Haines City Public Works Department in partnership with LE/AD (Lakes Education/Action Drive) is holding a community event like no other! Families, corporate groups, Boy & Girl Scout Troops and many others can join together to take on the Cardboard Boat challenge! This event helps raise awareness about Haines City lakes and important water resources and how we all must play a role in protecting them. People can reduce their impact on the environment through the lifestyle choices they make every day. Celebrate our lakes and join the fun!
THE CHALLENGE:
To build a boat out of cardboard and duct tape, and then put 2 people inside to race around a course, be the first to make it across the finish line without sinking.
Haines City Cardboard Boat Challenge
On-Site Built Registration 8 A.M. – 8:30 A.M.
Cardboard Boat Building On-site 8:30 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.
On Thursday, April 26, 2018, the PCSO Undercover Vice Unit conducted an operation at Saddle Creek Park, Gator Creek Preserve, and Circle B Preserve in unincorporated Polk County, in response to complaints about lewd activity at the parks. Four suspects were arrested for lewd activity.
82-year-old Robert Lee Greene of Silver Lakes Drive East in Lakeland, grabbed an undercover male detective at one of the parks, exposed himself, and solicited the detective to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count indecent exposure (M-1), one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1), and two counts battery (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He remains in the Polk County Jail in lieu of $2,000 bond.
59-year-old Gene Smith, Jr., of Bradbury Road in Haines City, exposed himself to an undercover male detective at a park, and solicited him to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count indecent exposure (M-1), and one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $1,000 bond.
26-year-old Clint Stinson of Pleasant Place in Lakeland, solicited an undercover male detective at a park to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $500 bond.
50-year-old James Thames of Citrus Hill Drive in Polk City, solicited an undercover male detective at a park to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $500 bond.
“Clean It Up to Green It Up” Program heads back to the Wahneta and Eloise Communities on May 5, 2018.
Keep Polk County Beautiful, Inc. in partnership with Polk County Board of County Commissioners is bringing their “Clean It Up to Green It Up” Program back to Wahneta and Eloise Communities on May 5, 2018.
Residents are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this pilot program that will consist of a large-scale trash pick up throughout the selected community (clean sweep). This program will provide disposal of items that are NOT generally collected with their residential garbage such as remodeling & household construction debris (shingles, drywall, etc.) on THIS DAY ONLY. All households are asked to participate by placing these items by the curb no later than 7 am for this one day event.
Absolutely NO tires or hazardous waste will be collected curbside.
All residents of Polk County are asked to join Keep Polk County Beautiful at the Centro Guadalupano Church at 2150 Bomber Rd, Wahneta for a FREE Tire Recycling Event from 8am- noon. Please abide by the waste hauling permit laws and do not transport more than 24 tires at a time. This event is open to residents, property and agricultural land owners only. ABSOLUTELY NO automotive, tire or dealership businesses permitted.
Trash & Tire collection services donated by Advanced Disposal Services.
For additional information on the “Clean It Up to Green It Up” program, Tire Recycling or to find out when/if this program is scheduled to come to your community, contact Keep Polk County Beautiful, Inc. at (863) 875-8911 or email [email protected] .
It is a violation of Florida Administrative Code Rules to transport more than 24 Waste Tires over public highways without a permit. Violation of this rule would constitute a 1st degree criminal misdemeanor and be punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 and/or by 6 months in jail for further information please regarding the handling of waste tires please visit the DEP website http://www.dep.state.fl.us/ .
For Tire Recycling limits and questions, contact KPCB before the event date. KPCB and Waste Resource Management (Board of County Commissioners) will be at this community event to answer any trash/recycling questions, provide informational items and provide residents with a recycling bin if they currently do not have one.
Main Street Frostproof Offers Presentation For A Better City
by James Coulter
Imagine a small rural town nestled between two scenic lakes and hidden amidst a sea of orange groves.
Imagine a close-knit community where residents and guests alike can reside either in cozy “tiny houses “within a “pocket neighborhood” or in loft apartments overlooking a bustling downtown area with shops, cafes, and galleries.
Imagine a downtown area where people can safely stroll along sidewalks of colorful pavement and foliage, where they can choose to sit back and relax with a cold beer, peruse artwork by local artists, visit historic landmarks such as the local theater, or simply enjoy the overall vibrant atmosphere.
The good news is that the location for such a community already exists within Frostproof, a small town located less than ten minutes south of Lake Wales.
The better news is that, while this small town isn’t quite like the previously described community, it has the potential of becoming that way if the residents truly believe they can help make it that way.
This vision of what Frostproof could potentially become through revitalization efforts was presented to residents on Thursday evening through a presentation by Main Street Frostproof.
The presentation was created by a resource team of four representatives from across the state and country using data they had collected during their visit over the past three days, which included town hall meetings, community surveys, and walking tours.
Using the data they collected during that time, they created a presentation of what the city could look like with their proposed changes and recommendations.
One way these changes could be implemented is through façade component grants provided to local businesses in small increments over several years, allowing them to revitalize their buildings’ exteriors with signage, awning, and lighting.
Randy Wilson, Community Design Solutions Architect in South Carolina, and one of the resource team members, used the old Roscoe’s Gas Station as an example, showing how the old building could be transformed into a restaurant through such small changes.
Wilson also proposed refurbishing the town’s epicenter at the intersection of Wall Street and Scenic Highway, with proposals to widen the sidewalks and curbs, paint pavements, and provide more street foliage as to better accommodate pedestrians.
His proposal also included showcasing local artwork within vacant storefronts, converting the upper floors of downtown buildings into loft apartments, and converting one of the local car dealers into a combination brewery pub.
All these changes would not only revitalize the downtown area, but also help preserve the overall uniqueness of the city.
“There is not a single place on Earth like Frostproof,” he said. “So it is important to make it look like the best Frostproof it can be and not try to be like any other town.”
Main Street America is a nationwide organization which seeks to revitalize local communities across America through a community-driven approach towards downtown revitalization and economic development.
The resource team visit was one of the initial services provided to newly-formed Main Street communities, of which Frostproof was one of three cities within Florida designated as such last year by Florida’s Secretary of State.
“It is all about you, the community, to make it what you want it to be,” explained Ronni Wood, Coordinator of the Florida Main Street Program. “We were not here for three days to tell you what we want it to be, but what you all want it to be.”
Since 1980, more than 2,000 programs utilizing this Main Street approach have been implemented within communities nationwide, resulting in $74.73 billion reinvested back into those communities, she explained.
Such a community-driven approach involved collecting community feedback, including through an online survey which received 108 responses from local residents, said Kathy LePlante, Director of Coordinating Programs for National Main Street.
When asked what words best described their city’s downtown area, survey recipients responded with a mixture of positive terms such as “quaint” and “historic” along with less than positive terms such as “empty”; and when asked about the biggest issues within their downtown area, the three top issues cited were store variety, vacancies, and entertainment, she further elucidated.
Tackling these issues would require a more proactive approach from residents and businesses owners through “economic vitality”, an approach in which residents cause change to happen downtown rather than waiting for things to happen, LePlante explained.
“Nobody is coming from outside to save you,” she said. “You need to figure out how to do it with the resources in the community.”
Jessica Newman, Executive Director for Main Street Wachula, further explained this proactive approach by sharing ways that residents can promote their community and improve its overall image.
Narrowing in on Frostproof’s nickname as “The Friendly City”, Newman explained that promoting the city’s namesake could be as simple as sharing photos of downtown businesses and people through social media, distributing smiley face buttons at local businesses, and showcasing local artwork.
“Promotion is more than party planning and events,” she said. “Promotion helps make your community a destination…[and] it is a way to bring the community together and reinvigorate community pride.”
Kelly Banks, Executive Director for Frostproof Main Street, was impressed by the team’s efforts to understand the city’s needs and propose ideas to help improve the downtown area, for which she has nothing but high expectations.
“I really want to bring vitality and color down to Frostproof to show there is life, that we have a lot of good businesses here, and to draw in new [businesses],” she said.
LAKELAND, FL (April 27, 2018) – On April 27, 2018 at approximately 2:24 p.m., The Lakeland Police Department responded to 1208 Unitah Avenue in reference to an individual who had been shot. Upon arrival, officers located , Otniel Alvarez, on the ground in front of building 1208, with a gunshot wound to the lower right side of his abdomen and what appeared to be an exit wound to the lower left side of his abdomen. Officers initiated life saving measures and Alvarez was transported to Lakeland Regional Health where he underwent emergency surgery. At approximately 5:35 p.m., Alvarez was pronounced deceased.
While officers were on the scene, Blane Odane Thompson, 24 years old, came up to them and stated that he was the person who shot Alvarez.
Members of the Violent Crimes Unit responded to the incident location to interview witnesses. Thompson advised that there has been an ongoing issue between Alvarez and his family.
On today’s date, Thompson was parked, and seated in the driver’s seat of his vehicle when for unknown reasons Alvarez rushed up to the driver’s window and attempted to head-butt it. The window was in the down position so Alvarez was unsuccessful. Alvarez began reaching in the front of his pants while stating that he was going to kill Thompson. Believing that his safety was in jeopardy, Thompson retrieved a 9mm handgun and fired one round that struck Alvarez in the abdominal area.
Detectives learned from family members that Alvarez had been previously diagnosed with several psychological disorders when he lived in Cuba and that it had been twenty years since he received any form of treatment. Alvarez has been known to engage in violent behavior when he is triggered and has been taken into custody under the mental health law in Florida commonly referred to as a “Baker Act”.
The investigation is ongoing at this time and no charges have been filed.
Lake Wales, FL – Ron Beisner from Bio-Med was named employee of the month for March at Lake Wales Medical Center.
“Ron is constantly doing rounds throughout the hospital, calling in any safety- or patient-related issues,” a co-worker wrote in nominating him. “He is quick to respond to bed alarms if he is near, and he ensures the nursing staff responds to the patient’s needs. He communicates clearly with management any needs for the crucial telemetry system, and he works diligently to resolve any issues. He is committed to ensuring quality care for our patients.”
Hurricane, West Virginia – On Tuesday April 24th a chain reaction crash, in Hurricane, West Virginia took the life of a former Lake Wales young man.
The Hurricane Police chief says three cars and five people were involved in the accident.
Alexsander Lawson, 29, currently of St. Albans and formally of Lake Wales, died in the crash, police say. He was a passenger in a car driven by his roommate Donovan Tyler Short who is in critical condition, according to police.
Police say both men were in a car rear-ended by a truck
Officers explained that it was a chain-reaction crash. The driver of a truck rear-ended a car. That car then rear-ended the car in front of it.
The driver of the first car that was hit was slowing down for construction, according to police. The driver of the truck reportedly didn’t notice the slowdown and crashed into the other car.
Investigators are still working to figure out how fast the truck was going.
The truck driver did not have serious injuries and was not taken to the hospital.
In the second car that was hit, an elderly couple had minor injuries.
Alex grew up in South Lake Wales for a good part of his life. He was an outgoing young man with an infectious smile. He grew up with his sister and mom on Harrison St.
According to news reports from the area Alex moved up to West Virginia three years ago.
Frostproof Main Street Resource Team Visits To Help Revitalize Downtown
by James Coulter
Located eleven miles south of Lake Wales and five miles east off of U.S. Highway 27, nestled between two lakes and hidden among the orange groves, is a quaint little town called Frostproof.
While considered a hidden treasure among locals, the town hopes to become more of a well-known treasure through economic development, especially with the help of its newly-established Main Street Frostproof.
Main Street America is a program of the non-profit National Main Street Center which, according to its website, has been helping “to breathe new life into communities across the nation though a comprehensive, inclusive, place-based, and people-focused approach.”
Last year, Frostproof was one out of three cities selected to be added to the list of Main Street communities by Florida’s Secretary of State.
Part of the services provided to these new communities include a visit from a resource team to help develop a personalized plan to revitalize the city while preserving the aspects that make it unique.
The Frostproof resource team includes four representatives from across the state with a combined 100 years of experience who help develop such a plan by touring the city, visiting with local stakeholders, and conducting additional research through surveys and community meetings.
“We are gathering a lot of information to identify the strengths of the community and even some of the weaknesses [and] what can be done to address those,” explained Kathy LePlante, Senior Program Officer and Director of Coordinating Program Services for the National Main Street Center.
One such weakness the team plans on addressing is the city’s 60 percent occupancy rate, with plans to not only develop ideas to attract more residents and businesses into the city, but also to inspire local residents to do business within their own hometown.
“We are really looking at all aspects as to how make Downtown Frostproof more vibrant especially economically so that people don’t have to go out of town to get what they need,” LePlante said.
The small town has experienced some economic development with new businesses opening within the outskirts of the city, but not so much within the downtown area, explained Kelly Banks, Executive Director of Frostproof Main Street and the Chamber of Commerce.
Last year, the city opened a Save-A-Lot after seven years of existing as a “food desert” without a grocery store. The year prior to that saw the opening of an ACE Hardware, thus helping local residents to meet their hardware needs.
Otherwise, many local residents still see the need to travel outside of the city to do most of their major shopping, a trend which Frostpoof Main Street hopes to address in the near future.
“I would like to see our local communities stay local,” said James Keene, Frostproof Main Street President and City Public Works Director. “Right now they have to go out of town for pretty much everything. They have a couple options here and there, but I would like for them to shop local, stay local, and play local.”
While such economic development could be promoted through economic incentives and initiatives, such change starts from the bottom up through a commitment by local residents to help support their local economy.
Jessica Newman, as the Community Redevelopment Agency Director for Wauchula, knows through firsthand experience that such development starts from the ground up by encouraging local residents to support their economy and taking pride within it, as it is a mentality that she helps inspire through her city’s own Main Street.
“If you have that mentality, then you will go to your local store first before you drive out of town,” she said. “So getting the local community on board of being proud of where they are from and to be proud of Frostproof and doing their part in making it successful.”
Banks, as a Frostproof local, has done her own part to promote such a local mindset, as she does her best to buy everything she has within the city, only having to leave it once a month to buy something that she really needs.
Often she buys clothes and dresses from local stores and tells other people about it as her own way of promoting the local economy.
“I make it my personal quest to show people that we are not dead,” she said. “We need help, and we need to help ourselves, and there are those in the community to support each other.”
The resource team has already gathered data through a tour of the city and an on-line survey earlier on Tuesday, and gathered further community input through a town hall meeting later that evening.
They hope to present their findings along with their recommendations to the community through a presentation at the City Hall auditorium on Thurs., April 26, at 6 p.m., a video recording of which will later be uploaded to YouTube.
On Wednesday, April 25, 2018, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 51-year-old Lake Wales man on multiple charges, after a brief pursuit in which the suspect intentionally tried to ram a deputy with his truck. The man arrested was identified as Wesley Pierce.
The incident began around 1:52 a.m., in the area of Catfish Road and Shiner Drive, northeast of Lake Wales. The deputy was patrolling in the area due to recent criminal activity, when he noticed a Ford F-150 pick-up truck parked suspiciously. As the deputy pulled-up to the truck, it quickly sped off. The deputy then turned on his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver refused to pull over, and instead turned into an orange grove. The deputy stayed on the road, and got ahead of the truck, and waited for Pierce to drive back out of the grove. As Pierce was exiting the grove, he intentionally drove his truck directly at the deputy’s vehicle, forcing the deputy to maneuver away from a collision.
The deputy caught back up to Pierce. While the two vehicles were travelling about 30-35 mph and heading toward a residential area, the deputy executed a P.I.T. maneuver (Pursuit Intervention Technique) on Pierce’s truck, causing it to come to a stop off of the north side of Tindel Camp Road, west of Timberlane Road.
Pierce refused to get out of the truck, and refused to unlock the doors. The deputy broke the window, and removed Pierce from the truck.
Pierce had a laceration on his head, believed to have been caused from impact with the 16 citrus trees in the grove that he struck and damaged. He was treated at Lake Wales Medical Center and released, then transported to the Polk County Jail.
During an inventory of the truck, 5.9 grams of methamphetamine was found inside of the cab.
Prior to his arrest, Pierce had a warrant for DWLSR, HTO (Driving While License Suspended or Revoked, Habitual Traffic Offender), with no bond. For this incident, he was charged with Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (F-2), Fleeing to Elude (F-3), DWLSR (F-3), Criminal Mischief, Possession of Methamphetamine (F-3), Resisting (M-1), Trespassing (M-1), and Possession of Paraphernalia (M-1).
“This man is what you might call a true menace to society. He’s obviously a danger on the road, and his criminal history is a smorgasbord of physical violence, drugs, and thefts. He’s a poster child for people who belong behind bars.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
Wesley Pierce’s prior criminal history consists of 28 felony charges, 34 misdemeanor charges, and four incarcerations. This was his 39th time arrested in Polk County.
Prior charges include: Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery on a LEO (3), grand theft of a motor vehicle, dealing in stolen property, battery on a LEO, escape (2), battery (7), fleeing to elude, resisting (8), DWLSR (11), violation of injunction for domestic violence, meth possession (2), paraphernalia possession (2).
A mother and her 3-year-old son were killed as a result from a crash Monday, April 23, 2018, at about 11:47 p.m., when their car – a 1999 silver Toyota Corolla – went off the roadway and slammed into a parked train, near the intersection of US 17 and Spirit Lake Road, Bartow.
When Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on the scene, the mother and child were unresponsive. The mother, 29-year-old Classie Jones of Winter Haven, was transported to Winter Haven Hospital, but was pronounced deceased a short time after her arrival. The child was identified as Benjamin Taylor. He passed away several hours later at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa.
According to the preliminary investigation, Jones had been driving northbound on US 17 when she lost control of her car, went across the median and southbound lanes, off the road, and struck the train which was parked on the tracks that run parallel with US 17. Excessive speed and/or impairment may be factors. The train’s tanker car that was struck had minimal damage.
Ms. Jones was not wearing a seat belt, but Benjamin Taylor was buckled in a booster seat behind the driver seat at the time of the crash.
Lake Wales, FL – Ron Beisner from Bio-Med was named employee of the month for March at Lake Wales Medical Center.
