Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 76 - 98 of 98
The City of Lake Wales continues to be under a declared State of Emergency by Mayor Fultz. There is no curfew at this time. As Covid-19 updates for Florida's residents continue daily, many City of Lake Wales staff have begun working from home, while others continue to work within the City of Lake Wales Municipal Administration Building, 201 West Central Avenue and other facilities. The Lake Wales Municipal Administration Building remains closed to residents and customers until...
The Lake Wales Municipal Election scheduled to take place on Tuesday April 7 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. will go forward with a change. Due to safety concerns related to COVID-19 the polling location originally planned to be at the Municipal Administration Building will be moved to the James P Austin Community Center located at 315 Dr. M. L. King Jr. Blvd. in Lake Wales. The Lake Ashton polling location remains the same. Lake Wales residents in precincts 523, 524, 527, 528, 530, 531...
The Robin Gibson Campaign supports the "strong encouragement" by the Lake Wales city clerk for citizens to vote by mail rather than risk social interaction at the polling places. "Citizens should not lose their right to vote because of concerns about COVID-19," said incumbent Commissioner Robin Gibson in a news release encouraging citizens to vote by mail before the April 7 city election. Gibson said the campaign would like to play a role in facilitating the vote, but...
Lake Wales area voters chose Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump as their party candidates for president March 17, with totals that closely mirrored preferences in Polk County and the State of Florida. Just under 85,000 Polk County residents voted in the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary, making voter turnout slightly less than 27 percent. Polk Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards said turnout was about 13 percentage points less than she expected, but given...
Lake Wales registered voters who have moved or changed their name are encouraged to update their record with the Elections Office before the April 7 Municipal Elections. It's also important to notify the Elections Office if your signature has changed. Many changes can be made by calling the Elections Office at (863) 534-5888. Changes can also be made online at PolkElections.com. "An address change may mean a voter has moved into or out of the city limits, an important detail...
Just under 316,000 Polk County residents are eligible to vote Tuesday, March 17 in Florida's Presidential Preference Primary. As of the Feb. 18 registration deadline, Polk had 160,589 Republicans and 155,335 Democrats. Florida is a closed primary state so those registered as independents or with no party affiliation are not eligible to vote in the primaries, which are held to help major parties select their candidates for president. As of Jan. 31, Florida had 4,793,897...
As the 2020 elections take shape, one race for circuit court has drawn the interest of a prominent civil, family and general law attorney from Lake Wales. Attorney Cassandra L. Denmark filed as a candidate for the 10th Judicial Circuit, Group 19 seat now held by Judge John Radabaugh. "If given the opportunity, I assure I will serve with integrity, respect and fairness," Denmark said in announcing her candidacy. Denmark has practiced law in the state for 18 years. Prior to...
Greg Massey says he won't withdraw as a candidate for Lake Wales City Commission despite the likelihood he is ineligible to run because he never had his voting rights restored after felony convictions for second degree murder and armed burglary. "As it stands right now, until the supervisor of elections says I can't run, I'm moving ahead," Massey said. The city charter requires candidates to be registered voters and city residents for at least one year. Massey, 56, moved to...
The four candidates in the April 7 Lake Wales City Commission election will answer questions and meet the public at a forum on Monday, March 16. The candidate forum is being sponsored by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, the Lake Wales Arts Council, Rotary on the Ridge and LakeWalesNews.net. Candidates will set up tables with campaign literature and meet informally with attendees during a reception starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Michael...
Lake Wales City Commissioner Terrye Howell has been declared re-elected for another 3-year term following the withdrawal of her opponent Greg Massey. Massey submitted a signed statement to Lake Wales City Clerk Jennifer Nanek Tuesday, March 10 indicating his decision to end his campaign. It is possible Massey would have been ruled ineligible to run since he had a felony conviction for second degree murder and hadn't had his voting rights restored. City officials were awaiting...
Sample ballots for the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary Election are available online at PolkElections.com. The upcoming election is open to voters registered with the Democratic or Republican parties who will choose their nominee for the presidential election in November. As of Feb. 26 Polk County had 160,551 registered Republicans and 155,399 registered Democrats. The 128,569 Polk voters who are registered with minor parties or no party affiliation are not permitted...
Floridians will have the opportunity to make their choice for Presidential candidates on March 17th, but only members of the Republican or Democrat parties are eligible to cast a ballot. Florida is one of 12 states that have closed primary elections. Only registered Democrats are eligible to vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary and only registered Republicans are eligible to vote in the Republican Presidential Primary. Voters wishing to participate in the Presidential...
Supervisor of Elections, Lori Edwards reminds voters to double check their party affiliation in advance of the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary election. Florida is a closed primary state. According to Florida law, people may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party prior to the closing of registration 29 days prior to Election Day. "It's easy to change your party affiliation if you want to participate in the election, but you must...
As the nation struggles to train enough cybersecurity experts and analysts to fill a shortage that has grown by 50% since 2015, four Polk County colleges are offering courses and degrees to help prepare students for this growing field. In the next two years, about half a million cybersecurity jobs will remain unfilled, according to the Principles for Growing and Sustaining the Nation's Cybersecurity Workforce. Around the world, that number could reach 3 million, according to...
Polk Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards is thrilled that Florida has joined a consortium of states to clean up voter lists to reduce the potential for fraud. "This is something I have been advocating for about five years," said Edwards. By joining the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), Edwards said Florida supervisors now will be able to cross-check their voter rolls against those of other states. The issue is especially important to Florida because of the...
Florida Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson fired up members of the Lake Wales NAACP Saturday June 15 with a rousing call to be bold, to vote and to make sure others vote. The Jacksonville Democrat was keynote speaker for Branch 5109's 46th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet. Gibson has been in the Florida Legislature since 2002, the first eight years as a Representative, and the last eight as a Senator. Since it was Father's Day weekend, Gibson brought her dad, Ernest Gibson, to...
Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards will discuss restoration of felons' voting rights, redistricting and other voting issues at the April 17 meeting of Polk County Tiger Bay. The luncheon buffet opens at 11:45 a.m. and the meeting begins at noon at the Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S. Floral Ave. Florida Amendment 4, also the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative, is an amendment to the Constitution of Florida passed by ballot initiative on November 6, 2018, as part of...
By 2 p.m. on election day Tuesday, April 2, more than 1,800 City of Lake Wales voters had cast ballots. With five hours to go, the number of votes cast was already 20 percent higher than in the most recent city election in 2017. Nearly 1,500 vote by mail ballots had been received by the supervisor of elections office, and additional ballots would be accepted up to the 7 p.m. deadline. City Clerk Jennifer Nanek said voting was going smoothly and turnout was definitely up. In 20...
Lake Wales City voters have their final opportunity to vote for the mayor and one city commissioner from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2. Voters also are being asked to change the City Charter to increase the mayor's and commissioners' terms from two years to three. Incumbent Mayor Eugene Fultz is being challenged by Bob Wood, who ran unsuccessfully for a city commission seat in 2016. Political newcomer James Tucker is challenging incumbent Commissioner Curtis Gibson for...
Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards wants college students to know they have until March 29 to apply for one of three $1,200 scholarships to be awarded by the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections in 2019. Applicants must be: - Registered to vote in the State of Florida - A Citizen of the United States - Enrolled as a full-time student in a senior college or university in Florida - Majoring in Political Science/Public or Business Administration or...
Candidates for Lake Wales mayor and city commission shared common beliefs about the need for more citizen involvement and transparency in city government at a forum Thursday, March 14 sponsored by the Lake Wales Chapter of the American Association of University Women. Only about 25 people came out to the James P. Austin Community Center to listen and ask questions. Incumbent Mayor Eugene Fultz did not attend, but sent some prepared comments. He is on the Board of the Ridge...
The Lake Wales City Commission at their March 19 meeting shot down a proposed city policy that attempted to regulate their ability to comment freely on social media. City Commissioner Curtis Gibson said he supported a clear social media policy for employees but said he felt including elected officials was "out of bounds." "Frankly, as the youngest member of the commission and the one who uses social media the most, I feel targeted by this proposed policy," Commissioner Gibson...
In its efforts to get more voters to the polls this November, the Democrat Party moved its headquarters to a more centrally located place in Polk County. On Feb 2 the local political party had an open house at 1549 E. Combee Road in Lakeland moving from Haines City. "This is wonderful," said Polk state committeewoman Karen Welzel. "This is the beginning of what we'll turn in Polk County." About 100 people attended the opening of the office in Polk and Chair and the Executive...
