Becky Troutman (Rep) and Kay Klymko (Dem) are competing for the Polk County Commission open District 1 seat in the 2024 election. With the major bulk of votes in the Daily Ridge calls the race for Becky Troutman.
A resident of Lakeland, Troutman has a background in education, psychology, and business. She holds multiple degrees in special education, educational leadership, and school psychology, and she operates businesses in school psychology and interior decorating. Additionally, she has been a licensed realtor for two decades.
Her campaign is centered on priorities like public safety, smart growth, and infrastructure improvements, with a focus on balancing development needs with the protection of property rights and minimizing financial burdens on residents.
Troutman has served on the Polk County Planning Commission, including two years as its chair, gaining experience in land use and development issues. She emphasizes sustainable community growth and enhanced infrastructure as key elements of her vision for Polk County’s future, along with economic opportunities that preserve the area’s character.
A 166 of 172 precincts have reported! The total votes cast is 336,578. Here are the current numbers for the District 1 seat:
Theodore “Pink Tie” Murray, a Frostproof resident with past encounters with law enforcement, is running as an independent candidate for Polk County Sheriff against longtime incumbent Grady Judd. Murray cites personal experiences and a belief that the community deserves a fresh perspective on law enforcement. Judd, a Republican who has served as sheriff for over 20 years, is known for his tough stance on crime and high visibility within the county. Murray wasn’t thought to stand much of a chance as Polk Sheriff Judd typically wins with more than 90% of the vote.
In a crazy twist the Leon County Sheriff’s Office has an arrest warrant out for Murray. The Daily Ridge contacted the Polk County Sheriff Office for comment. Carrie Horstman, Public Information Officer, with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they were contacted from Leon County Sheriff’s Office. “Our agency received a message from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office this morning that Theodore Murray, DOB 3/3/1978, has an active felony warrant for battery on an emergency medical care provider and was possibly at REDACTED in Frostproof. Leon County requested that we send deputies to that address to see if he was there. The deputies did not find anyone at that home, and spoke to residents in the area, who told the deputies that Murray has not lived there for approximately four years. Deputies called his parents, who advised they have not had any recent contact with him and do not know where he lives. They told deputies he has no family in Polk County.” according to Horstman.
Murray, has a background that includes past run-ins with law enforcement. He plead nolo contendre and was adjudicated guilty of video voyeurism in 10/14/2005. He was also originally charged for Lewd and Lascivious which was dropped by prosecutors after he plead guilty.
This is a developing story and we have reached out to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office for a copy of the arrest warrant. We have also reached out to Theodore Murray by phone and text messages with no response. Here are a few of the mugshots for Theodore Murray.
Polls close at 7pm tonight. We will have results as soon as they are available. Our next sheriff might be in jail rather than arresting bad guys.
This Local Entrepreneur Started His Company with a Single Truck. Nearly 40 Years Later, His Business Has Grown.
by James Coulter
Gator Giles started his company, Gator Pressure Cleaning, in 1986. He started with one truck. Now, nearly 40 years later, not only does he have a fleet of trucks driving across America, but his business also offers more than simply pressure cleaning.
While Gator Pressure Cleaning, true to its name, offers pressure washing, it also offers plenty of other services including custom painting, solar, roofing, and HVAC (heating & cooling) services.
Prior to opening his business in 1986, he had gained experience in the field by working at his father’s company.
Gator became so good at his job that he decided to start his own company. It all began with a single job and by working a few odd jobs here and there, his success and fame preceded him, and his business grew to expand into other services he found his customers were in need of.
The first additional service he added was painting. Why? Because much of his feedback from customers inquired about it.
“When I started the company, they [my customers] asked me if I was painting,” he said. “They were like, why not start a painting company to go along with pressure washing. I was asked that many times. So, I took them up on it.”
Therefore, he included his painting services a few years later. And now, several decades later, he has trucks traveling across America to states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee for painting jobs. Last year alone, they painted 47 properties in Texas. Now, they have jobs waiting for them in Alabama and Tennessee.
“We have been successful and very blessed,” he said. “We are painting several jobs every day.”
Other services include roofing, both residential and commercial, solar panels, and HVAC. However, even many of his most loyal customers do not realize that he has more to offer than pressure cleaning. The fact he offers so much more amazes them, he said.
“The only thing we do not is electrical or plumbing,” Giles quipped.
“I listened to what my customers needed,” he said. “Also, I always tell my people to make every customer feel special. When you do that, you cannot help but grow the company.”
One way his company goes out of their way to make their customers feel special starts with the phone. When customers call, they can expect to speak to a live person and not just an automated voicemail system.
“In this day and age, for someone to pick up a telephone, you get a real person who answers the phone and will direct your call where it needs to be,” Giles said. “We respond to every single call or complaint.
Perhaps the most important factor towards his success has been his employees. After all, a company is nothing without its workers. And Gator treats his like family.
“I reinvested in people and that is what actually builds your company. You need a good team around you,” he said. “Some of my employees have been with me for over 24 years. Solongevity and keeping the same employees and having a familylike atmosphere builds success & pride in us all.
Gator Giles considers himself fortunate to have been able to start his own business and expand it as large as it has become. He has high expectations for the future moving forward, and he expects his business to continue to grow into the future.
“I am blessed to have great people working with me and fortunate to of started my business in 1986 as a young and eagerman. I grew up here and I surround myself with good people and employees who take pride in their work.”
Suzanne Elayne Fuday of Lake Wales passed away on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at Winter Haven Hospital.
She was born June 5, 1946 in Lansing, Michigan to the late Theron and Norma Lamphere; she moved to Lake Wales from Michigan in 2005. Suzanne was an auto insurance underwriter and was a member of Cypress Ridge Presbyterian Church. She loved to do crafts, especially scrapbooking. She collected Boyd’s Bears and enjoyed painting. Suzanne was a beautiful woman who took care of everyone and loved her family dearly.
Suzanne was preceded in death by her sister, Debbe Miller. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Jim Fuday; daughter, Stacey Florian of Grand Ledge, Michigan; son, Steven Fuday (Nora) of Jacksonville; sister Yvonne Swift of Lowell, Michigan; grandchildren, Jennifer Hughes (Scott), Cassandra Florian (Isaac Tessman), Erin Florian, Lee Florian, James Florian, and Ashley Florian; and great-granddaughter, Valerie Hughes.
The Havendale Christmas Parade is on Friday, December 6, starting at 7 PM! The route is planned to begin at Spring Haven in Winter Haven and head west to the Publix in Auburndale. Roads will close at 6 PM.
This is our annual tradition when we team up with the City of Winter Haven to bring Christmas cheer to the streets of our cities. It’s a wonderful time to join along with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season!
Synopsis: The long-running soap opera The Bold and the Young is in its last days: its hunky hero has self-esteem issues, its villainous old man is more interested in soup, and its heroines are slightly psychopathic. The executive producer gives the squabbling cast an ultimatum: Complete one episode overnight or the show dies. But when the director ends up murdered, and other cast members start dropping like flies, it seems like his threat might actually come true. Can these misfits discover the murderer before the show is literally killed off?
K9 Bane, one of three K9’s currently at the Lake Wales Police Department. Photo provided by LWPD
By James Coulter
The puppy may not be a part of the Paw Patrol, but one lucky dog may be joining the ranks of the Lake Wales Police Department (LWPD) if the City of Lake Wales gives its approval.
At their workshop on Wed. Oct. 30, Lake Wales City Commissioners reviewed the consent agenda for their next regular meeting. One agenda item involved the donation of a police dog to the LWPD.
“Last year one of the department’s canines retired along with their handler following a long career serving our community,” Captain Stephanie Goreck, Support Services Commander, wrote in an LWPD memo.
“Patriot Canine Services learned about the department’s vacancy and has graciously offered to donate an 8-month-old Belgian Malinois that has already received some basic obedience training,” she continued.
If the donation of the canine is accepted by the Lake Wales City Commission, the 8-month old Belgian Malanois will start its training with a new handler on Fri. Dec. 20, 2024, and be ready for duty in the Summer of 2025.
The process to select the new handler should be completed in the coming weeks.
“The approximate value of this canine donation is $10,000.00,” Captain Goreck wrote.
The Lake Wales City Commission will consider this agenda item, along with the rest of the consent agenda, at their next regular meeting, scheduled for Tues. Oct. 5 at 6 PM at Lake Wales City Hall.
Polk County Parks and Recreation’s Rec@Home kits for November are all about Fall! Activity kit registration is free, but there is a limit of 500 registrations.
Our Rec@Home kits are packed with fun for your little explorers to do at home! Each kit will include the following free activities:
Winter Haven Touchdown Club Receives 54th AED from Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation
by James Coulter
The Blue Devils Touchdown Club at Winter Haven High School recently scored a real touchdown with an automated externaldefibrillator donated to their facility.
On Tuesday evening, Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation (CCF) donated and installed their 54th AED to the football team’s booster club at Winter Haven High School.
BJ Mannix, the club’s treasurer, knows CCF’s founder, Melanie Brown Culpepper. Mannix has been a close friend of hers for 20 years and a huge supporter of her causes, including CCF.
Recently, Mannix has reached out to Melanie to inquire about having an AED installed over at Winter Haven High School.
“Having this AED in the Touchdown Club’s reach, and, more importantly, the coach’s reach, will relieve us all” he explained. “With a roster of 90 players each year, there are no words to describe the benefits of having an AED close by. Whether it be on the practice field, in the locker room, in the weight room, or at Denison Stadium, we will have it with us all the time.”
He was impressed by how the donation was financed through Bingo for a Cause, a monthly fundraiser hosted at Tanner’s Lakeside in Winter Haven. Having her make such a generous donation was nothing short of laudable, he said.
“Melanie and her CCF team are nothing short of amazing,” he said. “We as a community need to support her as much as we can. Her efforts WILL save a life one day.”
Jeremy Lawhorn, president of the Touchdown Club, considered the donation, along with the fundraiser that helped finance it, as a creative, commendable effort.
“We are very appreciative of the work they are doing and donating us an AED,” Lawhorn said. “The AED will bring some security and peace of mind to the team, coaches, and volunteers that we have it in case of an emergency. I think Melanie and her team are doing a wonderful job at bringing awareness to the community about life-saving preparedness.”
Carl White, head football coach, who has been with the team for two years, appreciates having such a valuable, life-saving device handy, especially with a high-intensity sport like football.
“I think it’s a great cause with our sport having dealt with some of the most high-profile heat-related deaths and other cardiac issues,” he said. “Having this AED at the ready should bring comfort to our players and our program.”
Melanie Brown Culpepper stated CCF nearly four years ago following the untimely passing of her late fiancée, Michael Culpepper, who passed away from cardiac arrest.
Not wanting anyone else to suffer a similar fate, Melanie started CCF to raise funds and install AED across Polk County. Since then, she has donated 54 and counting AEDs to local businesses, eateries, and other establishments.
Melanie will be hosting her organization’s annual fundraiser, Saving Lives Matter, on Sat. Nov. 30 at Tanners Lakeside in Winter Haven. For more information, visit their Facebook page at: facebook.com/honoringculpepper
One year after donating an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Lake Hamilton Police Department, Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation (CCF) donated another AED to a location where the person who recommended the previous donation works.
On Tuesday, CCF donated its 53rd AED to Poinciana Community Park for the Polk County Futball Club. Michael Teague, President of the Futball Club, had previously contacted CCF to have an AED donated to the police department last year.
“With all of the training we go through. [the] sudden collapse of players [is possible], and you hear of this happening all across the country,” Teague said. “It is very important to have an AED readily available.”
Teague has more than 100 players enrolled in the fall and spring seasons. As such, the AED will provide a much-needed service to athletes and spectators alike if such a need arises, Teague said.
“CCF Foundation and Melanie, who has dedicated her life to the cause of placing AEDS to help in saving lives, is a great organization, and you know Melanie cares,” Teague said.
Irena Neal, Vice President of the Polk County Futball Club since 2015, commends CFF for donating the AED to their facility. Their donation proves the great good their organization provides to the community, she said.
“This service [the AED] could benefit the entire community,” Neal said. “AED will benefit the community in so many ways making the community aware of the emergency precautions in place. Melanie and her team are such an asset to the community [by] bringing awareness.”
Charles Burch, Coach Coordinator/Equipment Manager, who had been with the team since the spring season of 2020, mentions how the facility is used by other sports teams in the community. Thus, the AED will benefit everyone else as much as it will benefit them, she said.
“This was actually an idea I put in Coach Teague’s head for our league,” she said. “I think this is absolutely needed and appreciated. Thank you for helping support CCF and Paying it Forward as Saving Lives Matters.”
Melanie started CCF nearly four years ago following the untimely passing of her fiancée, who had passed away from cardiac arrest. Not wanting anyone else to suffer a similar fate, she started her non-profit to donate AEDs throughout Polk County.
Since its inception, her organization has donated more than 50 AEDs to establishments across the county, from restaurants and bars to gyms and VFWs. To raise proceeds for more, CCF will be hosting its annual Saving Lives Matter fundraiser on Nov. 30 at Tanners Lakeside.
For more information, visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/honoringculpepper
