Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Phillip Cole Tyler of Lake Wales passed away at AdventHealth Lake Wales Hospital on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. He was born in Morristown, Tennessee to the late E. Eugene and Lucille C. Tyler on January 15, 1941. The family moved to central Florida in the late 1940s. His family opened several office supply stores in this area. Eugene and Lucille operated the store in Lake Wales. Phillip served in the United States Army for three years right after high school and operated his own...
Long-time city residents who have made "extraordinary, long-term contributions to the Lake Wales community" are eligible to be honored as "Pioneer of the Year" during the upcoming Pioneer Days festival. The annual Pioneer of the Year Award recognizes a resident who has played an instrumental role in shaping the cultural, civic, and historical landscape of Lake Wales. The Lake Wales History Museum awards the honor each year, a tradition begun almost 50 years ago. "As the Lake...
Kevin Harold O'Leary of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, June 29, 2025 at Lakeland Regional Hospital. He was born June 5, 1960 in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas to Harold and Alice O'Leary; he moved to Lake Wales from Stuart in 1996. Kevin served with the United States Army as an attack helicopter pilot. He was a Certified Public Accountant for Management Experts in Avon Park. Kevin was a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church and was an avid gardener. He loved his grandchildren and...
Lake Wales' second Aldi grocery store opened with a rush of customers this week, joining a the recently opened Hutson's Grocery and Ollie's Discount department store as the newest businesses on the city's growing east side. The slow-motion whirl of grocery retailers in the area has perplexed shoppers for years, as the history shows. The Aldi store occupies a portion of the former Winn Dixie at 1860 State Road 60 East. A portion of the former store was separated as is...
Carol J. Grimes, 94, passed away peacefully in Alpharetta, Georgia, on June 23, 2025, surrounded by love. Born in Booth, West Virginia, on May 18, 1931, to Blanche Danley Maddux and Clifford C. Danley. Carol lived a life marked by quiet strength, deep compassion, and an enduring faith that shaped every chapter of her journey. A proud graduate of Springfield South High School, Class of 1949, Carol later earned her teaching degree from Nova University in 1976 - a reflection of...
Working in 95-degree heat on a Tuesday afternoon, one Lake Wales woman demonstrated her commitment to making the world "a bit better or more beautiful." La Casa resident Carol Sundheim was spotted working alone with hand tools to clean up the prominent roundabout at the intersection of Scenic Highway and Hunt Brothers Road at the southern end of the city. Asked why she had undertaken the project, she had a simple and civic-minded response: "It's Lake Wales! I mean, come on! I...
Michael Douglas Jevcak, 85, died peacefully with his wife, Carol by his side on June 24, 2025. He lived in Ohio and joined the Navy at age 24. He was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida stationed in VP5, a sub hunter outfit. This was during the Cold War. He lived in Lake Wales, Florida for the past 20 years. Mike had a blend of deep faith, a love for life, and a sense of humor. Being an altar boy in both the Byzantine and Roman Rite Catholic Churches was a unique and...
UPDATE: The Lake Wales Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to deny the requested changes to the approved plans for both Iron Mountain and Steeple Chase. Barely a year after winning approval for two large residential developments hailed for adhering in part to the vaunted Lake Wales Envisioned plan, both projects are being brought back to the Lake Wales Planning and Zoning Board at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to attempt to remove the planned rear-access neighborhood designs....
Lotta Kay Struthers of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at her residence. She was born June 28, 1952 in Bartow to the late Wilburn and Cloylene Bobbit; she has been a lifelong resident of the area. Lotta was an active member of New Harvest Worship Center. She was the co-owner of Struthers Honey House. She loved being a mom, grandma and great-grandma. Lotta was preceded in death by her daughter, Melody Eakins in 2016. She is survived by her husband of 35 years,...
Lake Wales' reputation as "A City in a Garden" got a big boost Friday as the newest park in the city's system was dedicated with a new name. Known by residents as "linear park," "library park," "railroad park," and even "James' Park" in recognition of City Manager James Slaton's support of the extensive landscaping project, the attractive spot has been officially named "Oakley Park" in honor of the couple that helped make it a reality. Honorees Lynn and Tommy Oakley were...
An appearance in Lake Wales by US Congressman Scott Franklin at the Lake Wales Arts Center Thursday brought out an audience of attentive Chamber of Commerce members and guests, as well as more than two dozen others who waved signs and flags outside in protest. Franklin, a former Lakeland city commissioner, is a Republican representing Florida’s 18th district, which includes most of Polk County and several counties to the south. He serves on several Congressional committees, i...
With the title to the historic Walesbilt Hotel firmly in hand, the City of Lake Wales has issued a nationwide invitation to potential redevelopers of the ten-story building. According to a document released by the city, a request for qualifications (RFQ) response by interested parties will allow the city to "evaluate and shortlist developers based on their technical expertise, financial capacity, project experience and recent relevant innovative strategies for adaptive reuse...
A domestic dispute ended in tragedy Thursday when anger got the better of reason, leaving one partner dead and another seriously injured and hospitalized. According to a statement issued by the Lake Wales Police Department, the two individuals had been in a relationship for ten years. The argument, details of which remain undisclosed, began around 4:45, according to police, when the male partner allegedly struck his companion in the face. She retreated into her residence in...
Rotary on The Ridge, one of three Rotary Clubs active in Lake Wales, enjoyed a patriotic indoor picnic on June 9, hosting members and guests as they celebrated their achievements and installed officers for the coming year. During the event Sara Irvine was installed as the tenth president of the club. Rotary on The Ridge was established in December 2016 and Irvine is a charter member. She has previously served as vice president and has chaired the club’s annual “Salute to Vet...
Ongoing efforts to restore Lake Wales' reputation as "A City in a Garden" will get another boost on Friday, June 20 as the Parks & Recreation Department will dedicate a new downtown pollinator and sculpture garden. The new installation will enhance the newly-relandscaped "linear park" parallels Cypress Gardens Lane just across from the Lake Wales Public Library. City horticulturist Kevin Polk redesigned the park to include a winding sidewalk that weaves in and around various...
Medical services offered in Lake Wales continue to improve, and this week marked the official opening of a new heart care office, part of the expansion of AdventHealth in Polk County. The new office of Dr. Saiyed Mohib at 1255 SR 60 East marks the first cardiologist at AdventHealth Lake Wales, offering local patients the opportunity to find expert cardiovascular care closer to home. "Our patients no longer need to travel, they can get the services they need right here," Dr. Mo...
I thoroughly enjoyed the latest Mission: Impossible movie, Final Reckoning, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise. This film is a direct sequel to Dead Reckoning (released two years ago) but also ties together plot threads from across the entire franchise. While I haven't seen all the Mission: Impossible films, I did catch Dead Reckoning, so that was more than enough to dive into this one. This movie is a lot of fun. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team face...
When the director falls out of the closet-seemingly dead-the entire Teen Production grinds to a halt. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect in Lake Wales Little Theatre's summer teen play, This Murder Was Staged! This annual production showcases a cast of 17 student performers in a pithy spoof of the murder mystery genre and theatre culture itself. Prima donnas, wordy playwrights, and callous theatre critics-oh my! In the middle of the play-within-a-play, the "murder" of...
The newly-reconstructed block of First Street in front of the iconic Walesbilt Hotel in Lake Wales is being re-landscaped to avoid high long-term costs, according to city officials. Canary Island date palms are being replaced this week by different species that will be hardier. Work is expected to be completed by Thursday. City Horticulturist Kevin Polk made the decision to remove the rows of Canary Island date palms, which have been affected by a disease known as lethal...
An investigation into a report of animal cruelty resulted in five arrests by the Polk County Sheriff's office Sunday. Investigators found seven horses abused but alive, but sadly, one already dead when they arrived at the remote location on Poe Road, north of Canal Road in unincorporated Lake Wales. According to a press release, "PCSO received a tip regarding two horses in a field that appeared to be malnourished. The horses were found by deputies in the following conditions:...
Ezran Kane, a rising junior at Lake Wales High School, is one of 210 American high school students to be awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year. CBYX is a bilateral exchange program co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and German Bundestag (Parliament). The award was announced by the non-profit Council on International Educational Exchange. The CIEE is a nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organiza...
Growth in Polk County continued to record steady, rapid growth year over year in 2024, according to preliminary taxable value figures released by the Polk County Property Appraiser's office. The county had been flagged as one of the nation's fastest growing. The total value of new construction in Polk last year was valued at $2,823,688,596, a $92 million increase over activity in 2023. That brought the county's total valuation to $72,161,387,998. An 8.8 percent jump. The...
A gathering of volunteers, supporters, and staff of the Lake Wales Care Center gathered Friday near the organization's offices on East Park Avenue to celebrate and mark the 40th anniversary of the non-profit that has come to be among the most essential providers of services for a significant share of the area's population. Hundreds turned out in sweltering weather to seek shelter from the intense sun in the shade of a large tent erected to house them, eager to mark their parti...
The ongoing revitalization of downtown Lake Wales took a major step forward Tuesday with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting that opened a fully-restored building at 244 East Park Avenue. The structure now features two finished retail spaces on the ground floor and four apartments on the second level. The historic building was constructed in 1916 by Lake Wales pioneer builder Jimmy "Good" Rhodes. Rhodes went o to construct many of the original masonry buildings in the historic...
Plans for new studio apartments with lake access on Lake Padgett are advancing following action by the Lake Wales City Commission. The construction of new apartments on the site of the former Green Gables Inn will likely proceed with a significant reduction in density after a redesign of La Provence was approved by the Lake Wales City Commission. The commission had previously approved a plan that would have allowed a total of 165 new units. Attempts to reach a representative...
