Lakeland's first Starbucks is finally getting T-Mobile wifi access. Working today at the South Florida and Beacon store, a few Verizon techs walked in and asked for the manager, "We're here to spec out the T-1 install." Finally.

The Beacon location opened many years ago, but it's never had wifi. I remember when they first opened I asked the manager when they would be getting it and they said 6 months. I think that was 4 years ago :-)

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If you didn't know, quite a bit of 'prep' for some Disney ice shows is going on at the Lakeland Center. A number of out-of-towners and creatives are living in the Lakeland area during this rehearsal period. One of them is a Jamie Boud, a designer and animator from Brooklyn. In a recent blog post Jamie talks about Lakeland:

From what little I’ve seen of it — which isn’t much — Lakeland is actually a cool looking town. The road between the hotel and the Lakeland Center (where I’ve been working) is lined with Mid-Century commercial buildings decorated with well-maintained vintage signs. Unfortunately, like every other town in America, too many of the old buildings sit abandoned and unused, the locals spending their days and dollars at Target and WallMart, instead.

Jamie arrived on Sunday for what he calls a 'two week' job.

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Over at Lakeland Local, Chuck Welch has some good commentary about the Lakeland Chamber letter. Chuck brings up a few good points, one of which I'll quote below:

Please don't lump all of "Lakeland" with the Chamber.

I was going to mention this in my post about the letter. The Lakeland Area Chamber Letter stated:

I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors and 2,100 member businesses of the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce.

I know a few businesses in Lakeland that might not share the Chamber's views on this issue. Plus there are a few Winter Haven firms that belong to the LACC.

I think folks that worked in the transportation, commercial real estate (think warehouses) or construction might welcome things. Then again, those same folks welcome just about any development :-)

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The Tampa Bay Business Journal has news of a distribution center being built in the Haines City area.

First Industrial Realty Trust Inc. plans to start work next week developing 160 acres into a distribution center with as much as 1.6 million square feet. The Chicago-based real estate investment trust has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday near the southeast corner of County Road 544 and State Road 17.

First Industrial (NYSE: FR) has prelease agreements for the first 200,000-square-foot building at FirstPark @ Haines City and is close to signing additional leases for two buildings with approximately 1 million square feet and 400,000 square feet each.

At the end of the story is this little tid-bit:

Approximately 900 distribution, service center and manufacturing jobs are expected to be created by way of the FirstPark @ Haines City development.

Wow, sounds like a lot of trucks and folks coming-and-going. I wonder who will pay for the roads and infrastructure improvements? Oh wait, we all do.

I'll expect a protest from Lakeland soon (joking there).

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The Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce recently sent a letter to Thomas Pelham, Secretary, Florida Department of Community Affairs over the CSX project. The letter is CC'd to just about every other person of importance, from Gov. Crist all the way down to Mike Herr at the county. The three-page letter is dated August 23, 2007 and is signed by LACC President, Kathleen Munson. You can download a PDF copy of the letter here.

The letter starts off with the standard....

I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors and 2,100 member businesses of the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce. We respectfully request that the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) require that the proposed CSX Integrated Logistics Center (ILC) project in Winter Haven undergo a full Development of Regional Impact (DRI) Review and that the DCA decline an expedited permitting process request to make it possible for CSX to begin construction before the review can determine the impact this project will have on Polk County and the State of Florida....

The letter then cites research done by the Chamber:

Our research has confirmed that, while the project will generate a positive economic impact for Winter Haven and our county with an increase in jobs and tax benefits, it will create a major adverse impact on Lakeland and other municipalities surrounding the project with the dramatic increase in truck and rail traffic it will generate through our communities.

Now before I start to discuss details, let me state my position on the CSX project. I am for the project if it is properly planned for. Should it be a DRI? Probably, but CSX planned the initial project to fit just under the DRI limit. Things like this happen all the time. If you think that CSX is the first firm to figure out if the limit is X then just submit X-1 to bypass regulation, then you don't know development. Is CSX the best corporate citizen? I'll let you fill in the blank on that one.

However I have to point out a bit of hypocrisy on the part of Lakeland here. As I pointed out in an earlier post, there are more distribution centers that cause more truck traffic in Lakeland than the CSX facility will generate. It's interesting that suddenly truck traffic is a major issue with Lakeland.

In addition to the truck traffic, CSX also projects the ILC terminal will create 1,000 to 2,000 new jobs and that workforce will add severely to the traffic congestion.

The Phase I projection is 200 jobs, not 1000 to 2000. Billy Townsend picked up on the job 'exaggeration' some time ago. The majority of CSX's promises (jobs, economic development, etc) fall in the second phase of the project, which might never be built. However, everybody, on both sides of the issue like to point to the 'big' numbers. After all, they look better :-)

I really don't think there is anything that the DCA can do. One DCA official I talked to said that often development groups will come in just under the requirement for any project. That could be acres, units per acre, etc. That's the problem with drawing a line, it sets a boundary that can often be skirted. While the DCA enforces it, they don't set it. Our local legislators do. We all need to take it up with them.

I think if anything the CSX project has made us all look around and say, 'Hey why don't we change this?"

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A friend from outside the area e-mailed me and asked if the picture that Cypress Gardens was using to promote Phobia was supposed to the 'scary' or just a photo of Polk County residents. I took a quick look and had a laugh.

It looks like their meth lab just exploded so they are a bit bloody and stunned. Here is the photo:

Looking at the Wild Adventures website, they're using the same photo to promote Phobia at the Valdosta park. Maybe the people pictured are residents of South Georgia.

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The Orlando Sentinel has a interview with Mark Cole, a Winter Haven resident and new president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE).

Life for Mark Cole has its ups and downs, but he's not complaining. As national president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, the Winter Haven resident heads up more than 8,000 members on high-velocity adventures. Cole, a teacher at Dundee Ridge Middle School, estimates he has ridden between 400 and 500 coasters, in locales as far-flung as France and Finland. He talked with reporter Dewayne Bevil within eyeshot of Animal Kingdom's Expedition Everest, the newest coaster at Walt Disney World.

This is pretty cool.

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I swung by the Downtown Lakeland Partnership Anti-CSX rally/protest downtown today. Photos from the rally are here.

I stopped by the tent at the corner of Main and Kentucky on three different occasions. There was a slow/steady stream of locals downtown that stopped by the tent, but never a huge crowd (The Ledger says it was 'sparse'). The largest group I saw numbered around 6 or 7 not including media (and one gorilla)

However, local turnout is only one factor. The rally drew media coverage from Channels 8, 10 and 13. The last time I stopped by, Julie Townsend from the Downtown Lakeland Partnership was doing an interview with Ken Suarez from Channel 13. Channel 13's coverage can be seen here.

Some people seemed aware of the CSX issue, others looked to be hearing about it for the first time.

During the lunch hour a group stood on the corner and held up some small signs reading, "CSX HUB" with the standard 'No' sign over it.

Julie Townsend was going to let me know how many petition signatures they collected at the end of the event. Update: Julie said that 88 people signed the petition.

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Sometimes you see something and you wonder....how did that happen? Take this example from yesterday in Winter Haven. Downtown on 4th ST, a pair of blue jeans in the road. Did they fall out of a car? Did somebody have some 'fun' the night before and forgot to put them back on?

There were no residences nearby so it couldn't have been a Levi's commercial where the upset girlfriend throws her boyfriend's jeans out the window.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers web site has a news story posted announcing a long-term partnership with Publix:

As the team’s newest Pewter Partner, Publix continues the Buccaneers’ tradition of partnering with category leaders. Publix plans strong branding and store-level activation as part of their alliance with the Buccaneers.

"We are proud to announce this partnership with Publix," said Buccaneers Executive Vice President Bryan Glazer. "The Buccaneers and Publix are the two powerhouse brands in West Central Florida and our new partnership is a natural fit. Publix is an outstanding company, and we look forward to working closely with them on new and exciting initiatives."

If you remember, Publix was a 'Pewter Partner' many years ago. That partnership culminated with the Bucs winning the Super Bowl in 2003. The next year Publix dropped their sponsorship...perhaps they saw the future of the franchise :-)

Anyway, they're back together again.

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The Orlando Sentinel's Theme Park Rangers blog recently posted about the roller coasters in the Central Florida region. While this area is the theme park capital of the world, it's not really coaster country. When I think of coasters, I think of places like Kennywood and Cedar Point.

In his post Dewayne Bevil does provide a shout-out to the Starliner at Cypress Gardens:

There are a lot to choose from. I like the level of intensity of Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando), which tosses you a lot before graciously releasing you. For theming, Expedition Everest (Disney's Animal Kingdom) has it down cold. Montu (Busch Gardens) practically assaults you -- in a good way. And I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the new/old Starliner at Cypress Gardens. It's fun and scores high in my re-ride-ability factor.

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It's always interesting to read over some of the protest 'literature' that organizations put out. I know people are always passionate on both sides of any issue. It's that passion that sometimes makes people overlook some other issues that might be closer to home. The recent Downtown Lakeland Partnership protest flier states that:

CSX Projects that, to start, at least 1400 tractor trailer rigs will be in and out of the hub per day - with this number increasing as their multi-billion dollar business thrives. This means you will be competing for space on our major roadways with these behemoths of industry on Highways 98, 27, 60 and I-4 regardless of where you live in the county.

You the taxpayer - NOT CSX - will pay for the improvements and maintenance of roads and infrastructure required by the existence of the hub.

That's true, just a bit. An individual I talked to close to the deal says the true count will be closer to 700 trucks, not 1400.

But then again, looking at the Lakeland area there are these little enterprises: Rooms-to-Go Warehouse, Publix Bakery, Bernie Little Distributors, US Foodservice, FedEx LTL, Butterkrust Bakery, Saddle Creek, SunCo and Southern Wine & Spirits to name a few. I think they have quite a few tractor trailer rigs 'competing' on our local roadways....and gasp, we all pay for the road improvements needed.

Economic development is a delicate balance. We all want the benefits, but not the baggage.

There is one major difference though between CSX and the Lakeland-area companies I listed above. All of those firms and the people that run them have been outstanding corporate citizens and have helped make Lakeland what it is today. CSX does not have the reputation, at least in Polk County, of being a community leader.

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It's been interesting to follow the growing protest in Lakeland over the proposed CSX hub in Winter Haven. The Downtown Lakeland Partnership has some fliers out at businesses and recently pleaded their case to the Lakeland City Commission. There is also a protest scheduled for this Friday.

While I know the protest is well intentioned, I think there is nothing that they can really do. As I said in the title with that bad pun, the train has left the station. The recent Ledger article makes the point that the increased rail traffic is tied to the Central Florida commuter rail project just as much as it is the inter-modal facility in Winter Haven:

The massive rail transfer center CSX wants to build on more than 1,000 acres in Winter Haven is tied to another major rail project - the sale of 61 miles of CSX tracks to the Florida Department of Transportation for an Orlando commuter rail system that would serve Orange, Volusia,Seminole and Osceola counties

So unless I am wrong...even if the Winter Haven project is stopped...it will just end up someplace else. The increased rail traffic is a result of the shift of freight off the E/W line to the N/S line. This will happen with or without the Winter Haven facility. The shift has to happen for the commuter rail project to move forward.

Once you look at the commuter rail project you realize that the rail traffic issue in Lakeland is not a Lakeland vs. Winter Haven thing, it's Lakeland vs. Central Florida. While Lakeland might have more political clout than Winter Haven, they're no match for Orlando and the surrounding cities that have been moving towards the commuter rail project for almost a decade.

The Ledger states that Gow Fields asked Senator Bill Nelson about the planning of the commuter rail project and Lakeland/Polk's involvement:

Commissioner Gow Fields suggested to Nelson that the state take a more regional look at commuter rail. Plans currently do not include Lakeland. "This piecemeal approach doesn't lead us anywhere,'' Fields said.

Not really sure who is to blame here, Polk County has known that the commuter rail project has been going on for some time now, they could have joined the party years ago. However, perhaps the county has no interest.

Suddenly though, Lakeland is interested. I can hear the planners in Orlando saying, where were you a decade ago? But then again Lakeland has always somewhat aligned itself with Tampa over Orlando...it's a natural geography thing.

Things are getting interesting. Just think, this all started because Billy Townsend and I figured out that Lakeland was going to start seeing more trains in the future :-)

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The construction fences are now up at the Southeast Plaza Publix. If you remember the plans were announced back in March of this year. The Winter Haven Chamber blog had the details.

Plans call for Publix to relocate to an expanded 39,600 sf location at the east end of the complex. The store will continue to operate in its present location until the new site is completed. The former supermarket space will then be renovated for a new anchor tenant and is planned to be available by Summer of 2008. Beall’s will remain in its present location and the facade will be renovated for the entire center. The SE Plaza Publix was the chain’s 100th location when it opened in the early 1960s.

I'll snap a few shots of the construction progress once there is something more exciting than fences :-)

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One of the other things I do in real life is organize a conference in Orlando called....you guessed it BlogOrlando. It's a free un-conference, which means that there are no boring PowerPoint slide shows or endless panels...just industry experts facilitating conversations among the attendees.

The event is scheduled for Sept 27-29th at Rollins College in Winter Park. The main event though is Friday the 28th. This will be the second year for the event and we have a tremendous speaker line-up There are a few Polk County friends registered so far, but I'd like to see some more.

To learn more about the event you can check out the BlogOrlando site, or watch this brief video interview that Joe Thornley did with me while we were in Seattle for Gnomedex a few weeks ago.

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A friend from Osceola County sent along a press release that touted some new podcasting that will be going on in Polk County Schools:

Press Release

August 14, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dana Schafer, Director of Community Relations - Osceola School District - 407-870-4007 or 407-908-8811 (cell)

Some Of The Hottest Technology For The 2007-2008 School Year Will Be Podcasting In Osceola and Polk County School Districts

Thanks to a $1.1 million federal grant, 200 teachers in Osceola and Polk Counties went to camp this summer at Florida Southern College in Lakeland to learn best practices for integrating technology in the classroom and encouraging other teachers to utilize 21st Century tools. Throughout the upcoming school year, teachers will be experimenting with podcasting, digital imaging, digital video, online collaborative tools, and emerging technologies to better enhance the learning environment for today’s digital natives.

I e-mailed PCSB Tech Assistant Superintendent Abdu Tugari a week or two ago to find out if any schools were doing this, but never received a response.

Do you know of any schools taking advantage of this?

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I know I've received e-mails from Adam Putnam's office before, but I guess they never really had a formal e-mail newsletter. Shown below is the first 'official' one. I'm amazed it's taken his office this long to develop this type of communication, who knows maybe we'll see a blog by 2010. Here's the sign-up for the e-newsletter.

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The Orlando Sentinel notes that 95,000 students will be back in Polk County Schools on Monday. That's the population of Kiribati, a small island nation in the Pacific. Looking at population numbers on Wikipedia, the Polk County School System has more 'inhabitants' than:

- Bermuda, 65,000
- Cayman Islands, 47,000
- Liechtenstein, 35,000

Just a few more students and we'll pass Tongo, with 100,000.

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When you register a domain name that is a combination of a few other words always make sure you check for what I call unintended readings. Looking at The Ledger this morning I saw an item about Woody's BBQ's new online ordering web site.

The web site is woodysexpress.com. Is it just me or when you quickly look at that domain do you see woodySEXpress.com?

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