Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Lake Wales city commissioners at their March 16 meeting are expected to authorize legal action that could lead to the city taking back the historic Dixie Walesbilt Hotel. Also called the Grand Hotel, the 10-story structure built in 1926 remains empty and only partially restored since it was turned over to developer Ray Brown more than 10 years ago. The city spent about $7,000 for attorney Kevin Ashley with the Peterson Myers Law Firm to research whether the city has grounds...
In person voters in the April 6 Lake Wales municipal election trickled in with only 139 casting ballots during the first few hours. A total of 9,790 Lake Wales citizens are eligible to vote in 2021. That's only a net increase of about 20 registered voters more than were eligible for the April 2020 election. As of the end of the day Monday, April 5 a total of 1,174 Lake Wales voters had cast ballots early or by mail. That's on par with the early and absentee votes in the April...
Seat 2 on the Lake Wales City Commission will have a new occupant after the April 6 municipal election – either Ricardo Navarro or Daniel Williams. Incumbent Commissioner Curtis Gibson is not seeking re-election, but is instead considering a run for Lake Wales mayor in 2022. Navarro, 33, is an internal medicine physician, owner and president of Navarro Medical. He also is a consulting physician for Vitas Healthcare and medical director for the hospitalist medicine program a...
Rosa Lee Howell Adams Gatson, 88, of Lake Wales, died April 1, 2021 in Haines City under Cornerstone Hospice Care. She was born Dec. 24, 1932. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 10 at First Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, 205 D St., Lake Wales. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is handling arrangements....
In the April 6 municipal election political newcomer Kris Fitzgerald faces off with incumbent Al Goldstein to represent Seat 4 on the Lake Wales City Commission. One of the few similarities between the two candidates is they both served in the military – Fitzgerald in the U.S. Air Force and Goldstein in the U.S. Marines. They are very different in age, race, work status and political affiliation. Despite the position being nonpartisan, both accepted and then returned c...
Editor's Note: We are republishing a past story, remembering the Passion Play during Easter Week. Easter Week always brings fond memories of the three months each winter that the Lake Wales community came together to participate as "extras" to help dramatically depict the last seven days of Jesus Christ on Earth. I don't remember exactly how many years I participated in the Black Hills Passion Play winter productions – so many Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and a...
Lake Wales City Commissioners March 16 agreed to notify the owners of the historic Walesbilt Hotel that they are in breach of their development contract – the first step in the city potentially trying to regain ownership of the property. Developer Ray Brown, the principal of Dixie-Walesbilt LLC, tried to convince commissioners that he had met the two major milestones put in place more than 10 years ago. But only Commissioner Curtis Gibson voted to hold off on the notice, s...
Republic Services will be conducting a Curbside Spring Clean-up inside the city limits of Lake Wales on Saturday, March 27. Residents are encouraged to roundup their junk and place it at the curb before 6 a.m. on clean-up day, but not two days ahead. People should not attempt to help clean-up crews load the material. The crews will pick up general junk, mattresses and box springs, unusable furniture such as desks, couches, chairs, tables, lamps tires without rims and...
Editor's Note: Check out questionnaires submitted by the four candidates in our People section. Videos of a candidate forum can be viewed at The https://www.facebook.com/247504432355875/videos/3578357928879748 or on You Tube at https://youtu.be/CU5pQcxhnLw Four candidates have qualified to run for two Lake Wales City Commission seats in the April 16 municipal election. Dr. Ricardo Navarro and pastor Daniel Williams are seeking election to Seat 2, which is being vacated by...
Sarah "Sally" Strife Cashel, 89, died peacefully at home on March 8, 2021. She was dearly loved by her husband of 62 years and her large family. She was born on July 11, 1931 in New York, NY, the daughter of the late Dr. Cyril Frederick Strife and Edith Murphy Strife of Hartsdale, NY. She attended Sacred Heart Convent in Albany, NY, and graduated from Sacred Heart Convent in Greenwich, CT. She received her BA degree from Rosemont College, Philadelphia, PA. She also completed...
Robert Louis Elliott, 85, passed away peacefully of natural causes on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Winter Haven. Born in Joplin, MO on May 31, 1935, to the late Marvin Edward Elliott and Mildred May Koch Elliott, he was preceded in death by his beloved brother, James Elliott. He is survived by his eldest son, Marvin Scott Elliott and his wife, Kimberly Mooney Elliott, and grandson, Taylor Scott Elliott, all of Bartlett, TN; and his youngest son, Jefferson Bradley Elliott and his wife, Leslie Hawksworth Elliott, and two...
Residents of Lake Wales who wish to register to vote in the April 6 Municipal Elections must do so on or before Monday, March 8. Voter registration forms may be completed online at PolkElections.com or paper copies are available for pickup at many convenient locations throughout the county including city halls, banks, libraries and chambers of commerce. A mobile registration site will be set up from 9-10 a.m. Monday, March 8 at the intersection of Central Avenue and Martin...
Sporting a pair of black roller skates over his shoulder, outgoing Lake Wales Charter Schools Superintendent Jesse Jackson thanked dozens of well-wishers, saying he was ready to "skate off into the sunset." The outdoor reception at Lake Wales High School Feb. 24 marked the end of his 13-year leadership stint here, but he promised to continue supporting the local charter schools, possibly returning to help with staff development through a new job he's beginning in a few weeks...
The four people vying for two Lake Wales City Commission seats will participate in a candidate forum at 7 p.m. Monday, March 1. Co-sponsored by Rotary on the Ridge and LakeWalesNews.net, the forum will be held at the Ouellette Law Firm meeting room at 151 E. Central Ave. To ensure social distancing, in-person participation will be restricted. The program will be broadcast on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/RotaryontheRidge and a video will be produced by LaVaughn...
Teachers in Florida were asked to submit their innovative teaching ideas the week of Jan. 11 for an opportunity to win State Farm ® Teacher Assist grants. In less than 2 hours, 200 entry forms were submitted by Florida teachers! State Farm is proud to award $100,000 to teachers across Florida. Forty teachers will each receive a $2,500 grant to implement or support their classroom projects. Visit the State Farm ® Teacher Assist website for a complete list of winners....
Nyeisha Arianna Monique Nelson, 20 of Lake Wales, died Feb. 20, 2021 in Crescent City, FL. She was born March 25, 2000. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is handling arrangements....
Editor's Note: Due to expected rain, the opening ceremony has been moved to 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20. Artist E.J. Nieves of Ocala will be painting a street mural over the Feb. 19-21 weekend in the city's northwest business district and the community is invited to participate. An opening ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19 for the mural at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and C Street. A food truck will be on hand serving breakfast. In addition to Nieves,...
More than 50 artists will exhibit in the 2021 Lake Wales Arts Festival on the shores of Lake Wailes lake Feb. 20-21. The event is even more special this year as the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary. "We're one of the first art shows back in the whole country, especially in the state of Florida," said Andrew Allen, executive director of the Lake Wales Arts Council. "The quality of art will also go up dramatically since we're not taking as many artists." The free...
After 90 minutes of passionate testimonials from citizens raising concerns about local police, Lake Wales city commissioners voted unanimously to implement a pilot program with eight police worn body cameras. Mayor Eugene Fultz predicted that eventually every officer in the city would be outfitted with a camera. The commissioners approved a five-year commitment for the first eight cameras, which will cost $15,000 per year for the equipment, software, licensing and cloud...
Lake Wales attorney Sara Jones has spent hundreds of hours volunteering to help redevelop the city's Northwest business district. On Tuesday Feb. 9 she took the first step to, as she said it, "put her money where her mouth is." Sara Jones Law submitted the successful proposal to purchase two city Community Redevelopment Agency lots on Lincoln Avenue to build a multipurpose professional office building and event venue. City commissioners, who serve as the CRA Board, accepted...
Darrell Starling already has an ambitious agenda in place following his recent hiring as the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Coordinator. In particular, Starling will work closely with the city[s Northwest neighborhood, one of two areas specifically targeted by the city's ambitious and award-winning "Lake Wales Connected" revitalization plan which also covers the historic downtown business district as well. City leaders expect to break ground on the early...
Lake Wales City Commissioner Curtis Gibson has been chosen as one of 20 participants in the 2021 Central Florida Political Leadership Institute, a regional, nonprofit program sponsored by the Orlando Economic Partnership. The program prepares business minded leaders throughout Central Florida for future leadership opportunities – as political candidates or appointees to government boards or commissions. Since its inception in 2008, 29 PLI graduates have served in public o...
Lake Wales city officials were hopeful the foreclosure sale of the historic Seminole Hotel would be ordered Feb. 12, but instead Circuit Judge Dana Moore agreed to allow current owner Harout "Henry" Kebabjian to continue his fight to develop the property. The city now will have to produce a large volume of documents related to the Seminole. Just a week before the foreclosure hearing Kebabjian's lawyer asked the court to have the city produce five years' worth of documents,...
Qualifying to run for the Lake Wales City Commission closes Friday, Feb. 19 at noon. Candidates must live in the district they seek to represent, but will be voted on citywide on April 6. Licensed mental health counselor Kris Fitzgerald has indicated plans to run against Seat 4 incumbent Al Goldstein. Incumbent Seat 2 Commissioner Curtis Gibson is not running for re-election. So far pastor Daniel Williams and Dr. Ricardo Navarro have announced plans to run for that seat. The...
Editor's Note: This story will be updated when Chamber officials release official comments or more details. The Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council Board of Directors reportedly agreed unanimously Monday, Feb. 15 to dismiss President & CEO Kevin Kieft with 90 days' notice. The Board held a special meeting to discuss the fact that without informing them Kieft moved to Lakeland, potentially jeopardizing their $125,000 per year contract with the...
