Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Former Lake Wales city commissioner Kris Fitzgerald, who was removed from office after being charged with two felonies, has been found not guilty in a jury trial. Fitzgerald was arrested June 3, 2021 after being sworn in to office in May on the two felony charges. She was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $11,000 bond. Polk Sheriff Grady Judd boasted of the arrest at a press conference, claiming that he had taken a dangerous criminal off the street. "Can you...
With election season upon us, Lake Wales Little Theatre is presenting a timeless and hilarious comedy that skewers politics and celebrates democracy. The action takes place in the office of the governor of a small state. In the wake of Gov. Larry Paige's ouster for a scandal involving a beauty pageant contestant, the job is thrust on Lt. Gov. Ned Newley. Newley doesn't even want to be governor. He's terrified of public speaking and his poll numbers are impressively bad. To...
A spurt of new restaurant development will soon be offering a wider range of choices for Lake Wales residents. The growing list has risen to seven new food and beverage outlets. The first to open is expected to be Locorrito, a new effort from area restaurateurs Matthew Brock and his partner, Dwayne McQuillen. The new "fast-casual" spot will open in late September in a former pizza-outlet location at 218 SR 60 East, next door to Citizen's Bank. The building has been...
WEDNESDAY 5:00 PM UPDATE: NOAA Doppler radar imagery indicates that the eye of Ian has made landfall on the mainland southwest Florida peninsula just south of Punta Gorda near Pirate Harbor. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated to be 145 mph (235 km/h). They are now estimated to be 140 mph. A WeatherSTEM station at the Cape Coral Fire Department recently reported a wind gust of 110 mph (177 km/h). A WeatherFlow station in Grove City on the western side of...
TUESDAY 8:00 PM UPDATE: Hurricane Ian has continued to deepen as it moves toward Florida and model trends continue to shift the track toward the east, bringing the center of circulation over Polk County. Lake Wales is expected to be exposed to winds of up to 100 MPH sustained, with higher gusts. There is also an enhanced chance of tornados in this area. For the latest information on expected impacts to the Lake Wales area, please RETURN TO HOME PAGE The 5:00 Advisory from the...
UPDATE: Hurricane Ian has continued its trek toward Florida, now with 125 MPH winds. Further intensification is expected during the next 24 hours. The storm is now a Category Three, and is projected to reach Category Four status today. For the latest information on expected impacts to the Lake Wales area, please RETURN TO HOME PAGE Projections from the NHC depict that Ian will remain a Major Hurricane as it moves over the west central coast of Florida. Ian is now on a northerl...
As Hurricane Ian threatens Florida and the Lake Wales area, Polk County has announced that thirteen shelters will be opened across the county, None are in Lake Wales. The only designated shelter in the city, located at Spook Hill Elementary, will apparently not be opened despite the demand from those living in several large mobile home communities in southeast Polk. The LakeWalesNews.net had highlighted this continued neglect of the region in a story published at the start of...
While two independently owned and operated new restaurants are planned for opening on Highway 60, including Locorrito and Brake Burger Garage, and two more are planned to open on First Street downtown and on Lincoln Avenue, three more are aiming for construction on US 27 near the Eagle Ridge Mall. All three new restaurants will be located on the east side of US 27, and will occupy among the last of the rapidly-filling mall outparcels. A Starbucks coffee outlet is planned for...
Two new restaurants are being developed in the historic districts of Lake Wales, and both are receiving inducements from a special grant program. "Smokin' DJ's" anticipates opening early next year at 122 1st St N, Unit #4. The new restaurant will offer table service and the signature barbecue ribs already popularized locally by the "D on Wheelz" food truck. Co-owner Jennifer Leeks told LakeWalesNews.net that they are tackling the extensive renovations required to convert the...
A convicted felon and a Lake Wales Police Department canine were killed in a shooting in Lake Wales Wednesday morning. Ernest Borders, 57, was killed in the exchange of gunfire after opening fire after ordered to show his hands by two Lake Wales officers. Police K-9 Max was killed, but both officers escaped without injury. Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez said that the K-9 died so that the officers could survive. According to a statement issued by the Lake Wales Police...
While the 2022 Hurricane Season has so far seemed quiet from our vantage point in Lake Wales, weather forecasters are warning that this is expected to be an above average season. The August outlook offered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reduced the expected number of storms only by one. That prediction now includes a total of 14 to 20 named storms, of which only three have occurred. The hurricane season runs from June 1 until November 30, but the peak...
A 312-acre parcel expected to host the Mayfair development nearly two decades ago is now the proposed site of a 1,020-unit project dubbed Ridgecrest. The Lake Wales City commission on Tuesday will consider the application for a preliminary subdivision plat and a special exception use permit for a residential Planned Development Project (PDP). Ridgecrest is planned to be constructed in three phases and will fill in a large blank in the city's residential areas stretching from R...
A divided boulevard featuring median plantings, turn lanes, sidewalks, bikeways, and efficient traffic roundabouts may be in the future of Buck Moore Road, depending upon the cooperation of Polk County in improving the county-maintained road. The corridor has been a concern for area residents as traffic has grown in recent years, and another 684 single-family homes are planned for construction along the one and a half mile connector link between SR 60 and Burns Avenue. The roa...
Another reduction in property taxes may be in the cards if Lake Wales city commissioners agree to a proposal from city staff to adopt the "roll-back rate" for the upcoming fiscal year as the city's values surpass a billion dollars for the first time. In a document prepared for consideration at Tuesday's commission meeting, Finance Director Dorothy Abbott is recommending that the city accept the certified property values and adopt an interim millage rate of 6.3626. Once set,...
A struggling Lake Wales man who received a shock $6,025.79 water bill in April is breathing easier now, thanks to the intervention of City Utilities Director Sarah Kirkland. Wildabon Avenue resident Anthony Caraway, 50, is unemployed due to disabling cancer. He had been billed the astronomical figure, many times his normal monthly usage, which was often as little as a thousand gallons a month, giving him the city's lowest rate. Money is a serious issue for Caraway, as he is...
The future of Lake Wales Charter Schools was described in sparkling terms in a 30-minute presentation by the new superintendent of schools, Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich at a packed Lake Wales Arts Center Luncheon Thursday. "On the concept of a 'power lunch,' everything is connected," Rodolfich said, then cited no less than a dozen "super powers" that the community can bring to the schools to assure future greatness. His presentation before a sold-out crowd was sponsored by the Lake...
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include comments from City Manager James Slaton. A confusing staff report may have led to city commissioners, sitting as the board of the Lake Wales Community Development Agency, paying more than intended for a small parcel of land and a dilapidated building. A staff report contained errors on the value of the parcel. The prominent eyesore at the corner of West Central Avenue and SR 60 West property is eventually expected to be...
Well-known Lake Wales community leader Barney Moore passed away early Friday at AdventHealth Lake Wales Medical Center. Moore, 61, inspired many citizens to greater efforts on behalf of community projects. Born with quad-atonic cerebral palsy, Moore spent most of his life in a wheel chair but managed to be civically active. His intellect and wit were legendary, as was his ability to lead others to productive action. He was inspired by his own disability, and made it a vehicle...
An anonymous YouTube post surfaced Saturday attacking mayoral candidate Curtis Gibson with a video his campaign manager said he'd created more than a decade ago, when he was an aspiring professional wrestler. In the video, which was viewed dozens of times within hours Saturday, Gibson appears threatening and uses offensive slang. Chevon Baccus, his campaign manager, said he was acting in character as Bad Boy, his wrestling persona, before an upcoming match. An email sent to...
As the campaigns that will shape the election of a mayor and city commissioner come to a close, some have asked whether our editorial board will endorse any of the five candidates. We believe a response is in order. The three candidates for mayor, Curtis Gibson, Jack Hilligoss, and Tammy James, agree on much, but offer clear distinctions in their leadership styles and priorities. The two candidates for city commission seat 4, Danny Krueger and James Loydd, differ not only in...
On Jan. 27, 1931, residents along Tillman Avenue in Lake Wales got good news. The oak trees would be saved. A plan drawn up by the world renowned landscape-architect Frederick Olmsted Jr. for extensive tree planting in the city had called for some of their nearby oaks to be removed. Residents petitioned Olmstead to reconsider, and he did. As noted in a letter from his firm on that date, Olmsted's plan took many things into consideration, simplicity being chief among them....
Lake Wales has been blessed by the creation of the Lake Wales Charter Schools system nearly two decades ago. Now representing seven schools educating students in grades 1 through 12, the system has received nationwide attention for its innovative methods. Competition between schools for the attention of parents and students has been a positive. The mere existence of the quasi-independent district was likely motivation for improvements at Polk County School System's McLaughlin...
Given an opportunity to help heal the community after a divisive search for a new charter school superintendent, two city commissioners said "no." A resolution presented to the city commission Tuesday night by Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson offered a welcome to the incoming Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich, who was chosen after a nearly year-long process. Commissioners Jack Hilligoss and Daniel Williams voted down the resolution, which failed on a 2-2 vote in the absence of...
Several new large-scale residential developments took shape in presentations heard by the Lake Wales City Commission during their Wednesday workshop, at which only three commissioners were present. The poor attendance at two meetings this week prompted complaints from Mayor Eugene Fultz. The rapid growth of Lake Wales in the face of multiple large-scale development projects has concerned many citizens as judged by questions submitted at recent elections forums. The latest...
With some $4 million in interest payments riding on the decision, three city commissioners gave direction to staff at Wednesday's workshop to pursue a 30-year bond rather than shorter-term bank loans to finance the $18.5 million earmarked for the Lake Wales Connected plan. The most-significant action ever undertaken by the City of Lake Wales or its related Community Redevelopment Agency, the huge investment is intended to breathe new life into the venerable heart of the city,...
