On Friday, December 9, 2022, The County Sheriff’s Office arrested 28-year-old Polk County Firefighter Lance Taylor Dunn of Lakeland for Grand Theft (F3) and Fraud (F3) after falsifying his time card on three separate occasions. Dunn resigned following his arrest.
The investigation began when Polk County Fire Rescue supervision contacted PCSO detectives to report a possible payroll fraud incident. During the investigation, detectives learned that on September 13, 2022, Dunn had accessed his online employee payroll information using his assigned username and password and added his name to a roster for a 24-hour shift he did not work. He was then paid for the time he did not work.
He did this again on October 22nd and November 21st, 2022, and was again paid for time he did not work. He was paid a total of $1,265.04 for the three 24-hour shifts.
According to policy, only the Chiefs are authorized to add members to a shift within the scheduling system. The Battalion Chief provided documentation showing Dunn had made the illegal changes to his time card. The Battalion Chief told detectives that members are assigned to specific positions when scheduled. He did not schedule Dunn for any shifts on the three dates in question (September 13, October 22, or November 21, 2022).
Dunn had accessed the system after the shift assignments were completed and added himself to the shift as “unassigned.” Dunn also added himself to an unassigned shift on November 30, 2022, that he did not work. This was caught by supervision before payroll was finalized.
Dunn told detectives that the first time he added himself, he didn’t realize he had the permissions in the system to do so. He then used those permissions to add himself two more times in order to make extra money. He had been on unpaid personal leave since November 16, 2022, having run out of paid sick/vacation time.
“Dunn not only stole money from Polk Fire Rescue, he stole taxpayers’ money. In addition, he embarrassed his colleagues who risk their lives for this community. Dunn resigned, and that is good because he no longer meets the high standards expected of public servants.”– Grady Judd, Sheriff
Dunn was arrested and transported to the Polk County Jail where he was later released after paying a $2,000 bond.
Illegally altered firearms recovered by Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies while assisting FHP on a traffic stop; two people arrested
Two people were arrested and two illegally altered firearms were seized by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, December 8, 2022, near Lakeland after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper encountered resistance from the couple during a traffic stop.
The driver, 27-year old Samuel Timothy Doolin of Lakeland, was charged by the PCSO with Possession of a Fully Automatic Firearm (F2, 2-counts), Possession of a Short-Barrel Rifle (F2), Possession of a Firearm with Altered/Removed Serial Number (F3), Carrying Concealed Firearm (F3), and Resisting without Violence (M1).
The passenger, 23-year old Tiffany Ann Beam, of Lakeland, was charged by the PCSO with Resisting without Violence (M1).
At about 6:25 am Thursday morning, the trooper stopped the couple’s blue 1985 Chevrolet truck, on Kathleen Road near Laurel Woods Lane. The truck had no license plate displayed.
Upon contact with the couple, Doolin refused multiple requests to identify himself and exit the vehicle, and the trooper noticed a handgun on the seat between the occupants which Doolin told the trooper was for his protection against law enforcement.
For safety purposes, the trooper returned to his patrol vehicle and requested backup.
When deputies arrived, they ordered the couple to exit the truck numerous times, and both refused.
The deputies then approached the truck while using a ballistic shield for their protection, and repeatedly ordered the two out of the truck. They continued to refuse. Deputies then broke the back window of the truck. Doolin again refused to exit the vehicle and a Taser was used to take Doolin into custody. Beam offered no further resistance.
During an inventory of the truck, five firearms were found. Among them were a Glock 9mm handgun which had been altered from semi-automatic to automatic, and a rifle that was also altered to operate as an automatic weapon, and was equipped with a 14″ barrel. Federal law requires a barrel length of a rifle to be no less than 16″. The rifle also had no identifiable model or serial number.
“Samuel Doolin thinks he’s above the law. He doesn’t like to obey the same laws that every one of us abides byfrom simple traffic laws to more serious crimes of illegal firearms. We don’t know what he planned to do with those firearms, but we know he won’t be getting them back.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
The Florida Highway Patrol also charged Doolin with Resisting with Violence and cited him for Not Displaying a Proper Tag, Expired Registration, Failure to Show Proof of Insurance, Failure to Show Identification, and Failure to Provide Vehicle Registration.
DAVENPORT – When Santa Claus comes to town, it’s typically in the dark of night on Christmas Eve. But sometimes he makes an exception.
Such was the case on Wednesday (December 7) when Santa and Mrs. Claus made a very special visit to an even more special Davenport toddler. With the help of the Davenport Fire Department and the Davenport Police Department, Santa and Mrs. Claus brought a little Christmas magic to 19-month old Leila Durfee and her family. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for putting a smile on our faces,” said Leila’s mother, Tammi Durfee. Those smiles proved contagious as the officers and firefighters smiled along during the visit as well. “You made magic for all of us tonight and there will never be a way to properly put into words what it meant for us,” Durfee said. “For a moment, we were able to forget and we are so very grateful.”
Knowing that Leila’s weakened immune system would prevent her from enjoying any of the holiday community events being held, Durfee reached out to the City of Davenport in November.
“My daughter is battling cancer, so we cannot take her to meet him (Santa) or come to the parade this year as we have done previously,” said Durfee when she initially reached out. “She is only 19 months, but we are desperate to give her a special Christmas despite her diagnosis…We will miss all of the Christmas festivities this year, but just can’t take the risk during active treatment.”
Leila is battling neuroblastoma.
“She was diagnosed in April with a rare pediatric cancer two days before her first birthday and we have spent most of those days in the hospital,” Durfee said. “Much of her time is spent in the hospital, but we get a couple of weeks at home finally.”
With that information, Davenport Fire Chief J.T. Torrance and various other city staff members sprang into action to make sure that Leila wouldn’t miss a picture with Santa this year.
“We would like to facilitate this if possible,” said Torrance at the time. “I believe we can make this happen.”
Torrance and his team reached out to Santa and Mrs. Claus, while maintaining communication with the Durfee family, to coordinate a visit.
Leila is expected to return to inpatient care at AdventHealth Orlando, where she has been receiving continued care, on Sunday, so the window of opportunity to coordinate the visit was small.
“She’s a fighter and stronger than anyone I know, but she’s also a little child who is just happy no matter what,” Durfee said. “This little baby has been through more than I could ever imagine and she is the strongest person I know.”
In addition to care at AdventHealth Orlando, Leila also had surgery and received radiation treatments in New York.
The Durfee family waited in their driveway as units from the Davenport Fire Department and Davenport Police Department pulled in front of their home with lights flashing. Spot, the fire dog, even tagged along for the chance to visit with Leila. Once parked, Santa and Mrs. Claus climbed down from the fire truck and approached the Durfee family abounding with holiday cheer. Santa presented Leila with various items from his bag of toys, and the Durfee family presented Santa and Mrs. Claus with a platter of cookies.
“We were honored to have the opportunity to escort Santa and Mrs. Claus to visit with the Durfee family,” said Torrance. “In an effort to help deliver cheer and blessings for this family, we actually received a blessing as well just in meeting little Leila. What an adorable little girl and a wonderful family. Interactions such as this help remind us all of what’s most important. I’m so glad that we were able to facilitate this for them.”
Leila appeared happy throughout most of the visit, blowing kisses to her emotional grandparents as they watched the interactions.
“We were so blessed tonight,” Durfee said. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”
Since its launch in 2019, more than 150 million subscribers have been able to enjoy a nearly endless selection of Disney movies and shows streaming on their televisions and other smart devices for a low monthly fee and without any pesky commercials.
However, earlier this year, Disney announced it would be making major changes to its titular streaming service. What once was ad-free has now become a two-tiered system with and without advertisements.
As of Dec. 8, Disney Plus now offers two separate plans: a “basic” plan with ads for $7.99 a month, and a “premium” plan without ads for $10.99. This change mirrors decisions made by other streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max, which offer separate plans for ad-free and ad-supported content.
Many Disney Plus subscribers have since reacted accordingly to the change. As Deadline reports, “about one-quarter of current U.S. subscribers are expected to opt for the lower-cost version with ads.”
However, many people have raised concerns about Disney Plus and other streaming services forcing them to pay extra to skip ads, something that had been absent on these services for a long time. After all, what’s the point of paying to watch movies and shows if you still have to deal with commercials?
Disney’s decision to create a separate ad-supported plan was made following severe losses in profits for streaming. The LA Times reports that while its “streaming operation has surpassed 235 million subscribers”, Disney’s direct-to-consumer division, which includes Disney Plus, suffered “an operating loss of nearly $1.5 billion, more than doubling its loss of $630 million during the same quarter a year earlier.”
Disney Plus is not alone in creating separate plans with and without ads. Netflix announced that it will offer a “basic” ad-supported plan for $6.99 a month ($9.99 for ads), while HBO Max previously created an ad-supported plan for $9.99 a month (14.99 with ads).
Over the past decade, Americans have “cut the cords” of their cable in favor of streaming services, with millions giving up their cable subscriptions and subscribing to streaming services. By the end of the year, more than 55% of Americans will cut their cords, according to reports by TechJury.
When Disney Plus and other streaming services are experiencing losses, it is expected that they will attempt to recoup them. However, with Americans nationwide experiencing mass inflation raising the costs of necessities, why should it be on consumers to recoup these costs by paying extra for the same services without ads—something they did not see on these services to begin with?
What do you think? Are you willing to pay extra to skip ads on Disney Plus? Or will you settle for paying the same for commercials? Leave your comments on Facebook.
On Saturday, December 10, 2022, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Polk County Animal Control will host its annual Pet Fest at their facility located at 7115 De Castro Road in Winter Haven (just off the Polk Parkway Winter Lake Road exit).
Pet adoptions are FREE and include spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, microchipping, and the county license.
For those who already have pets, TLC Petsnip will be there offering $10.00 vaccinations for dogs (while supplies last) and Fi Nano is donating FREE microchips for pet owners.
Tons of vendors will be on-hand, including food and drink trucks and pet-friendly products. Kids’ activities include: face painting, pony rides, and train rides.
Santa Claus will also be there for “Pets with Santa” photos.
For more information call 863-577-1762 or visit our website.
Straughn Trout Architects, Bank of Central Florida Win 32nd Annual Chamber Golf Scramble
by James Coulter
For nearly three years, Tim Hoeft and his business partners have been participating in the Annual Lakeland Golf Scramble. They won first place in 2019, and they won first place again at this year’s event on Monday.
Hoeft serves as a Managing Principal at Straughn Trout Architects. He has represented his business at the annual golf scramble, hosted by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, for nearly three years. He loves the overall community and camaraderie at the event, as he and his associates are proud Chamber members.
“It is an honor and a fantastic experience with the Chamber today,” he said. “[There’s] a lot of good friends and good winners…we are proud to be chamber members for many, many years. The venue is fantastic and the hospitality is exceptional.”
Hoeft and his teammates with Straughn Trot won the gross division at the golf scramble on Monday. Winning the net division was Randy Hollen and his teammates with Bank of Central Florida.
Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Team Leader with Bank of Central Florida, Hollen has been participating in the scramble for nearly 25 years. He loves the event, and he is happy to participate in it each year with his fellow chamber and business partners.
“It is a wonderful event for a great cause,” he said. “Lakeland Chamber does a wonderful job for businesses in Lakeland, and we are happy to support it. We love seeing everybody and being around like-minded business people in town and enjoying the day and enjoying Lakeland and everything it has to offer.”
For more than three decades, the Lakeland Chamber has hosted its annual golf scramble. This year’s event was presented by Two Men and a Truck and hosted at Grasslands Golf & Country Club.
Approximately 20 teams of six people participated in this year’s event. Each year experiences a phenomenal turnout, as the golf scramble has remained an annual local tradition, explained Amy Higgins, Chamber President and CEO.
“It is a long-standing event for the Chamber our members look forward to every year,” she said. “We get to showcase our chamber members’ golf courses and everyone comes out to have a great time. It is one of the six-man scrambles still being hosted. You could not beat the weather. It was a perfect December day.”
More than simply offering quality recreational time for chamber members and raising proceeds for a good cause, the annual golf scramble allows local business owners and partners to patronize local golf courses to further promote local businesses.
“One of the benefits of the Chamber, one of the missions, is to promote local businesses; and by being able to showcase our amazing golf courses and bring a lot of our business owners and
executives out to interact with one another and network and have a great time, while doing it, it is a positive asset,” she said.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is reporting road blockage on Hwy 27 in Davenport. According to PCSO 2 Southbound lanes are blocked due to 100’s of boxes of bottled pesticides on roadway.
#TX advisory – delays are common in this area but today we’ve got 2 SB lanes of US 27 shut down @ I-4 due to 100s of boxes that fell off a truck containing bottles of pesticides. No injuries. No leakage of chemicals. Just need to get them off the road & get you back on your way. pic.twitter.com/DgJ4bdixYR
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) December 6, 2022
An off-duty Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) member saved a child’s life on Friday, Dec. 2.
While PCFR Driver/Engineer Dustin Bovill and his family were enjoying the Havendale Christmas Parade on Friday evening, Bovill observed that a child riding on a float was having a medical emergency near the intersection of Havendale Blvd NW and 34th St. NW. Bovill quickly jumped onto the moving parade float and began to render aid.
Bovill cleared the child’s airway, ultimately saving the child’s life. Bovill rode on the float with the patient and the patient’s family until the float reached the end of the parade route. Bovill was then able to transfer care to a PCFR Rescue Truck that was standing by. The patient was transported to a nearby hospital.
“While I was watching the float pass by, I saw the father’s expression as he looked up from the float and I knew that something was not right,” Bovill said. “After I saw the child’s father, I jumped onto the moving float in order to assist in anyway that I could.”
Bovill has worked for Polk County Fire Rescue since 2014. He began his career as a Firefighter/EMT before being promoted to a Driver/Engineer position in 2018. Bovill has also been a member of the division’s special operations team since 2015.
“Driver/Engineer Bovill’s instinct to jump in and assist a citizen in need demonstrates our member’s readiness to serve whether they are on and off-duty,” said Polk County Fire Rescue Chief Hezedean A. Smith, D.M. “Bovill’s actions and the care he provided to the child in need is something we are very proud of here at Polk County Fire Rescue.”
County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 44-year-old John Reed, who has been a detention deputy with the agency since 2005 but resigned immediately upon his arrest, for 8 counts petit theft (M2), and one count each obtaining property by fraud (F3), gross fraud (F3), and petit theft $100-$750 (M1).
Between November 4th and December 3rd, 2022, Reed went to the Walmart on Church Avenue North in Mulberry and on nine separate occasions, failed to pay for merchandise by intentionally not scanning it in the self-checkout lane. Each of the fraudulent transactions was captured by the store video surveillance system.
The thefts were discovered after a Walmart Loss Prevention Officer observed the most recent incident on December 3rd and confronted Reed while he was attempting to leave the store with two hover boards, two hover carts, and a Christmas projection light. The Officer observed Reed on the closed circuit television failing to scan the items and then passing all points of sale. Reed accompanied the Officer to the Loss Prevention Office, where the Officer used the store security system to review a history of Reed’s transactions. The Officer determined Reed committed similar thefts on eight prior occasions. The total loss to the store at this time is over $575.00.
Reed was booked into the Polk County Jail on December 3rd and released after posting bond in the amount of $4,500. Had he not resigned immediately upon his arrest, he would have been terminated.
The PCSO Organized Retail Crime Unit is conducting an investigation to determine if Reed has committed other crimes, and more charges are pending.
Originally, I was going to write a review of Disenchanted, the new made-for-streaming sequel to the 2008 movie Enchanted; but, to paraphrase the Aragon meme: one does not simply dedicate a biweekly column to Disney and refuse to say anything about the resignation of its most infamous CEO.
Last Sunday, in a move that shocked the entertainment industry, the Walt Disney Company announced Bob Chapek would be stepping down from his role as CEO and that his predecessor, Bob Iger, will return to serve as his replacement with plans to head the company over the next two years.
I’m not giving a comprehensive history of Chapek’s career. TL;DR: After being appointed CEO in 2020, he made a series of very bad business decisions and public relations faux pas—the most infamous of which was his inaction towards Florida’s Don’t Say Gay Bill—and after his company experienced record low profits and stock earnings, which prompted him to suggest massive layoffs, hiring freezes, and other drastic cost-cutting measures, he was removed from his position and replaced by the very guy he replaced.
I know I wrote the title of this column as a question. I often do that to maintain objectivity by posing an open-ended question to help prompt discussion and encourage readers to draw their own conclusions and come up with their own opinions. But believe me when I say that the question to this column is purely rhetorical. Because there is no doubt about it: Bob Chapek is the worst CEO in the history of the Walt Disney Company.
Many Disney fans love to joke how Michael Eisner was the worst Disney CEO, but give Eisner some credit: the man managed to turn the company around for the better in the 1980s during a time when the Disney brand was not doing well financially or publicly, to the point where many executives conspired hostile takeovers of the company. (Yes, that really did happen!)
Yes, Eisner was infamous for saying Disney was in the business of making money not art, but at least his shrewd yet savvy business-making decisions did not prevent the company from creating some of the best-animated movies of all time, and it wasn’t until the tragic passing of the company’s then president and his closest colleague Frank Wells and the financial failure of Disneyland Paris that led Eisner to his series of bad decisions that utterly tarnished his legacy.
Say what you want about Eisner: the man ended his career with a simpering whimper, but at least he started his career with a bang—at least he made contributions that were overall net positives to the company, achieving accomplishments that both he and others could be proud of. Chapek, on the other hand, has contributed nothing of value to the company, and everything he did was a net negative.
Does that sound hyperbolic? Sure. But it’s hard to look back at the man’s legacy as Disney CEO and deduce that his career was a positive one. Again, I’m not rehashing history, but Mickey Blog recently wrote a comprehensive blog post highlighting “The Worst Mistakes Bob Chapek Made As Disney CEO.” These mistakes, according to Mickey Blog, include:
· Breaking ties with Iger, especially during the onset of the pandemic, when Chapek could have utilized Iger’s experience and counsel for guidance.
· Promoted many of his “closest confidants to positions of power” within the company out of pure nepotism, friends who served as “the perceived yes men [who] couldn’t be honest with their boss about his more questionable decisions.”
· Making the Disney theme park experience more expensive and less “magical” by raising park prices, eliminating programs like Magical Express, and replacing the free FastPass system with the pay-as-you-go Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
· Changing Disney’s base of operations from California to Florida, which “forced its California employees to commit to moving to Florida to keep their jobs” and “effectively forced out many longtime Imagineers.”
· Refusing to consult with Scarlett Johansson in the decision to release her movie Black Widow simultaneously in theaters and onto Disney Plus, a move that violated her contract by affecting the percentage she earned from box office receipts, and worse, “arrogantly called her out for wanting her money.”
· Refusing to say or do anything when Florida was passing the infamous “Don’t Say Gay Bill”, which had been created by politicians whom Disney had financed, only to decide too little too late to freeze political contributions to Florida lawmakers after they passed the bill into law.
As David Mumpower wrote in his blog: “In totality, all these singular mistakes add up to one glaring issue Chapek could never overcome. He didn’t care enough about people and was too fixated on the bottom line.”
So, yes, calling Chapek the worst CEO is over-the-top hyperbole, but considering his many blunders, it’s also not untrue. After all, it does say something when a man messes up so badly that his predecessor had to come out of retirement just to fix the mess he made. All I can say is goodbye and good riddance to Chapek!
What do you think? Do you think Iger can fix the mess Chapek created? Do you think the Disney company can recover from his blunders? Leave your comments on Facebook.
