Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The ambitious, $20 million transformation of the urban center of Lake Wales into a shady and inviting oasis for pedestrian shopping and outdoor dining was launched Thursday evening with a groundbreaking that was both entertaining and inspiring, featuring celebratory remarks and even a "flash mob" dance team that surprised the crowd of more than 100. Hosted by Lake Wales Mainstreet on Park Avenue, the event featured the signing of the actual bond documents that will fund the...
An annual planning conference will hear a special presentation on Lake Wales and the Connected plan this week. The 2023 CNU Florida Summit will take place on Thursday and Friday, February 16 and 17. Sponsored by the Congress for the New Urbanism, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC, the two-day event will take place at Creative Village in downtown Orlando, a campus of the University of Central Florida. Attendees will learn about Lake Wales and the...
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...
Final approval of a manufacturing plant proposed for a 96-acre "light industrial" site adjacent to Hunt Bros. Road and South 11th Street has been delayed for at least another month by what Lake Wales City Attorney Chuck Galloway described as a "scrivener's error" in an updated ordinance adopted by the city commission in October. The proposed Advanced Drainage Systems plant would manufacture plastic drainage pipes and requires a "special exception" to allow for the storage of...
Lake Wales Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram has just earned the title of 2022 CARFAX Top-Rated Lifetime Dealer, along with two other dealerships in Florida, also owned by the Mahalak family. The Award is given for exceptional customer service. The Low Payment Kings at Lake Wales Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and the Mahalak Auto Group have much to Celebrate in 2023. The Low Payment Kings, powered by Mahalak Auto Group, is also celebrating the 57th Anniversary of the founding of its first...
A night of colorful costumes and celebrations has officially initiated the 2023 Carnival season in Lake Wales. The Krewe of Wild Shiners hosted their traditional "Black Light Ball" Saturday night, the first of several events spread over the 10-day Lake Wales Mardi Gras. The popular festivities will continue this week, with 10 bands scheduled to appear at the Mardi Gras Music Festival in Lake Wailes Park beginning Friday afternoon. The concerts continue on Saturday, with the...
Following voter approval of Polk Foever, a new 20-year environmental land tax passed last November, Polk County is reactivating its long-standing citizen's committee that successfully guided a prior 20-year effort. The Board of County Commissioners this week approved the re-creation of the Polk County Conservation Land Acquisition Selection Advisory Committee (CLASAC). As an advisory committee, CLASAC members will review potential Polk County land acquisitions for...
The long, seemingly endless tale of the Walesbilt Hotel continues to make its way toward an eventual settlement, although it's a process Walesbilt Hotel LLC seems determined to extend. Lake Wales Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson briefed City Commissioners on the state of the lawsuit following a court-required mediation session that took place Tuesday. That process is confidential, so Gibson was barred from sharing what was discussed or proposed, and will be until any additional...
Lake Wales area customers of both Duke Energy and TECO can expect to pay significantly more for their electricity use if proposed rate hikes are approved. Both companies are among a group of Florida utilities seeking rate increases and extra funds for storm recovery expenses from the Florida Public Service Commission. Both companies have reported increased profits. Duke has two separate rate requests pending, including one to recover the company's 2022 fuel costs, as well as...
A Lake Wales zoning ordinance will create "a new district in form...architectural standards...and parking requirements," and give it economic incentive by "permitting and allowing," according to Amy Grove, a planner with Dover Kohl. The "downtown mixed-use" district is at the center of efforts to revitalize the area. Groves' remarks were made at a final public forum on the mapping of a new zone, which drew fewer than two dozen residents to hear a presentation by planners from...
Mark Bennett, the senior planner for the City of Lake Wales and department head of Development Services has announced his intention to leave his post effective in two weeks. City Manager James Slaton said he was surprised at the decision Bennett revealed late Thursday afternoon. Bennett has led the department since August of 2020, shortly after Slaton assumed his own role. In a statement sent in response to questions from LakeWalesNews.net, Slaton called Bennett "a dedicated p...
New requirements will be faced by those wishing to speak during the public access portion of Lake Wales City Commission meetings following action taken Tuesday. On a 3-2 vote the commission approved a resolution providing for a registration form to be completed by each speaker prior to the meeting containing their personal information and the purpose and topic of their statement. Commission chambers were filled during the meeting with several forced to watch a television feed...
Stifling Dissent is Not a Solution The essential freedoms that we often take for granted as Americans set us apart from much of the world, where speaking out against a government action or official can bring harsh responses. More than ever, speaking out is needed in Lake Wales. There is no better forum for sharing concerns and ideas about the course of our community than the meetings of the City Commission. Now, under a proposed resolution, Lake Wales citizens may be...
An $18.5 million bond issuance received final approval from the Lake Wales City Commission on Tuesday, completing the funding of the award-winning Lake Wales Connected project. The approval in back-to-back meetings of the Community Redevelopment Agency and the City Commission was the final step necessary for the city's bond counsel firm of Ford and Associates. It is expected that the bonds will be offered on the market almost immediately. Ford and Associates has guaranteed...
Thursday was an exciting day for both students and administrators of Lake Wales' McLaughlin Middle/High School as they broke ground for a new $15 million gymnasium, and welcomed back former student Amar'e Stoudemire to give a keynote address. Stoudemire brought a message of encouragement to students hoping to follow his success as a "student athlete. "Hard work" was the repeated theme he share. Highlighting the need for education as well as athletics, he proudly announced his...
The Lake Wales Highlanders won their semi-final football game Friday night and will face the Mainland Buccaneers of Daytona Beach in the state Class 3S Championship game, which will be held in a neutral stadium on December 16. Game time, tentatively set for 11:00 am, has yet to be confirmed by the Florida High School Athletic Association. The Lake Wales Highlanders moved to 14-0 after defeating the Columbia High School Tigers by a score of 37-7 under the lights of Legion...
A quick end to a lawsuit over title to the Walesbilt Hotel was raised as a possibility during a meeting of the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday. "There is a good chance that the city will once again have title to the hotel, and I think we should notify everybody out there...that there may come a time when that hotel will be on the market," Chairman Robin Gibson told the commissioners. The city has been locked in a legal battle with Walesbilt LLC since...
Music, tens of thousands of lights, and the official arrival of Santa Claus will mark the Lake Wales Christmas Night Parade, sponsored annually by the Kiwanis Club of Lake Wales. The parade, which typically draws several thousand spectators, will step off at 6:00 pm Saturday from a line-up area along Lakeshore Boulevard before heading west along Central Avenue through the downtown area before dispersing at the City Administration Building at Central and Dr. Martin Luther King...
The historic Crystal Lake will Apartments at 282 East Park Avenue are expected to undergo extensive remodeling and exterior refurbishment after their purchase by the Lake Wales Care Center. The 100-year-old building has been vacant for about three years. The purchase price was discounted to $340,000, according to Antonio Spagnolo of Bright Trust Realty, in recognition of some damage caused during the passage of Hurricane Ian in September. Both the purchase price and the...
Lake Wales area students in high school or middle school levels are able to sign up for a one-time special Saturday class that will leave them with surprising facts about our community. Those on a college-bound track will appreciate a "Student Naturalist Certificate of Achievement" that will be awarded upon completion of the three-hour program, according to local educator Kyra Love Harriage, who is leading the curriculum for the classes. The history-making people who founded...
UPDATE: GAME TIME CHANGED TO 7:00 BY FSHAA See new story in NEWS section The Lake Wales Highlanders captured the Regional Championship and advanced to the final four in the state Class 3S football playoffs Friday night with an exciting 26-9 victory over the Zephyrhills Bulldogs. The undefeated Highlanders will host the semi-final game next Friday against Columbia, winners over Choctawhatchee Friday night. Carlos Mitchell provided much of the excitement for Highlander fans...
A pair of proposed apartment developments near Eagle Ridge Mall may add 824 new dwelling units to the city, but in each case developer proposals to reduce required parking created some heartburn for city commissioners. The first and most prominent of the pair is proposed for a site directly behind Shoppes on the Ridge, on the north side of Chalet Suzanne Road and across from Wawa. It would consist of six four-story buildings containing 272 units on a 12.1 acre site. Tentative...
Two new apartment complexes totaling 824 units may bring a burst of new economic activity to the city's booming north side. The Lake Wales City Commission will consider action on the two projects Tuesday after discussing the proposals at their agenda workshop. Hillpointe, the larger of the two projects, is proposed to include 552 units 137 acres lying north of Chalet Suzanne Road and the existing Serenity Luxury Apartments. The construction would take place on the...
A search for closure for the family of Debbie Williams, listed as a "missing person" since 1990, took a major step forward on Tuesday as City of Lake Wales engineering contractor Semco began an investigation of the structural integrity of an aging frame house on Wiltshire Drive. Lake Wales Police were supporting the effort, removing personal belongings from the house to be stored, allowing for the removal of flooring. The current residents of the home are not part of the...
Fans of Christian music will have a rare treat as the First Presbyterian Church brings the Ball Brothers to Lake Wales for a single free concert on Wednesday, November 30, beginning at 7:00 pm. The Ball Brothers are a popular Christian entertainment group consisting of two brothers, Andrew and Daniel Ball, along with brother-in-law Chad McCloskey and newcomer Rhett Roberts. According to their website, the group travels world-wide, singing their distinctive brand of Christian...
