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Lakeland PD To Hold Joint Press Conference With Tampa ATF Discuss An Arrest In The 2020 Christmas Eve Shooting Which Left One Dead & 3 Other Injured

Carl Fish
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Lakeland PD To Hold Joint Press Conference With Tampa ATF Discuss An Arrest In The 2020 Christmas Eve Shooting Which Left One Dead & 3 Other Injured

The Lakeland Police Department will hold a a press conference announcing progress related to the investigation into a December 2020 shooting that left at least three Lakeland residents wounded and one deceased. On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at the Lakeland Police Department, senior officials from the Lakeland Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms & Explosives and U.S. Attorney’s Office will update the public on the ongoing investigation.

According to the press release a suspect has been arrested in connection to the shooting, but it’s unclear if Taqiy Lewis (27, Lakeland) was the actual shooter. Lewis is currently in state prison after pleading guilty to trafficking drugs.

The press conference will take place at 10am tomorrow.

Here are the shooting details initially released by Lakeland Police:

“On Thursday, December 24, 2020, at approximately 5:40 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 1500 block of Amos Avenue in reference to a reported shooting. Upon arrival at the scene, officers found four victims, all with gunshot wounds. The victims, a 70-year-old female, 43-year-old male, 39-year-old female, and a 13-year-old female, were transported to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Shortly after arrival at Lakeland Regional Health, the 70-year-old victim succumbed to her injuries and was declared deceased by medical professionals. The other victims, who are all related, had varying levels of conditions upon arrival but are expected to survive their injuries.  

Officers were also notified that a 19-year-old male had arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound. His injuries were sustained during the shooting incident and are not believed to be life-threatening.

Prior to the shooting, a 15-year-old male, who is also related to the victims, was involved in an altercation with other individuals at a separate location, which carried over to the residence at Amos Avenue. At some point, shots were fired by both a resident of the home and by the individuals who arrived at the residence related to the earlier conflict. Detectives, working in partnership with the State Attorney’s Office, are continuing to conduct interviews and follow-up on leads related to all parties involved.”

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

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

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

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

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!

Staff Reporter
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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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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

Staff Reporter
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In Loving Memory of Donna Sue Waters

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

Carl Fish
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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

LWPD Seeks Public’s Assistance in Attempt to Identify Man Stealing From Local Retailer

Staff Reporter
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LWPD Seeks Public’s Assistance in Attempt to Identify Man Stealing From Local Retailer
Security image provided by LWPD

The Lake Wales Police Department is seeking assistance from the public in an attempt to identify an individual attempting to leave a local retail location with items he hadn’t paid for.

On February 3, 2025, a man entered the Love’s travel stop located at 17309 Highway 27 in Lake Wales. He is described as a white male with a beard and mustache, wearing a black True Religion hoodie, black sweatpants, a tan True Religion hat, and white tennis shoes. After selecting several items, he attempted to leave without paying. The man fled the scene on a white Home Depot truck. Authorities are looking for any information that might help identify the suspect.

If you have information pertaining to this case or the identity of this person, please contact the Lake Wales Police Department at 863-678-4223. Or, if you would like to remain anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD through Heartland Crime Stoppers: call 1-888-400-TIPS (8477), or from your cell phone, dial **TIPS, or visit www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on Submit a Tip.

In Loving Memory of George Aydelotte, 85, of Lake Wales

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In Loving Memory of George Aydelotte, 85, of Lake Wales

“GTom” as we all knew him, one of the last and finest of the old school gentlemen, passed on February 4, 2025, at his Mountain Lake, Florida home at which he had very happily taken up year round residence in late 2021 after a partial recovery from a stroke in October of 2020. That move from Deer Park, Greenwich CT where he and his wife Dana, and daughter Lee, to both of whom he was devoted, had lived many years as a family.

Tom was born January 15, 1940 in Schenectady, New York, to William and Margaret Hanson Aydelotte. After succeeding at Secondary School (at Hotchkiss), Tom attended Colgate University, Hamilton, NY where his principal extra-curricular focus was leading the Colgate13, its fabled a cappella group. Tom was forever an appreciator of fine music. Tom’s business career and success revolved around the then throbbing competitive advertising business in the 60’s and 70’s in New York. After breaking in with Benton & Bowles as a media buyer for Proctor & Gamble, General Foods and Texaco, his longest affiliation was with Grey Advertising where he was Executive Vice President and also managed multinational accounts, then was hired by Cheesborough Ponds as Brand Manager for their Vaseline and Ponds lines. Tom’s final chapter in the business world was as an Executive Search professional with his own firm, Ingram and Aydelotte, where among other high-profile assignments, he recruited and placed Fay Vincent as the Commissioner of Major League Baseball (1989-1993).

Tom and Dana were popular and enjoyed many many enduring friendships in and around Greenwich (Round Hill Club, after Tom was President of the Stanwich Club), resulting from their golf enthusiasm. Tom was a low-handicapper, Dana was a scratch handicapper! And Tom’s prowess at tennis and paddle and squash gave him great pleasure. Tom particularly enjoyed his work as a board member and key volunteer of The Wild Center, Museum of the Adirondacks, which kept his interest, particularly following Dana’s passing in 2002 which jolted him tremendously.

Tom leaves his daughter, Lee (Jim Randall) who he loved and who brought him keen pride as a designer and as she forged a career as a major factor in the Fairfield/Westchester area estate sales business. Tom’s grandson Jackson Boffey has also gave Tom pride as he flourished and became a gentleman. Tom is also survived his sister Margaret Mills, and her children Julie (Andrew) Levine and Tommy (Karin) Mills. His brother-in-law Richard Lombard, and his daughter Carter L. Sullivan.

Tom’s family wishes to express their sincere thanks – Tom’s also- to his wonderfully devoted personal aide and health care representative, Timothy Williams, and his wife Kaylee and their daughter Bella, for their support, and also to Gloria Carnley for hers over decades.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Wild Center or Bok Tower Gardens.

Polk County Fire Rescue Battles Storage Facility Fire

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Polk County Fire Rescue Battles Storage Facility Fire

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.

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