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Annexed Parcel to Have Zoning and Future Land Use Changed to Accommodate Lawn Care Business

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Annexed Parcel to Have Zoning and Future Land Use Changed to Accommodate Lawn Care Business

by James Coulter

A vacant parcel, located south of Dundee Road, could be utilized by a local lawn care business if the City of Winter Haven approves changes to its zoning and future land use designation.

 

At their regular meeting on Mon. Feb. 10, Winter Haven City Commissioners reviewed the first reading of two ordinances pertaining to a vacant parcel.

 The first ordinance would change the future land use designation from Residential Low to Neighborhood Support, while the second ordinance would change the zoning to Commercial- Highway.

 The parcel, which is approximately .11+ acres, is located south of Dundee Road. As the city agenda memo states, it is located “approximately 1,748 feet east of Overlook Drive, SE, and approximately 108 feet north of Highway 550.”

 The city memo further elucidates: “The property is surrounded by a vacant property zoned C-3 to the west across an unimproved right-of-way; a vacant parcel owned by Polk County to the north across another unimproved right-of-way; and one single-family home located to the east and south.”

 The parcel had been annexed into the city on May 22, 2023. Regional Real Estate Management, LLC, has petitioned to have the parcel zoning and future land use designation changed to facilitate plans for an office building for a lawn care business.

 City staff recommends approving these changes, as they are “consistent with the property’s location along an arterial highway corridor and with developed uses and City designations in the area” and the property has “sufficient public infrastructure capacity to accommodate the maximum theoretical.”

 City Commissioners did not vote on either ordinance at the meeting. They will vote during the second reading at their next meeting scheduled for Mon. Feb. 24.

Florida Highway Patrol Searching For Suspect Who Shot At A 63 Yr Old Driver On I-275 Injuring Her & Causing An Accident

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On Monday, February 10, 2025, at approximately 5:00 PM, FHP Troopers responded to the report of a traffic crash along the southbound lanes of I-275 near Milepost 56. Upon arrival, Troopers located at 63-year-old Lutz woman who had suffered a medical emergency and had lost control of her vehicle. The vehicle, a GMC Yukon, had departed the highway and collided with the 57 Milepost road sign. Following that collision, the GMC returned to the travel lanes and collided with an unknown silver or white mid-sized sport utility vehicle. After this collision, the driver was shot at by an unknown assailant who fled the scene.

Upon arrival, Troopers found the victim driver bleeding profusely and applied life-saving measures to staunch excessive bleeding.

Troopers later discovered a bullet strike to the front driver’s side window with a departure path through the front windshield. Portions of the expended round were located in the rear seat of the vehicle. It was later determined that the victim in this case suffered lacerations from the window glass which resulted in the wounds observed by Troopers.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call FHP (347) or Crime Stoppers at **TIPS.

You Can Get a Free Dress or Suit for Prom from This Store. Here’s How!

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by James Coulter

Is your high school-aged son or daughter looking for a suit or dress for prom? Well, they can receive a prom outfit for free. And all they have to do is promise not to consume alcohol or other harmful substances on prom night.

InnerAct Alliance will be hosting its annual Project Prom initiative to offer free formal wear through a pop-up store at Lakeland Square Mall.

Local high school students looking for a prom outfit can visit the store, present their Polk County School ID, and sign a waiver promising not to consume alcohol or other harmful substances.

InnerAct Alliance is a local non-profit organization dedicated to combating substance abuse among local youth. As their website states, their mission is: “To reduce the abuse and underage use of harmful substances along with involvement in other risky behaviors.”

Angie Ellison, Executive Director for InnerAct Alliance, has been working for the organization since 2001. She had previously worked in marketing, but after staying home and working for a few non-profits, she decided to shift careers with InnerAct.

“Prevention is so important,” she explained. “It is great that we have the ability to help someone when they fall. Rehab, picking people up, getting them back on track is certainly important, but it makes more sense to me to help people avoid those pitfalls in life and help them be successful from the junk instead of waiting for something bad to happen.”

Project Prom will be operating its pop-up store at Lakeland Square Mall, located at 3800 US Hwy 98 N, Lakeland, FL 33809 (use the entrance to the right of Dillards). The store will be open from 11 AM to 4 PM every other Saturday on Feb. 8 and 22, Mar. 8 and 29, and Apr. 5.

For more information, call 863-802-0777, or visit their website at: https://www.inneractalliance.org/project-prom.html

Angie Ellison recently appeared on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast to discuss Project Prom and the mission of her organization. Listen to the full podcast on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/chattin-on-the-ridge/episodes/ep-53-the-villains-go-to-prom-wangie-ellison-sean-serdynski

It’s Good to be Bad! The Villains: A Syfy Bartow Celebration of the Bad Guys on Sat. Feb. 15

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by James Coulter

Where’s Batman when you need him? The Joker and other villains will be running amok in Downtown Bartow during Syfy Bartow on Sat. Feb. 15.

This year’s event will be themed to, “The Villains: A Syfy Celebration of the Bad Guys.” As such, the outdoor convention will be celebrating all of the bad guys we love to hate.

As with previous years, this year’s event will feature hundreds of vendors set up in Downtown Bartow, along with other fun activities including a scavenger hunt, costume contest, and even a car show.

Sean L. Serdynski, founder and event organizer for SyFy Bartow, has been hosting the outdoor convention for more than a decade. Every year has a different theme, and this year, he wanted to theme the event to a cast of characters that we love to see the good guys fight.

“I have never, ever celebrated the bad guys,” he explained. “I’ve never given them the main stage, if you will. And I have a lot of the cosplay groups and cosplayers who dress up as villain characters…[and I decided] to make this year all about the villains. It is fun to see all the costumes people are putting together to go along with the theme.”

Syfy Bartow will be hosted in Downtown Bartow on Sat. Feb. 15 from 11 AM to 6 PM. For more information, visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/syfybartow

Sean L. Serdynski recently appeared on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast to discuss this year’s Syfy Bartow. Listen to the full episode on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/chattin-on-the-ridge/episodes/ep-53-the-villains-go-to-prom-wangie-ellison-sean-serdynski

In Loving Memory of Donna Sue Waters

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Donna Sue Waters

January 13th, 1945 – January 19th, 2025

Obituary

Good afternoon, friends & family, as some of you already know, our Momma Donna Waters (Mingaw) has been very sick for quite a while now. With intense suffering & pain. As of 8:33 pm January 19th she is no longer suffering. Our family is brokenhearted yet thankful that she is finally at peace. And we know she is 100% in Heaven w/ her Savior!!

She was blessed with 3 Children, 4 Grandchildren, 5 Great- grandchildren, sisters, nieces & a nephew whom she loved very much!  We so much appreciate all your kind words & prayers over the last few months.  Our mother was loved deeply and will be missed.   

The Lord Bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.   -Number 6: 24-26  

70 Yr Old Highlands County Man Charged With Shooting & Killing His Housemate After That Housemate Allegedly Beatup Another Housemate

Highlands County Press Release

Lake Placid man charged with first-degree murder

LAKE PLACID — A 70-year-old man is in the Highlands County Jail after being arrested for first-degree murder for shooting his 40-year-old housemate to death Monday night.

Deputies went to 109 Sarasota Street in Lake Placid shortly after 5 p.m. in response to a call about a man who had been shot. When deputies arrived, they found the victim dead in the front yard of the residence. They also found Rosalio Astorga Sanchez, who admitted to being the shooter.

Sanchez told deputies he was angry over the victim beating up another man who lived in the home. After the victim of the battery fled the residence, Sanchez said he went inside, grabbed a pistol, walked back outside and shot the victim.

This is a developing story and we will update as more information is released!

Photo Provided By Highlands County Sheriff’s Office

Polk County Fire Rescue Battles Storage Facility Fire

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Polk County Fire Rescue

Over the weekend, Polk County Fire Rescue responded to a commercial structure fire at a storage facility on Maine Avenue in Lakeland.

Crews worked hard battling the multi-unit blaze and had water on the fire within minutes of the first fire engine’s arrival. Through the teamwork of all involved units, PCFR had the fire under control and completed extensive overhaul of the scene.

There were no reported injuries. The State Fire Marshal’s Office was notified and after their investigation stated the cause of the fire was undetermined.

Interim Fire Chief Shawn Smith would like to show his appreciation to BC3, EN035, EN039, MR039, MR239, EN028, HV009, SF501, BC006, LD023, TE023, AT019, EN005, EN009 and BR005 for their excellent work throughout the incident. We also want to shoutout Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Electric and Polk County Roads and Drainage for their assistance.

Winter Haven Tennis Center One-Day Closure

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The City of Winter Haven Tennis Center will be closed all day on Sunday, February 16, 2025, due to the replacement of the shade structure above the observation deck. We’ll reopen for regular business on Monday, February 17, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. 

Where will work occur? 

Winter Haven Tennis Center

When will work occur? 

The work is scheduled to begin Sunday, February 16, 2025 with reopening on Monday, February 17, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Tennis Center at (863)291- 5690. 

PCSO arrests Frostproof woman for 16 counts of animal neglect & cruelty

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On Friday, February 7, 2025, PCSO Agricultural Crimes detectives arrested and charged 65-year-old Christine Snelling of Frostproof with eight counts of animal cruelty (M1) and eight counts of animal neglect (M1). 

The investigation began on Friday, February 7, 2025 when patrol deputies responded to a home located on Keen Road in Frostproof to conduct a well-being check. As deputies approached the home to check on the homeowner (Snelling), they immediately smelled the overwhelming odor of ammonia, and observed several dogs running loose inside the home on a floor covered in feces. A van was parked in the driveway which displayed Snelling’s contact information and the business name “Road Dawg Animal Rescue Transport.” She confirmed to deputies that she owns the pet taxi business.

Deputies entered the home to ensure Snelling was not inside in distress. She was not present in the home, but a dead chicken and various dogs were observed inside the residence – obviously in need of medical attention. PCSO Agricultural Crimes detectives and Animal Cruelty investigators were contacted to take over the investigation.

Photo Provided By PCSO

The PCSO Animal Cruelty Investigations unit executed a search warrant on the house. The floor was covered in inches of feces; flies, rats and mice were present in the home. Investigators had to don personal protective equipment due to the intensity of the smell of ammonia in Snelling’s home. Eight dogs and three pigs were seized from the property; all of the dogs showed symptoms of prolonged exposure to ammonia and unsanitary conditions, including respiratory issues, nasal discharge, and eye infections. The animals did not have access to food or water, and there was no running water in the home at all.

“Ms. Snelling told my investigators she didn’t intend to harm these animals – she simply got overwhelmed by their needs. Caring for animals carries with it a responsibility to provide a healthy environment. There is no excuse for allowing animals to suffer.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

The investigation is ongoing at this time. More charges are possible, pending the outcome of veterinary checks of the animals seized from the home.

Florida High School State Soccer Championships to Be Held in Auburndale

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City of Auburndale, FL Government: The Florida High School Athletics Association Classes 4A-7A State Soccer Championships will be held at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex from Monday, February 17 to Friday, February 21. This is an exciting event. Please visit https://fhsaa.com/sports/sc for more information.