This afternoon just after 1:00 p.m. Winter Haven Fire Department responded to a fire alarm activated at Winter Haven High School (600 6th St SE).
The scene was cleared quickly as there was no threat to the school or staff/students.
We reached out to Winter Haven Public Safety Department’s Public Information Officer Jamie Brown to confirm no threat and she advised that the fire alarm activation was accidental and there was no concern or threat to the school.
If it were a legitimate concern, Winter Haven Public Safety Department would put out a statement to the community.
Starting today (January 30, 2025), for the next few weeks, new traffic control measures are in place on Lake Elbert Dr NE from Dundee Rd to Drexel Ave NE for utility work. This section is closed, with detours via 16th St NE, Drexel Ave NE, and northbound Lake Elbert Dr NE.
Local traffic only—residents will have access at all times, though directions may vary depending on work progress. This project is expected to last 2-3 weeks.
Thank you for your patience as this work is completed. For questions, please contact Cathcart Construction, at (407) 629-2900.
More Than $20,000 Raised for Saving Lives Matter 2024
by James Coulter
Despite the fundraiser being postponed due to inclement weather, Saving Lives Matter raised more than $20,000 to help donate and install automated external defibrillators (AEDs) across Polk County.
Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation (CCF) hosted its fourth annual Saving Lives Matter fundraiser last November at Tanner’s Lakeside in Winter Haven. The event included live music performed by several local bands and musicians, along with 50/50 raffles and silent auctions.
Saving Lives Matter was originally going to be hosted in September; however, the fundraiser was inevitably postponed due to Hurricane Milton. Despite the rescheduling, the event drew in hundreds of attendees and raised more than $20,000.
Proceeds will go toward helping CCF achieve its goal of donating and installing AEDs across the county, as well as helping finance scholarships for students seeking to become firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
Melanie Brown Culpepper, CCF founder, was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and proceeds. She owed its overall success to the community for supporting her and her cause.
“I would like to thank all who made this possible,” she wrote. “To each and every one of you who helped…it all helps. It takes a village to do this and if we save one person’s life, this is all worth it as Saving Lives Matter.”
Melanie started her non-profit organization more than four years ago following the untimely passing of her fiancée, Michael Culpepper, who had suffered cardiac arrest.
Not wanting anyone else to suffer a similar fate, Melanie started CCF. Since then, her organization has donated more than 50 AEDs across the county to businesses like Tanner’s Lakeside.
Terica Keene has been a close friend of Melanie and Michael. In fact, she was present to place a life vest on Michael before he passed. Having supported Melanie since day one, she never hesitated to help however she could.
“I knew what she was doing was a great thing, and if one life could be saved, then it was all worth it,” she said. “I have always enjoyed helping others and giving back to our community.”
As for the recent fundraiser, she was likewise impressed by the proceeds and turnout despite the sudden schedule change.
“Despite having to change the date due to the hurricanes and the event being Thanksgiving weekend, we all worked hard to pull it together and had a very successful event.”
Likewise, Kelley Harris has known Melanie for 15 years. Her husband, Jay, also suffered and passed from a heart attack during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, she knows the importance of life-saving devices like AEDs, which is why she has been a supporter of CCF.
“We were onboard with this since the beginning to help with this due to it being close to our hearts [because] we understood the importance of AEDs being available in case of a cardiac emergency,” she said.
In fact, to help honor her husband, Kelley has requested that an AED be placed at the Eagle Lake Diner. Being able to support local businesses like this makes her support more worthwhile.
“What I enjoy most about helping with these events is the gratitude I have knowing that we can and will save lives with these AEDs,” she said. “I now feel the need to continue to be a part of this amazing organization and hope that if we can save even one life with an AED that we have raised at these events, then it is so worth it.”
On Tuesday, January 28th, 23-year old Sabastian Angel Suarez of Winter Haven couldn’t control himself, and ended up getting arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
At around 9:25pm, PCSO deputies were working on a crash investigation at Winter Lake Road (SR 540) and Brandy Chase Boulevard.
Suarez approached the scene and asked one of the deputies, “Yo, what the **** happened?”
The deputy stopped what he was doing, turned to Suarez and explained it was a crash, and that everyone appeared to be doing alright.
Suarez got within a foot of the deputy and angrily snapped back, “No **** a car crash happened! Who hit who?”
The deputy told Suarez to step back so the deputies could work.
Suarez yelled, ” **** you! You can’t tell me what to do!”
The deputy explained to Suarez that he was impeding the deputy’s work, and he needed to move back or be arrested.
Suarez said, “I’m on an ankle monitor with a curfew…you can’t do ****, you can’t take me anywhere.”
Long story short, Sabastian was arrested. He continued to act out, and was uncooperative.
Sabastian was taken to the Polk County Jail and he was charged with: Violation of Probation (Willful Child Abuse), Interfering with a First Responder, and Resisting (2-counts).
Upon his arrival at the jail, Sabastian had calmed down and explained that a relative was involved in the crash that the deputies were investigating.
Had he led with that nugget of information, and not been so confrontational and hindering deputies, Sabastian’s evening would have ended much differently.
Samuel “Mark” Crissman of Lake Wales passed away Friday, January 17, 2025 at AdventHealth Lake Wales.
He was born December 17, 1951 in Belle Glade to the late Samuel and Virginia Crissman; he moved to Lake Wales from Wellington in 1990. Mark was a retired area manager for S.W. Engineers. He was an active member of Lake Wales Alliance Church. Mark enjoyed playing softball and he was named Athlete of the Year his senior year of high school.
Mark is survived by his wife of 47 years, Irene L. Crissman; sister, Bettye L. Maxwell of Clermont; and brother, Mitchell C. Crissman (Kim) of Riviera Beach.
A memorial service will be held at Lake Wales Alliance Church on Saturday, February 8, 2025. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his honor can be sent to Lake Wales Alliance Church.
Note: In an earlier version of this article, a quote from Michael Flood was mistakenly credited to Rafael Unzueta. We profoundly apologize to Mr. Flood & Mr. Unzueta for this mistake. The corrected version of the article follows.
LAKE WALES – Addressing rumors created by mistrust among those in the Lake Wales Charter School system wasn’t on the meeting’s agenda. However, it was a topic discussed at length during the Board of Trustee Work Session on Jan. 21.
The meeting focused almost entirely on rewriting the system’s bylaws. Much of that discussion focused on what the new leader of the organization will be called: Superintendent, CEO or something else and how the changes will affect the organizational chart.
Lori Hutto, Trustee, PhD in Education and the Chair of the Education Department, Warner University, was the first to bring up the subject.
“Going back to the organization chart … I just want to caution that there is still a lot of mistrust among our employees. I’ve heard from principals and teachers that we were going to vote on our organizational chart tonight with the intention of appointing. So, I’m okay with us revisiting, but I really want to caution us to get the input of our principals if we are going to revisit our organizational structure,” Dr. Hutto said.
‘Because being in education, I feel like the top person needs to be something academic in their title. And, going to CEO, if I was a principal in the system, I would feel this board is taking my power away by naming the head person the CEO because we have said over and over our principals are the CEOs of their schools. I would just be afraid of that … just the interpretations that people may have … just to get more input if we are going to revisit the organizational structure.”
“We are not voting on any of these items tonight,” said Danny Gill, Chair of the Board of Trustees, MBA, Marion Nelson Funeral Home. “This is just all discussion.”
Andy Blair, Trustee, Pastor and Executive Director at Refuge on the Ridge, spoke about the need to stay focused on the children’s educations and not the rumors.
“We spend so much time worried about whose got what job, whose doing what in the central office. We need to be worried about the education of our kids, and what’s happening in our schools. Principals don’t run the system. They need to run the schools. They need to be worried about facilities, test scores, staff development … things like that,” he said. “This rumor stuff about we are trying to do this … I don’t have time for that. Nope! None of us do. We have other things to do. So, these rumors that go around… They are just rumors. People are going to talk. You can’t stop it. I just wish I knew where all this came from.”
Michael Flood, Trustees, said that he had also heard that the Board was going to select a new Superintendent during that same meeting.
“I understand that rumors can be frustrating. Working on this board, I really do believe that all of you are up here in good faith, but I think it is a mistake to dismiss the distrust among the employees because it is real and what Dr. Hutto said before … I fielded a whole bunch of questions. I literally got multiple emails saying, ‘They are picking the CEO tonight.’ That’s not what’s happening … that’s not on the (agenda) … but to straight out dismiss it is to say that there is a fundamental mistrust among the employees, and we are going to ignore it. It’s a real thing,” Flood said.
Blair said he didn’t want to be misunderstood. “I’m saying that we have a cultural issue and we gotta fix it. I know it is real. Trust me. I hear it myself. I’m just telling you that from my perspective, I don’t know how to fix that because it does come about. The rumors come about. Who in the world would say that we are going to pick a CEO today? I mean, who makes that up? … Where does that come from? I think it’s a long-standingcultural sickness that we have and we gotta fix it,” he said.
This comes after years of rumors and mistrust in the System, most recently concerning the hiring and firing of ex-Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich.
During the meeting, the Board discussed the Bylaws and revisions although no final decisions were made. The next meeting will be held Feb. 24.
Gill said the next leader of the LWCS system will not be determined during that meeting but at a later date.
Winter Haven Police Department has released a report on the fatal shooting incident from Monday in Winter Haven.
“An 18 year-old Winter Haven man has been arrested in the shooting death of a 17 year-old on Monday.
Devonta Tremaine Washington, Jr. was arrested on Tuesday (1-28-25) and charged with Second Degree Murder after he told investigators that he was instrumental in arranging a robbery attempt of the victim, who was ultimately shot and left in the grass at the Abbey Lane Apartments.
Devonta Tremaine Washington, Jr arrested
On 1-27-25 at approximately 1 p.m., Washington and one other male were at the apartments when the victim arrived in a Kia Soul driven by an 18 year-old male. Washington and another male (who ultimately was the victim who was shot and killed) entered the vehicle to reportedly purchase a cell phone from the driver.
A physical altercation ensued and the decedant began striking the driver with the butt of a gun. The driver exited the vehicle and entered the back seat firing a weapon striking the decedent. He pushed the gunshot victim out of the vehicle and left the area. Washington fled on foot running through the apartment complex and an adjacent neighborhood.
Detectives identified Washington as one of the males who came from inside of the apartment and made contact with him by phone to arrange an interview at the police department. Through the interview, he recounted the incident to include that he called to arrange for the transaction of the supposed sale of the cell phone. The decedent had informed Washington that he was “probably” going to rob the victim and wanted Washington to come along in case anything were to happen. Based on this statement, Washington was aware that an armed robbery was going to occur involving two firearms.
Results of the interviews with a witness who was inside the vehicle, the victim of the robbery and Washington himself, Washington was charged with one count of Second Degree Murder, one count of Robbery with a Firearm, one count of Unlawful Use of Two-Way Communication and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence.”
More than 60 years ago, a man dared to dream of a world where people, regardless of race and ethnicity, could live together in peace and harmony. One year later, the Civil Rights Act was passed, bringing the whole world one step closer to his dream.
Haines City will be celebrating the life and legacy of that man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with their annual celebration, which includes a parade and unity day festival, on Saturday.
The celebration will begin with a parade through downtown at noon, starting at East Main Street and ending near Cook Field, where the Unity Day Program will be hosted following the end of the parade.
Sameka Atkins, Committee Chairwoman for the Haines City Northeast Revitalization Group, has been overseeing the annual celebration for many years.
According to their website, the Haines City Northeast Revitalization Group is a local non-profit organization dedicated to working toward “continued improvements for the beautification, education, safety and welfare of their community” and to “restore sense of community pride.”
“The progress we have made over the last few years has significantly increased,” she said. “We have done that by participating in local events and initiatives, and we support the city officials…to help bridge the gap on local issues and volunteer work.”
For more information about the event, visit the City of Haines City Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/hainescity
Greg Littleton, Chief Executive Officer and president of Citizen’s Bank & Trust, will be stepping back from his role at the end of this year. This is just one of a handful of changes happening at the highest levels of the company in the coming year.
A press release on the matter has been shared by the company, which announces the following changes:
Citizens Bank & Trust president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Greg Littleton, has announced that 2025 will be his last year working full time in the role of president. Citizens Bank & Trust board member, Steven E. Crisman, has been named president and will formally join the leadership team on March 31, 2025. Littleton will remain as CEO for the remainder of 2025.
Steve holds a Certified Public Accountant designation and is a lifelong resident of Polk County. Most recently he served as Director, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Six/Ten, LLC, a downtown redevelopment real estate company located in Winter Haven, Florida. His professional background includes financial management, strategic planning, business operations, and customer relations. Steve holds an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration from Polk State College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from The University of South Florida. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce and is also a past board chair of the organization. A long-time advisory board member for the Bank, he joined the Bank’s Board of Directors in 2024.
“A succession plan has been in the works for several years, and the timing of the plan worked well to implement in 2025,” said Greg Littleton, president and CEO. “Steve’s professional background as a CPA, business owner and entrepreneur, along with his strong commitment to community and civic involvement, make him a great choice to lead Citizens Bank & Trust. Together, I look forward to growing our banking relationships throughout our service area.”
Littleton joined Citizens Bank & Trust in 1997 and was named president in 2001. In 2022, he was recognized as Banker of the Year by the Florida Bankers Association (FBA). He currently serves as a member of the Polk State College District Board of Trustees, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for AdventHealth Polk Market, Polk Vision, Winter Haven Economic Development Council, and FBA BankPac. He is the current campaign chair for the United Way of Central Florida.
Littleton is a past chair of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, East Polk Committee of 100, Central Florida Development Council (CFDC), United Way of Central Florida, Polk Vision, Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce, Heart of Florida Hospital, Polk State College District Board of Trustees, Polk County Public Schools Efficiency Commission, and FBA BankServ. He has also previously served on the boards of the Bartow Economic Development Council, Lake Wales Arts Center, Polk Museum of Art, Florida Bankers Association, FBA Governmental Relations Council, Polk County Industrial Development Authority, and the Florida Statewide Passenger Rail Commission.
“Over the past twenty-four years, Greg has made a significant impact to the growth and footprint of the Bank that my grandfather founded in 1920,” stated Latimer “Coot” Wilson, Chairman of the Board. “His strategic vision and dedication to our customers, employees, and the community has been unprecedented in our company history. On behalf of the shareholders and board of directors, I’d like to express my appreciation to Greg, and I look forward to working with both him and Steve as we continue to serve the financial needs of our community and business partners.”
Additionally, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Weymon Snuggs will continue full time in his current role throughout 2025. In 2026, he will transition to a part-time arrangement, continuing to serve the Lakeland Market. Snuggs has been very active in the community since coming to Lakeland in 1997. He currently serves on the YMCA Board of Directors and several committees for other nonprofit organizations. Snuggs is a past board chair of Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) Systems, the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, Polk Museum of Art, United Way of Central Florida, Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, and Lakeland Vision. He previously served on the boards of Orlando Health, VISTE, LRH Foundation, the Lakeland Chamber Foundation, and the Lakeland Firefighter Pension Fund Board. In 2008, he chaired the United Way of Central Florida Campaign, and in 2015 received the George W. Jenkins Volunteer of the Year award.
Current Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Chad Tagtow, will become COO in January 2026, with a focus on operations, efficiencies, and technology. Tagtow joined the Bank in 2004 and has held progressive leadership roles, most recently serving as Chief Innovation Officer.
Do you love golf? Want to help raise funds “fore” a good cause? Then come on down to the 20th Annual VISTEBall on Sat. Feb 1.
Hosted at the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus in Lakeland, VISTEBall allows attendees to enjoy golf-related games and activities including golf simulators, mini golf, and 50/50 raffles for golfing accessories.
And, of course, what fundraiser would be complete without food and drink? Nearly a dozen local resturaunts will be providing great food, including pasta, barbecue, and wings, at serving centers for the event’s main dinner.
Proceeds will go toward Volunteers in Service of the Elderly (VISTE), a local non-profit organization serving at-risk seniors in the greater Lakeland area, allowing them to live safely and independently in their own homes.
Steve Bissonnette, VISTE President, mentioned how their fundraiser was inspired by a trade show one of their members had attended. At the event was something called BirdieBall, an item that allows golfers to practice golfing in their own backyards.
“What he saw was the opportunity to turn that into games much like those at the Family Fun Center or Chuck E. Cheese, with the ability to play golf-themed games, get tickets, and trade those tickets in for prizes,” Bissonnette explained.
Over the past 20 years, VISTEBall has proven to be quite the popular fundraiser among its participants, to the point where they count down the days on the calendar until they can attend again, Bissonnette said.
“We find that there are a lot of new volunteers who come to us through their experience at this event,” he said. “What I hear the most from folks is that they keep coming back and that this is their signature event of the year, and we love to hear that.”
VISTEBall will be hosted on Sat. Feb. 1 at 6 PM at the Sun n Fun Expo Campus, located at 4075 James C. Ray Dr in Lakeland. For more info, visit VISTE.org.
Steve Bissonnette recently appeared on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast to discuss the upcoming fundraiser. Listen to the full episode on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/chattin-on-the-ridge/episodes/ep-52-honoring-mlk-at-visteball-wsameka-atkins-steve-bissonn
