Lake Wales Commission Ready to "Be Obnoxious" in Opposition to Expressway Proposals

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, with Interstate 4 near Davenport.

A workshop meeting of the city commission held last week provided an opportunity for commissioners to speak on the conceptual plans. City Manager James Slaton invited the commissioners to speak their minds on the roadway. Four of the five voiced concern or outright opposition, with one calling for a completely different option.

Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson led the charge in opposition to the proposed routes, which would impact two major development parcels within the city planned to host thousands of residences. "

“I am in support of Lake Wales Envisioned,” Gibson said, describing the guiding philosophy of that community-developed planning document as “concentrate the existing civilization…and preserve the countryside.” Gibson opposed all four of the proposed routes and instead suggested a “outside the box” solution of building an elevated roadway within the current US 27 corridor.

"Our people came together,,,we have an established policy that we ought to be consistent with, and those routes are not..." Gibson said. We need to take a position, and I don't object to being obnoxious about it."

Gibson’s solution found a voice of support from City Attorney Chuck Galloway, who remarked that the higher cost of construction would be offset in large part by the avoided cost of imminent domain seizure of several square miles of property needed to build the new road in other routes. Turnpikes often take swathes of land 200 or more feet wide, even outside the larger tracts needed for interchanges.

Although Lake Wales was the city most-impacted by all four of the conceptual paths, a public hearing was held in Davenport, leaving most Lake Wales residents in the dark. Commissioner Carol Gillespie suggested that the board consider hosting a public meeting in Lake Wales to allow citizens to voice their opinions on the matter, The commission appears poised to consider a draft resolution in opposition, stating that "each of the project's proposed routes will negatively impact the city and its surrounds." That resolution will be considered at Tuesday's regular meeting of the board.

The maps distributed by the turnpike authorities showed four options, all threading through Lake Wales to connect at a point along US 27 just south of Lowes, likely planned to accommodate a new interchange. The routes all connect to SR 60 on the west side of Lake Wales, two within two miles of the intersection of US 27 and SR 60.

Concerns have been raised by officials of Bok Tower Gardens concerned with the impacts the roadway would likely bring to the viewshed and quiet environment of the hilltop sanctuary. Two of the potential routes skirt the edge of that designated National Historic Landmark.

During discussion the commissioners discussed the possibility of moving the connection farther east, one suggesting “Yeehaw Junction,” where the Florida Turnpike already crosses SR 60.

Environmental interests have voiced serious opposition to a more easterly route, saying that the need for controlled burns on a vast network of conservation lands and state parks would be stymied by conflicts with traffic safety needs. The route would also divide critical habitat, hindering the range of endangered species such as the Florida panther.