host many thousands of homes along with commercial and industrial uses if purchaser Richland Communities decides the time is ripe to develop the sprawling property south of Lake Wales Airport. Richland purchased the property for a local-record $50...
Frostproof's landmark, and perhaps haunted, Ramon Theatre is in serious trouble, and the volunteers who manage the venerable auditorium are turning to the community for help, pinning high hopes upon the success of a January 18 "Barn Bash." The Ramon is the cultural and entertainment soul of the southeast Polk Community. Built in 1925 at the height of the Great Florida Land Boom, the theatre hosts musical and theatrical performances around the year. The double-blows of...
One of central Florida's biggest annual music events happens this weekend when the annual Orange Blossom Revue opens in Lake Wailes Park. The festival will feature eight top touring bands who are expected to draw large crowds from across the nation to the annual lake-side performances. Headlined by JJ Grey and Mofro, the charity fundraiser also offers performances by The War and Treaty, Robert Earl Keen, Steep Canyon Rangers, Sam Grisman Project, Emily Nenni, Wyatt Ellis, and...
