Is very depressing.....EOM

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Yesterday evening I went to Bok Tower to get some photos in the fading light. Here are a few sample shots:

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Whenever one looks at downtown Lake Wales, the 11-story Grand Hotel is sure to stand out. While Bok Tower has definitely taken the status of "Lake Wales Icon", the Grand Hotel falls in at a close second. The hotel, built in 1927, has been returned back to the city of Lake Wales after exchanging hands multiple times. Over the years, I've heard of many different plans for the hotel: a retirement facility, upscale condominiums, even demolition, none of which have come to fruition. According to the The Ledger, the city is planning on actively searching for someone to renovate it. The former owner's plans of converting the hotel to a retirement facility had fallen through, and had raked up over $700,000 in code enforcement fines.

I'd like to see some condominiums go in and help revitalize downtown Lake Wales, similar to the efforts of downtown Winter Haven.

What's your opinion on the Grand Hotel? Should we just tear it down and start over?

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Here's a quick picture I took of the Hampton Inn and Suites being built on 27 across from Eagle Ridge Mall. I didn't realize that area needed a major motel, I guess so!

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Tom & Nancy are taking a trip 'Down the Coast' and blogging along the way. This past Sunday they posted an entry about their trip to Bok Sanctuary:

We always try to find interesting and lesser known "gems" along the way. As luck would have it, we hit the jackpot! A bit South of Winter Haven is a little place called Lake Wales. Just to its north, on a forgotten road, is a pretty-well signed place called "Historic Bok Sanctuary". What a jewel!

They post some photos and a recap of their visit.

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In reference to my previous post, I am now receiving an e-mail from The Daily Ridge. It appears to be a web site that features news about Lake Wales. Looking at the site there is no information about who is responsible for the content. Each article is attributed to 'Staff Reporter' and the phone number listed is 000-000-0000.

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Bok Tower inspires a number of people to write, photograph and paint. Not a week goes by that I don't discover a number of blogs talking about the Lake Wales landmark. In the past two days it's received:

- One recommendation from Vickie
- One painting from Lori

Do you want to know what people are blogging/photographing about Bok? Check out these links:

- Flickr Photos
- Blog Posts

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Lucy Jones from Tampa blogs about the National Park Service's recent photo contest. The 2007 National Historic Landmarks Photo Contest asks everyday people to take photos of historic landmarks and submit them online. Lucy lists some Florida landmarks, one of which is Bok Tower.

I'm thinking of submitting one of my shots of Bok Tower. The question is, which one.

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This past Saturday I attended the Concert Under the Stars at Historic Bok Sanctuary. The Imperial Symphony Orchestra performed a number of classics along including the 1812 Overture to conclude their concert season. There was a little bit of rain before the concert started, but by the time the music started the weather was perfect.

MySpace user Beka writes:

There is nothing I love more than live, lovely classical music with a cool breeze blowing in my hair, sitting below a blanket of stars peeking through the branches of the huge oak trees.

I've uploaded a photoset from the evening.

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On Saturday, Bill Rufty wrote an article about a new countywide bus system. Before those of you who have never ridden a bus in the county say, why? Remember the system really isn't for you. There are plenty of people that will take advantage of the system. However, you might want to check out the bus for a trip between Lakeland and Winter Haven.

A while back I spent a day using public transportation to get around Polk County. If you haven't read my review, do so. It's a good look at the pros/cons of the public transportation system.

I'll be repeating my experiment in June.

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MySpace and Chalet Suzanne are two names you would not expect to hear in the same sentence. However, the times they are a changing. Eric and Dee Hinshaw have a MySpace page that's mostly Chalet Suzanne focussed, at least that's what the blog is all about.

Welcome!

The Hinshaw family has been making guests welcome for over 70 years, whether you come by car or plane .. for a single meal or several ... for one day or more. This enchanting Inn of 30 rooms, nestled on a 100 acre estate, is a gracious oasis amidst the excitement of Central Florida attractions, catering to discriminating guests of all ages.

Each Chalet guestroom greets you with cordial warmth, delightfully different, with the comforts of private entrance, private bath, air conditioning, telephone and television. The sparkling pool, lake and airstrip are only a few steps from your courtyard or patio.

The essence of the Chalet's reputation is its cuisine, food that Gourmet Magazine calls "glorious" ... served in a unique setting of five quaint rooms on many levels, overlooking the lake. Every corner glows with antiques, stained glass and old lamps from far away places.

They've even pimped out their profile :-)

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The Orlando Sentinel has an interactive feature on the Ridge Scenic Highway. Sentinel reporter Lisa Roberts spent some time traveling on US 17 from Haines City to south of Frostproof and recaps her trip.

Stops include: Haines City, Dundee, Lake Wales, Babson Park, Frostproof and Hickory Lake Scrub. The Flash presentation has text, pictures and audio from the trip.

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Flickr recently created 'Collections' or groups of photosets. I have created a collection of my photos from around Polk County. As of today it's composed of 20 sets and 564 photos. One of the newest sets in the collection is the Historic Polk County Courthouse in Bartow, FL.

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This morning I ran into Colleen Burton with Polk Vision, we talked briefly about where PV's been and the ongoing support/promotion of the program.

We talked for a little over 17 minutes, but my recorder died at 16:35, so you don't miss much at the very end. You can download/listen to the MP3 file by clicking here: PolkVision.MP3.

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Chuck Welch and I are planning a second Polk Blogger Meet-Up on Tuesday, April 3, 2007 at Richard's Coffee in Winter Haven. Come on out and join us.

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Over at the Winter Haven Chamber Blog, Bob Gernert has posted about the new proposed tax swap coming out of Tallahassee. It's an interesting read, and has generated some good commentary.

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Ponte Vedra-based realtor Krista Fracke has a Google-maps display of FCAT scores for all of the counties in Florida. When you visit the FCAT scores page, click on Polk to get a closer look. The image below is almost all of Polk County.

The standard Google-maps interface is there. You can zoom in, pan-around, etc. The image below is a close-up of the Winter Haven area.

Clicking on one of the pins will give you the details about that particular school, including previous FCAT scores. Shown below are the details for Wahneta Elementary.

Thanks to Joey at Urban Jacksonville for the tip.

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Over at the Polk County News Blog Billy writes about the Heartland Parkway. What's that you say? It's a road that will connect Fort Myers to Polk County. The northernmost part would of course be in Polk.

It would be a sort of Super Polk Parkway - linking the existing Parkway in Lakeland to State Road 60 east of Bartow and Interstate 4 east of U.S. 27.

It amounts to a huge loop - 45 miles or more - around most of the populated areas of Polk County, which would also, in theory, tie-in to the CSX distribution center the city of Winter Haven is pursuing.

One theory is managing growth is that you build the roads and the development will follow. This is similar to the 417 Greenway in Orlando. I remember when it was first built and it was nothing but empty land to the airport. Today it's surrounded by growth. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You decide.

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First a few disclaimers. 1. I did not write this, it was forwarded to me by a few people. 2. It's not original, a while back there was something similar about Tampa Barbies posted on Sticks of Fire.

All that said; some are funny, some are lame and some are offensive. You've been warned.

South Lakeland Barbie:
This princess Barbie is sold only at Macy’s. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a cookie-cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

Garden Grove Barbie:
The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Wind star Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately

Continue reading "Polk County Barbies" »

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Growth. Three interesting items related to growth.

First up is the MyRegion.org How Shall We Grow? initiative. Over the past year and a half the How Shall We Grow? initiative has been conducting community input sessions and working with local officials through-out the region. All that work culminates in a series of events over the next two weeks. This week a series of documentaries will air on WMFE-TV in Orlando and PG-TV in Polk County. Then starting on Friday residents will be able to vote on the growth plan they want.

You can also check out the PG-TV schedule for this week.

Second, independent of MyRegion.org, Polk Vision is holding a series of meetings on growth in the region:

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 6-8pm - Lake Region High School, Eagle Lake
Thursday, January 25, 2007 6-8 pm - Ridge Community High School, Haines City
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 6-8 pm - Lake Gibson High School, North Lakeland

I will be out of town each of these nights so I won't be able to post any reports. Hopefully Chuck from Lakeland Local will be able to make it to at least one of them.

Third, and not least in any way....Billy Townsend from the Tampa Tribune recently wrote a feature article about growth in Lakeland titled From Our Town to Boomtown. The article and accompanying video is worth the time.

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This evening I heard a rumor about a 'high-end' Polk County restaurant moving to (or opening another location in) downtown Lakeland. The unusual twist was that this restaurant has some sort of retail tie-in as well. Hmmm.....

The only name that comes to my mind is Chalet Suzanne. That would be something interesting.

Another name mentioned is Antonio's in Winter Haven.

Update: Bob Gernert has confirmed that it is not Chalet Suzanne.

Update 2: It's Arabella's. Billy Townsend has more.

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Sunday's Washington Post will feature a series on Vanishing Florida. Locations such as Cypress Gardens, Davidson of Dundee and Bok Tower are mentioned in the feature. The primary article is titled 'Florida's Quirky Attractions Try To Stay Afloat'. There are also and five supporting pieces: Of Aquamaids and Giant Sponges, See Them Now..., Before They're Gone, Between Attractions Pause for a Little Orange Aid, Details Old Florida and a map.

According to the Details Old Florida item, the Washington Post reporter stayed in Lake Wales while surveying the local 'quirky' attractions:

We rented a car and drove a loop from Tampa south to Sarasota, northeast to the Winter Haven-Lake Wales area, northwest to Tarpon Springs and Weeki Wachee and back to Tampa.....In Lake Wales, we stayed in one of the four rooms at Noah's Ark Bed and Breakfast (312 Ridge Manor Dr., 800-346-1613; from $85 a night double). The 1920s Mediterranean mansion is filled with antiques and large portraits of the owners' daughters.

The feature focuses on the old-Florida attractions that existed before Disney and how many of them are vanishing, There are a number of Polk County businesses/attractions mention:

- Cypress Gardens is mentioned in the main article and is featured in the Of Aquamaids and Giant Sponges sidebar.

- Bok Tower is mentioned in the See Them Now... sidebar item.

- Fruitree of Dundee is highlighted in the Between Attractions Pause for a Little Orange Aid along with Davidson of Dundee.

Some of your long-time Polk County residents will notice one other attraction, Circus World. It made the list of attractions that are gone.

We asked Lost Parks founder Robert H. Brown for a list of the most popular closed attractions featured on the site, gleaned from the number of page hits and comments he has received. They include: Circus World, Polk County. Part winter quarters for the Ringling Bros. circus, part theme park with roller coasters and other rides. Closed in 1986.

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In late January of 2006 I blogged about the Polk Art Mafia. The P.A.M. MySpace group was started by Bonnie B. as an outlet for those interested in arts in Polk County.

The group just reached a major milestone with the 500th member joining. Who said the arts aren't important in Polk County?

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The Orlando Sentinel has a feature article about the area between Orlando and Tampa. Know where that is? Middle of Somewhere is the title of the article. here is one stat that I think we all know/deal with.

Polk County alone, which sits squarely between the two largest cities, could gain as many as 240,000 people in the next 25 years, University of Florida researchers say. That's the equivalent of plopping all of Jersey City, N.J., into the county.

If you live-in/care-about Polk County, you should go read the entire article.

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The News Chief reports that the City of Lake Wales approved the purchase of Tasers for their police force. Tasers have a way of generating some interesting publicity for the law enforcement units that use them. Just as the UCLA PD about that.

Now we can officially start the countdown to the first incident in Lake Wales. If your read the full article, it notes that Lake Wales is also purchasing cameras to go along with the Tasers:

Officers will also be using the X26 Taser Cam, an audio-video recording device that is activated any time the unit is armed.

"Once an officer removes the X26, it automatically begins to capture information prior to, during and after the potential deployment of the device," said Gillis. "This provides for accountability, video evidence and protection against complaints. Video doesn't lie. It captures events as they unfold."

All I'll add is that video does lie sometimes, since it only shows you what it sees. In the case of the Taser-cams it will only show you what happens once the weapon has been armed, and won't show the events that lead up to the arming.

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The Transportation Planning Organization of Polk County has a rather interesting page that details the Transportation History of Polk County. The timeline goes from 1843 till 2000. Here are a few interesting tid-bits:

1915: The Polk County Good Roads Association gathers enough support to sponsor a $1.5 million bond issue which passes by a 2-to-1 margin in a countywide referendum. Polk County contracts with four companies to pave over 217 miles of sheet asphalt highways - the largest construction transaction of its kind in the South. The project is divided into five sections, linking every major Polk city.

1923: Polk County's 340 miles of paved roads is more than any other county in Florida. Polk's "velvet highways" become a tourist attraction, especially "The Scenic Highlands Highway" located along the Lake Wales Ridge. These highways help spur the development of South Florida during the Florida Land Boom, and earn Polk County its "imperial" moniker.

Go check it out.

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Here are a few quick thoughts after yesterday's election. I'll be posting more in the coming days.

1. A photo I took got picked up by Boing Boing and Wired, so traffic to my regular blog is quite high today.

2. We had no problems at all in our precinct (337) with the equipment or the process. I was lucky to have a great group of folks working with me. As far as I've read, there weren't any big problems anywhere else in Polk County either. Thanks to Lori, Christine, Judy, P.J., Terry, Chuck and the rest of the gang at the Polk Supervisor of Elections office.

3. Our precinct was one of only four from Florida (so far) to submit photos to the Polling Place Photo Project.

4. Ignorance is no excuse. An individual showed up at our polling location around 7:10 and was upset that they couldn't vote. I think the statement, "Well if I work late how am I supposed to get to the polls before 7?" was made. Luckily one of my poll workers gave them a good lecture, educating them on the finer points of absentee ballots and early voting. Folks you've had plenty of time to vote early, showing up at 7:10 and claiming you can't get there on time is no excuse.

5. Countering that, we had one young person dash in the door right before 7:00 p.m. He had gone to the wrong location first, but made the effort to get to the proper location right before closing time. He even jumped through the door and said, "I'm in the door before 7!".

6. Congrats to Jean Reed. I figured her race over Bruce Parker would be closer and could have gone the other way, but it's great to get somebody new into the system. Now let's see if a lone Democrat can achieve anything on the BOCC.

7. How did Randy win? The man has done it again. I thought for sure that Randy would be unseated this election, but all that developer money certainly helped him out. If you didn't notice Randy upgraded the design of his campaign signs right after the primary and put a ton of them out. The photo of Randy in the camo hat certainly paints a great picture of Polk County. He just needed to be eating a bag of Jelly Belly candy.

8. In contrast to Randy's win over Rober Connors, money isn't everything. Robert points out this fact about the Jean Reed/Bruce Parker race:

One note about Ms. Reed's campaign: She won with a very lean campaign budget. While Parker raised $103,700, Reed only raised $32,096

9. When does Katherine Harris publish her tell-all book?

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I understand that businesses need to advertise/market themselves, but littering my neighborhood with signs (including one in my yard) is not the best way to win over customers. In fact, NY Pizza Baby just lost my business. I would normally rotate my pizza consumption around a few local stores, but NY Pizza Baby just got dropped from that list. Now I'll spend most my money at Pasquales or Dimagio's (both in Winter Haven) or Palace Pizza when I'm in Lakeland.

We've all seen these types of signs along the roadway. Typically they're advertising 'Cash for Houses' or some other fly-by-night operation. I guess that's what NY Pizza Baby wants to compare themselves to.

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One of the closely watched local races in Polk County is the County Commission District 2 race between Randy Wilkinson (R) and Robert Connors (D). Of course the question is who will win, but how close will it be?

Have the anti-Randy forces secured enough support to elect Robert or will it be a close result with Randy winning again?

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The second of the two debates this evening featured the candidates for the Florida State Legislature, District 63. Debating were James Davis (D) and Seth McKeel (R).

The debate was taped by PGTV and will be shown on Channel 19 (local cable) on Sunday, October 22nd at 1:30 pm.

All the following notes are done live and may contain some small typos or errors, you've been warned :-) I also recorded the session. You can click here to listen.

Opening Remarks:

SM: I want to use this time to introduce myself to the audience. I am a Polk County native, in fact a 5th generation Floridian. I served on the Lakeland City Commission for five years. He and his wife work together in real estate. He feels he's well suited to take on the role.

JD: Born and raised in Polk County, he considers himself a crusader for the people. We have a number of challenges that we face, he is the candidate to help face those issues and be a voice of the people. To include all the people, not just the privileged few.

First Question: If elected will you support a increase to funding for public libraries?

JD: We have a problem with focusing our efforts on education. Libraries are a part of the educational system. He'd support the increased funding for libraries. There needs to be more effort put forth towards the educational system.

SM: He has some experience with library system. As a Lakeland City Commissioner he helped fund the city library system. There are some exciting changes coming up within the library system and funding is important. Technology offers some opportunities as well. Libraries are an important part of workforce development and must be supported

Second Question: Today is a national day against poverty, what is your plan to help fight poverty in the county?

SM: He has had experience with poverty within the City of Lakeland. It's an issue in the county and the state. Ultimately it comes back to education. By providing a good educational based we can break the cycle of poverty.

JD: Working with the One-Stop Center for Workforce he has seen first-hand the isuses related to poverty. Florida is a service based state. There is a widening gap between the rich and the poor within the state. We should raise the minimum wage so that those working minimum wage jobs can support themselves.

Third Question: In light of the recent poplulation growth in Florida what are your thoughts about reviving the bullet train?

JD: I think that it should be done. We need to bring together the cities and counties within Florida. A transit system like the bullet train would perhaps bring jobs and other opportunities to the people of Florida.

SM: The transportation infrastructure deficit is growing and continues to grow. When he left the Lakeland City Commission there was a transportation deficit of $80-90 million in Lakeland alone. High speed rail does need to be considered, but it needs to be part of a comprehensive plan to improve all transportation in Florida.

Fourth Question: How does your business experience prepare you for service in the legislature?

SM: He is a small business owner and takes a focus on small businesses. His experience in real estate and local government gives him the ability to oversee cooperation between government and business as well as the interaction between state agencies.

JD: I too have a real estate background, he is a broker and he is an educator as well as coach. He is used to challenges. He is used to working for what he wants. He is a winner. He works with businesses to assist them with staffing and other issues.

Fifth Question: How would you improve education in Polk County?

JD: FCAT is a major issue, the teachers in Polk County are underpaid. The problem is not the FCAT though, we need to focus on the basics. We have been saddled with the No Child Left Behind act but no funding to support it.

SM: Polk County recently saw a large increase in educational funding, but it still has a long way to go. There should not be a one-size-fits-all model, it does not work to serve all the students. He would work to bring better cooperation between business and schools.

Sixth Question: How do you propose to continue Florida's strong economy?

SM: The Florida economy is in good shape. The tourism and agricultural industries have been great resources for the state, but we need to diversify. Hi-tech industry must be attracted, but that relies upon the educational system to provide the workforce.

JD: He feels that the Florida economy is not as bright as many think. We need to work to bring better jobs to the state, but once again it's the educational system that most provide the worforce.

Closing Statements:

JD: He was born and raised in Polk County. Rather than hearing the issues, he has lived them. Florida has a bright future and Polk County has the opportunity to lead the state. He will not be afraid to step forward and provide the leadership needed.

SM: He has laid out the challenges we face but also he has provided solutions for those issues. He looks forward to serving the residents of the county.

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This evening the League of Women Voters of Polk County and the Lakeland Chapter, Florida Bipartisan Civic Affairs Group held a debate between the three candidates for the 12th Congressional District of Florida. Debating were Ed Bowlin (I), Adam Putnam (R) and Joe Viscusi (I).

The debate was taped by PGTV and will be shown on Channel 19 (local cable) on Sunday, October 22nd at 1:30 pm.

All the following notes are done live and may contain some small typos or errors, you've been warned :-) I also recorded the session, you can click here to listen.

Opening Remarks:

JV: Thanked the League for sponsoring the event and appreciated the folks that turned up in person. Joe feels that any election is about accountability. He wants to separate himself from Adam on the major issues. If you are against the war in Iraq then vote for Joe, if you are for the war then vote for Adam. Offshore drilling, Joe is against it while Adam is for it.

AP: Thanked the League and looked forward to getting into the issues. He has had the honor of representing the 12th District for the past six years. He feels that this district needs somebody that can be a leader in Washington. They need to move beyond sound-bite politics and do the work. Adam is proud to be from the area and that's one of the reasons he has never moved to Washington. Adam then went on to note some of the recent positive economic indicators.

EB: Congressional approval rate is under 20%, that's why we need change. His campaign is about the issues, he is not about attacking other candidates. He disagrees with Adam's positive economic outlook. We have to have people that are willing to fight for the people. The majority of American people want us out of the war, that's the type of change we need.

First Question: How does your background, education and life experience qualify you to represent the 12th District?

AP: Native of Polk County, 5th generation Floridian. There needs to be a balance between growth and the environment. The agricultural industry within the county provides a good base, but we are bleeding jobs because of our lack of an energy policy. Immigration is also a major issue.

EB: Wide range of life experiences. Raised in a single-parent family, served his country, he is a third-generation Marine. He has sent his children off to war, his son has served two tours in Iraq. He has run a business for 12 years.

JV: I've lived in Polk County for over 30 years and has done so by choice. We don't choose how we're born. Unlike Adam, he was not born into a family of wealth. He has worked to earn his place.

Second Question: What would you do with the thousands of unexploded cluster bombs and mines in Lebanon?

EB: It should be Israel's responsibility to handle looking through the bombs/mines. We can't continue to look in to all these foreign issues. We have too many issues at home to worry about all the foreign disputes.

JV: We're talking about violence, death. Hundreds of thousands of people dying because people aren't willing to talk things over. There needs to be a change in how things are dealt with.

AP: Israel is the only active democracy in the Middle East and we need to support them. We did not provoke the attacks on 9/11. We need to work with our allies in the Middle East and continue to fight those that wish to do us harm.

Third: What are your thoughts on Social Security?

JV: He doesn't think that the Social Security system is in as much trouble as the administration would like us to believe. He promises to research the issue and not just vote along party lines.

AP: It's one of the fundamental generational issues we face. Anybody under 35 will not have funds available to them if no changes are not made. We are unable to solve the issues since there has not be cooperation between the parties. There is no question that social security will be bankrupt 2040 if nothing is done.

EB: He agrees with Adam. He has worked up a solution with his economics professor. Do not privative the system, personalize it. The money that is put in should be loaned to state and local municipalities and then that will generate interest. The system needs to be self-supporting.

Fourth Question: Would you allow a citizen's committee to investigate ethics issues?

AP: Recently there has been work to bring in outside investigators to look into some of the recent issues in Congress, unfortunately the minority leader has blocked some of this.

EB: His degree is in political science. Nobody wants to be part of ethics committee, they don't want to dime each other out. That's part of the problem with the current system.

JV: There is need for outside oversight. The Republicans control almost all levels or government. Loads of Adam's money is from lobbyists.

Fifth Quesitions: Please comment on the military services act, can US citizens and not only immigrants be labeled enemy combatants?

EB: No, he does not like what the current adminsitration is doing with the interrogation of prisoners, we're opening ourselves up to be a target.

JV: It's all part of this administrations policy to violate our privacy. We need to treat all people equally.

AP: We will not turn over American serivce-men to an international body for interrogation.

Closing Statements:

JV: Once again we have an incumbent in office. This should be his job assessment. If you're satisfied with what's going on in Iraq then vote for Adam. If you are for offshore drilling vote for Adam, if not vote for me. If you are for cutting student aid then vote for Adam, if not vote for me.

AP: We have global challenges and generational challenges. Social security, health care, you can't do it with sound bites, you can't do it with puppets or pirates. People want somebody in Washington that can get things done.

EB: The major issue is the war. Unlike most members of Congress he has family that has been there. His son doesn't know what their job is in Iraq anymore. Our job should be to bring them back. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, and needs to be addressed now.

The second debate will feature the candidates for State Legislature District 63.

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The Tiger Bay Club of Polk County hosted a debate of the current Polk County Commission Candidates today in Bartow, FL. In the District 2 race Robert Connors (D) and Randy Wilkinson (R) squared off and in the District 4 race Jean Reed (D) and Bruce Parker (R) debated. Some of the recent losers in the primary, Betty Hill and Rusty Bodicker were also in attendance, perhaps enjoying not being in the spotlight :-)

During the lead-up Abby Slutsky with the News Chief came up to my table as I was working on my laptop, she asked, "Is this the media table?" I responded, "Well if you consider bloggers media then it is." She walked off with a simple "No." in response to my question. I'll leave it at that. Abby did say that she's leaving the News Chief and will be moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana to work at the Journal Gazette.

The crowd at Tiger Bay is definitely an interesting group. Not everybody is able to take off for lunch on a Monday and head to Bartow, so it's mostly business owners, retirees and other elected officials.

Tiger Bay Club, MC, S.L. Frisbee of the Bartow Democrat, provided a quick introduction of all the candidates with some quips about each of them. It was noted that all the candidates have photos available on their web sites, but only one has had his photo featured twice on the Polk County Sheriff's web site. (For those playing at home, it's Randy). Next up were the rules of the debate.

Now on to the action. Each candidate was given two minutes to introduce themselves.

Continue reading "Polk County Commission Candidates Debate - Tiger Bay Club" »

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If you remember, back in May of this year Starbucks Coffee bought out a number of Barnie's mall locations. I wondered if the Eagle Ridge Mall location was going to be converted. Well it is. I stopped by the nearly empty Barnie's this afternoon and took a few photos. On a sign outside the entrance it said "Coming Soon - Starbucks".

So Lake Wales will be getting a Starbucks before Winter Haven :-) I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

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The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Polk County Commission voted to place restrictions on where registered sex offenders may live. From the article:

Polk County commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance today that restricts where certain registered sexual offenders and predators may live in the unincorporated areas.

The ordinance will prohibit certain offenders and predators from living within 2,500 feet of schools, day-care centers, parks, playgrounds and libraries.

It further restricts predators from living within 1,000 feet of churches and school bus stops.

The ordinance will not impact those offenders and predators who have a registered address prior to the ordinance taking effect.

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How divided is Polk County? We're talking East vs. West here. This regional divide impacts the social interactions we have as well as politics and local issues.

In the social realm, if you live in Lakeland, how often do you hop in the car to shop/eat in Winter Haven or anywhere else on the other side of the county? Not often huh? I think the reverse happens a bit more, i.e. Winter Haven folks heading to Lakeland. This is just a result of Lakeland having more restaurant/entertainment/shopping options.

In politics and local issues, folks in Lakeland just don't care/worry about what happens politically or growth-wise in Winter Haven and vice versa. In the mean time, nobody seems to pay too much attention to the Four Corners area, which just happens to be the fastest growing part of the county.

What are your thoughts? Do you see a divide?

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Robert over at Interstate4Jamming beat me to the punch in commenting on the news that some local Republicans will be supporting Democrat, Robert Connors in the November race against Randy Wilkinson.

As soon as Randy won the primary, I was wondering if Betty Hill's supporters were just supporting a Candidate Other Than Randy (COTR). This might, or might not be the case, but Sam Killebrew and Gene Engle have both come out in support of Robert Connors.

I wonder how many folks in November will not necessarily be voting FOR a Robert, as they are AGAINST Randy?

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What did I say about a Retro County Commission a few days ago? That might just be what we're heading for in November.

With the majority of the Polk County precincts reporting; in the District 2 race, Randy Wilkinson has beaten Republican challenger Betty Hill. Randy will face Robert Connors who defeated Rusty Boedicker on the Democratic side.

In the District 4 Republican primary, Bruce Parker defeated Martha Santiago. Bruce will now challenge Democrat Jean Read in November.

School Board member Kay Fields keeps her seat by defeating Ricky Shirah.

Judges.....too many of them. Just kidding. I'll post those final totals tomorrow :-)

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