Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Lake Wales voters will get a final opportunity to hear the position of four candidates seeking terms on the city commission in the April 4 election. The Lake Wales History Museum will host the forum on Tuesday, March 28, beginning at 5:30 PM. Seat 5 candidates, including incumbent Robin Gibson and challenger Danielle Pride Gibson will be joined by Seat 3 candidates Michelle Threatt and Keith Thompson, who are competing for a three-year term on the seat being vacated by Terrye...
Crews from Gomez Construction will be barricading a block of West Park Avenue between First Street and Wetmore Street on Monday, March 6 to begin the $11.5 million transformation of that street and, eventually, the adjoining eastern blocks and the adjacent MarketPlace. The project is the first major undertaking of the ambitious $20 million project defined by the Lake Wales Connected plan, which was developed with wide public input. The finished product will feature a brick-pav...
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape the future livability of Lake Wales begins Monday at Bok Tower Gardens as a high-powered team of planners bring their national reputations. talents, and insights to bear on the city. The project, designated "Lake Wales Envisioned," will consider the future of a large area around the city and include topics ranging from parks, recreation, and conservation to future sites for commercial, residential, and industrial uses. Transportation...
Four city commission candidates facing an April 4 election shared a stage at the Lake Wales Womans Club Auditorium Tuesday evening to compare their positions on a variety of topics raised by audience questions. Few major differences were apparent on subjects ranging from public transportation to electric car chargers. The candidates responded to five questions submitted in advance by the two organizations, followed by others submitted by the audience. Surprisingly, none of the...
Lake Wales weightlifters won the Olympics-style county title while placing second to Lakeland in the traditional competition. In the Olympic competition, Lake Wales won with 53 points, while Lakeland was second with 48. Ridge Community (30 points), Lake Gibson (27) and Haines City (28) trailed. Individual lifters who played major roles in the team victory for the Highlanders included Sean Major (219) Trent Grotjan (199), Noah Wise (unlimited), Harrison Thrift (129), and...
A host of proposed housing developments that could more than double the population of Lake Wales have created worries that the once-quiet community will be overrun by sprawling growth. In response, citizens are being encouraged to join in a process to help prevent bad outcomes. A March 20 afternoon "symposium" at Bok Tower Gardens will be a key part of a months-long project called "Lake Wales Envisioned." "Olmsted's City 10, 25, and 50 years" is a tagline for the process, and...
A recent private meeting, held out of the reach of Florida's "Sunshine Law," allowed city commissioners and their legal counsel to discuss the ongoing mediation in their lawsuit seeking title to the Walesbilt Hotel. The Florida law permits such meetings only in the case of such matters which would otherwise reveal the city's negotiating position. The long-festering issue of needed restoration of the eleven-story structure, which dominates views of the city, came to a head just...
A policy change allowing increased public input reverses a controversial decision by the Lake Wales City Commission to that sharply limited public input. The modification to a standing policy regarding public comment was approved by the City Commission Tuesday. The policy will continue to limit speakers to five minutes, and all comments to a 45-minute period, unless the commission majority to extends the period for an additional 15 minutes, the maximum allowed. The earlier...
The Lake Wales City Commission will consider relinquishing authority on major zoning changes to a city planning staff person who will serve as the final decision-maker. That choice may determine who controls decisions related to a proposal for a nearly 100-acre industrial facility on the city's south side. The issue is particularly timely because of the pending rezoning from "light industrial" to "heavy industrial" of the site, which adjoins both Highland Park and Highland Par...
The expected reinstatement of suspended City Commissioner Kris Fitzgerald was raised again by Commissioner Terrye Howell, who questioned the lack of action from Governor Ron DeSantis at the most recent meeting of the commission. DeSantis suspended Fitzgerald in June of 2021 after she was charged with two felonies. Fitzgerald was acquitted by a jury trial in October. Florida statutes call for the governor to end her suspension "forthwith" upon her exoneration of the charges....
The historic beauty of Lake Wales and efforts to re-create it are the focus of a special event planned for Lake Wailes Park. Area businesses, artists, and crafters are being invited to participate in Olmsted Day in the Park, an annual event celebrating Lake Wales' parks and streetscapes. Sponsors and vendors are welcome to join in the community-wide effort. The April 29 event, hosted by Lake Wales Heritage with the participation of the City of Lake Wales, features music, food...
Residents in Lake Wales who are not already registered to vote, but wish to participate in the April 4th Municipal Elections must register to vote on or before Monday, March 6th. Registration forms may be completed online at PolkElections.gov. Forms are also available at Lake Wales Public Library on Cypress Gardens Lane downtown, and The Lake Wales City Administration building on Central Avenue. Voter registration forms are also available for pick up at many convenient...
A pair of public hearings are planned to allow area residents to learn more and speak about the proposed Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC). The hearings will address a planned Southeast Wellfield & Water Supply Facility project proposed near Lake Wales. The project would draw water from the "sub-Floridan" aquifer to supply cities across Polk County using a new network of huge pipelines. The project has anticipated costs that could approach or exceed a billion dollars...
A forum to hear from four candidates for the Lake Wales City Commission is planned for mid-March to allow voters to learn about the goals and platforms prior to the April 4 election. Two seats on the five-person commission are at stake in the vote. The American Association of University Women Lake Wales Branch will join with the GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales in sponsoring the forum on March 13th. The candidates for the two seats include Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson, who will...
Citizens and residents of the Lake Wales area are being invited to take a major role in defining how and where growth will take place in the area as part of a new city effort to map future land uses and plan for future infrastructure needs. "Lake Wales Envisioned" is a year-long process that will offer multiple opportunities for Lake Wales residents to add their voices and opinions to the final product, which is expected to guide future development for 10, 25, and 50 year...
The public is being invited to learn and comment on a new trail segment being proposed to continue expanding the bicycle and pedestrian links around Lake Wales. The segment would connect the Lake Wailes Trail with the Rails-to-Trails track. A trail design concept created by city consultant Hale Innovation of Maitland envisions the new trail linking the existing at three points while looping around Kiwanis Park. A Federal Recreational Trails Program grant application to help...
"Growth" is a word that means opportunity for some and strikes fear in the hearts of others. It has been the driver of both the economic health and the environmental destruction that has reshaped Florida for more than a century. Rising prosperity has too often been accompanied by traffic congestion, water shortages, urban sprawl, and overcrowding, crushing the quality of life in some parts of the state. While growth has been largely focused on other places, it's now arrived...
Cyclists and pedestrians are one step closer to being able to travel safely from downtown Lakeland to downtown Bartow. The Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) today accepted funding for construction of a 2.4-mile extension of the Fort Fraser Trail, which currently runs parallel to U.S Highway 98 for eight miles along an abandoned rail line, from State Road 540 to State Rd. 60. The extension will go from U.S. Highway 98 at Winter Lake Rd. to Lake Highlands Rd. at G...
The Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebrations have reached their climactic day as crowds are preparing for the annual parade, continuing a local tradition now in its fifth decade. The big parade of Krewes, always a major highlight of the event, will step off at 3:00 today on Park Avenue before winding down Stuart and Central Avenues, ending at Lake Wailes Park, where the ongoing Mardi Gras Music Festival will continue into the night. More than a dozen colorful Krewes will parade...
Four candidates have qualified in two city commission races which will be decided during an election on April 4. Lake Wales commissioners finalized the ballot, which will include one open seat, at a special meeting on Friday afternoon. Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson will face a challenge from political newcomer Danielle Pride Gibson in the Seat 5 race, while Michelle Threatt and Keith Thompson will face off over Seat 3, which is being vacated by long-time commissioner Terrye...
A new business park may eventually rise on newly-annexed land south of Hunt Brothers Road near Loves Travel Stop and the city's soccer complex on large parcels are currently in citrus production. The City Commission Tuesday night approved the annexation of 47.31 acres of land owned by Hunt Brothers, and agreed to the future land use of BPC, allowing the same uses as the nearby Longleaf Business Park. The accompanying zoning will allow for warehouse uses as well as light...
LakeWalesNews.net is offering readers a chance to claim one of several prize packages worth up to $100 or more in a fun contest that will be published on the website during February. Prizes will include valuable gift certificates from area businesses, event tickets to the annual Strawberry Festival, and other prizes. All you need to do to win is become a detective! Clues to the mystery locations where prize packages can be claimed will be published on the pages of the News...
What's in a name? In a confusing prospect for Lake Wales voters, three candidates have filed to run for the District 5 City Commission seat in the April 4 election, and all three share the same last name of Gibson. Incumbent Commissioner and Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson is standing for reelection while facing the prospect of being opposed by Curtis Gibson and Danielle Gibson. Curtis and Danielle Gibson are believed to be husband a wife, a further cause of confusion. Robin Gibson...
As Lake Wales grows it is attracting new businesses that cater to both builders and the public. City Electric Supply, or CES, opened recently in Longleaf Business Park, and held their grand opening and ribbon cutting on Tuesday, drawing a crowd of residents and contractors. Mike Bertone, CES regional manager for central and southeast Florida, said that the new showroom and warehouse offer a full range of electrical supplies, including everything from panels and conduit to...
It was a relaxed Mark Bennett who shared his thoughts about the many changes both ahead and behind in Lake Wales and Polk County recently. Bennett is stepping down as director of the City of Lake Wales Development Services department after an eventful 30 months in a role he called "challenging, demanding, stressful." During his time at the helm of city planning Bennett has dealt with a wave of annexation requests as owners of declining citrus properties weigh their options...
