Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Only months after a May 4 grand opening, the 335-unit Serenity Apartments near Eagle Ridge Mall have hit more than 96% occupancy, and expect to be filled "in a week or two" according to leasing staff on site. "People are coming from all over," said Leslie Adams, leasing consultant for the owners, NM Residential. "We have several new residents who work at the hospital in Sebring. We have people from New York, South Florida, the islands..." People are cominig to Lake Wales for...
Attracting wildlife to our yards by planning and planting for their needs is simple and satisfying. If we supply adequate food, water and shelter, we can increase the number and variety of species that visit our properties, improving our chances of observing them more closely while providing the habitat they need to survive. The Lake Wales Ridge is home to scores of "endemic" species that exist nowhere else on earth. Because almost all of Florida was submerged as recently as t...
John Warren "Bo" Hutto reached his Heavenly home on Saturday, October 16, 2021. Bo was born in Lake Wales, Florida on April 26, 1971. Bo married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Donna Therese Nelson-Hutto as a teenager. In their over 31 years together, they created a beautiful family. Bo's number one passion in life was his family and he loved them deeply and unconditionally. Bo had a true servant's heart and loved helping people, both inside and outside hi...
Lake Wales 45th Annual Pioneer Days festival is expected to draw some 10,000 visitors to Lake Wailes Park over two days later this month, and staff at the Lake Wales History Museum is ready for the big days. "We are so excited for the return of this community event, and we promise to do everything we can to make it safe," D'hollander said. The ever-popular event will see many changes this year, but will include the traditional favorite Heritage education activities including...
Lake Wales will likely have to tweak the borders of its four voting districts since the 2020 U.S. Census showed the city had grown by about 15 percent in the last decade. The official census count in 2020 was 16,351 residents, up from 14.225 in 2010. In order to redraw voting district lines, a special five-person Census Redistricting Committee will be formed to suggest the new boundaries, which will then have to be formally adopted by the city commission. The city has four...
Plans and proposals for new housing developments in Lake Wales have come in waves during 2021 and show no sign of abating. More than 8,300 new dwellings are now "visible" on the planning documents at the City of Lake Wales Development Services. Those residences are likely to house more than 23,000 new citizens, an expected population increase of some 140%. "Everybody wants to come where we are," said City Commissioner Robin Gibson, when asked about the growth spurt. "It's a...
Ora "Oz" Caldwell of Lake Wales passed away September 9th due to complications of Covid-19. Known to many by his nickname of "the Great One," Caldwell was a graduate of West Point and served for many years in the office of the Public Defender in Polk County. He was known to many in the Lake Wales area as a man of generous spirit and manner. "He was an officer and a gentleman," said former Public Defender Marion Moorman. "He was a fantastic lawyer, a true trial lawyer who had...
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED BY CITY OF LAKE WALES. LakeWalesNews.Net will attempt to update the schedule as details become available. Do you follow a Long and Winding Road? Do you ever need Help? Would you take a ride in a Yellow Submarine? In short, are you a Beatles fan? If so you won't want to miss the free Third Friday show on September 17, when Beatles tribute band Aggie Road opens at 6:00 pm on stage at the Library Park at 290 Cypress Gardens Lane across from the Lake Wales Public Library. Aggie Road will be followed...
After losing a rain-soaked tilt against the 7-A regional powerhouse Lakeland Dreadnaughts the Lake Wales High School Highlander 11 are focusing on righting the ship when they host the Naples Lely Trojans September 24 at Legion Field following a bye week. Like the Highlanders, the Trojans play in class 6-A, though a non-district foe. They sport a 1-1 record on the season thus far. The Highlanders will not face a District 7 opponent until they entertain Melbourne Eau Gallie on...
In a much-anticipated showdown between two top Polk County football squads, the Lake Wales Highlanders will host the Lakeland Dreadnaughts this Friday at Legion Field. The big game will kick off at 7:30 pm. The Dreadnaughts are ranked 3rd statewide in class 7-A, while the Highlanders are ranked 10th in Class 6-A Both teams are sporting 2-0 regular season records going into the non-conference tilt. Lake Wales is coming off a 55-16 victory over Davenport Ridge Community....
With a convincing victory at their home opener at Legion Field the Lake Wales Highlander varsity football squad improved their regular season record to 2-0. Both offense and defense sparkled as they defeated the Ridge Community Bolts 55-16. The Highlanders jumped out to a first-quarter lead of 30 -8, partly on the strength of running back Marquish Seabon's 80-yard scamper for a touchdown. He ran for 196 total yards and three scores in the Highlander's victory over Clermont...
Nature or nurture? It's probably both when you look at three generations of women sharing a heart for serving the community. When she turned 18 in July, Jillian Gillis became Rotary on the Ridge's youngest member, joining her parents and grandparents as full members of the service club. Jillian's mom, Megan Gillis, is the 2021-22 club president and grandparents Sheri and Marshall Hartley joined when Megan served her first term as president in 2018-2019. Rotary is indeed a...
Do you follow a Long and Winding Road? Do you ever need Help? Would you take a ride in a Yellow Submarine? In short, are you a Beatles fan? If so you won't want to miss the free Third Friday show on September 17, when Beatles tribute band Aggie Road opens at 6:00 pm on stage at the Library Park at 290 Cypress Gardens Lane across from the Lake Wales Public Library. Aggie Road will be followed by Almost There at 7:30. The scene will be accompanied by local food vendors to...
The Lake Wales History Museum will celebrate the community's history and heritage through the 45th Annual Pioneer Days Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 23 & 24. The free community festival held along the shores at Lake Wailes Park features a heritage village that includes dozens of historical demonstrations of pioneer camps and early American trades. Activities are planned from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The public is welcome to experience, learn, share and buy...
Retired Lake Wales Police Chief Gary Helm died July 29 after a lengthy illness and hospitalization. He was 74. Many people in Lake Wales remember him as a community hero, who as a young sergeant in 1972 helped save a grocery store full of people and a fellow officer by engaging five armed robbers in a gun battle. Helm shot and killed two robbers at the Publix on SR 60 and arched his back to narrowly avoid being shot himself. Friends said he kept the shirt with the bullet hole...
Despite objections from nearby Ridge Manor residents, the Lake Wales City Commission July 6 approved preliminary plans for an 84-home subdivision on Lake Belle. City Attorney Chuck Galloway said denying the project could subject the city to litigation since the Belle Lago project obtained approval of the city's Planning and Zoning Board and met or exceeded the city's requirements for such a development. Attorney Shelby Loveless, who lives in the area, cited concerns about...
Drama students at McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy presented a special Josh the Baby Otter water safety program to Head Start pre-kindergarten students June 1. Under the leadership of first year drama teacher Alexandra Meridionale, the students acted out the Josh the Baby Otter book and created their own version of the "Learn to Float" song and dance. Rotary on the Ridge, a regional after hours service club, has presented the Josh the Baby Otter program to more...
A We Swim Splash Party will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 18 at the Lake Wales YMCA, 1001 Burns Ave. The event will include free music and food. It is designed to bring families to the Y to sign up for free swim lessons for their children. The City of Lake Wales will be providing vouchers for children to sign up for free swim lessons, which normally would cost $30 to $70. City residents also can register for free access to the pool during designated hours: 11 a.m. to 1...
Nvision Development and Winter Park Construction (WPC) recently completed the $55 million Serenity at Lake Wales, a 335-unit community just north of Eagle Ridge Mall. The project is the first new luxury Class A multifamily community to be built in the municipality since 2005. The development team at Nvision were early to relate the changing demographics in Polk County to the need for luxury multifamily options. Residents began moving in last fall, when WPC delivered initial...
Green Horizon Land Trust, a Lake Wales-based not-for-profit conservation organization, announces the acquisition of a permanent conservation easement for the six-acre Scrub Plum Preserve in Babson Park. The property, which has previously been protected by a temporary easement, formerly belonged to the Babson Park Community Church. The Scrub Plum Preserve contains a series of trails that winds through native habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge that has been used for decades for...
Dr. Debra Wright-Hudson is on a mission. The acting principal of McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy is reaching out to the Lake Wales community to share the good news about her students' success. Like the school's phoenix mascot, McLaughlin has spent the last two years rising from the ashes of an F-rating from the state. Wright-Hudson said she expects the school to soon achieve at least a C rating, and possibly be in reach of a B, while striving for an A grade....
Music, food, vendors, a ceremonial tree planting, informational booths and a mayor's proclamation will all be part of a special family event planned for Friday, April 30, when Lake Wales will become one of hundreds of cities nationwide marking Arbor Day 2021. The event will run from 5-7 that evening. Lake Wales Heritage will join with the Lake Wales Woman's Club, The Family Literacy Academy, and Rotary on the Ridge to sponsor the free Friday evening festival along the city's...
Editor's Note: Candidates for City Commission were asked to complete a questionnaire. Their responses are being printed as submitted. Dr. Ricardo Navarro Lake Wales City Commission Seat 2 Candidate Age: 33 years old Occupation: • Internal Medicine Physician. • Owner and President of Navarro Medical. • Medical Director for the Hospitalist Medicine program at Advent Health Lake Wales • Consulting Physician for Vitas Healthcare Years Living in Lake Wales : Twenty-seven (27) ye...
Editor's Note: Candidates for City Commission were asked to complete a questionnaire. Their responses are being printed as submitted. Al Goldstein Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4 Incumbent OCCUPATION: Retired YEARS LIVING IN LAKE WALES: 8 COMMUNITY SERVICE: Former President of Lake Ashton Republican Club., Former Vice Chairman of Polk Republican Executive Committee EXPERIENCE SERVING ON BOARDS: Lake Wales representative to the PRWC Polk Regional Water Cooperative, Lake Wales...
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...
