The PCSO Traffic Homicide Unit investigated a crash involving four vehicles in Davenport on Friday, March 31, 2023; one of the drivers involved is deceased, possibly from a medical episode. No other parties were injured.
According to the investigation so far, PCSO received a 911 call around 5:42 a.m. that morning from the area of US Hwy 27 North near the intersection of Bella Citta Blvd. When first responders arrived, they found 60-year-old Craig Etheredge of Davenport deceased in his blue 2008 Toyota Corolla.
Etheredge was traveling south on US Hwy 27 in the middle lane approaching the aforementioned intersection when he veered to the right and side-swiped a red 2017 Dodge Charger that was also heading southbound in the far right lane. He then drifted over and across the intersection, and struck a white Chevrolet Silverado truck that was facing northbound and stopped at the red light. This pushed the Silverado into a white 2016 Trex cement truck that was also stopped at the red light beside it.
Etheredge’s family told deputies that he was not feeling well and was driving himself to the hospital. It is possible he had a medical event while driving, which caused the crash and resulted in his death. The investigation is ongoing. The roadways in that area were closed for approximately four hours.
During the evening hours of Saturday, April 1, 2023, 29-year-old Colten McMullen(DOB 8/25/93) of Lakeland was arrested on US Hwy 92 west of Auburndale after hitting two vehicles and a bicyclist, and attempting to flee. The bicyclist is deceased.
According to the affidavit, just after 10:00 p.m. the Auburndale Police Department responded to a traffic crash near the Walmart on US Hwy 92, where the at-fault driver (later positively identified as McMullen) had struck another vehicle and fled the scene.
While fleeing west down US 92 in his white Chevy Silverado, McMullen struck another vehicle within PCSO’s jurisdiction approximately two miles down the road from the first crash. Deputies responded to investigate that crash and search for the fleeing suspect. The victims in the Dodge Journey SUV told deputies that after the Silverado struck the rear of their vehicle, it continued west and swerved right, partially off of the roadway, where it struck an adult male bicyclist. The suspect did not stop to render aid. First responders found the bicyclist, a 37-year-old Lakeland man, deceased from his injuries. Other witnesses in the area also reported the hit-and-run fatality.
After hitting the bicyclist, the Silverado continued until it became disabled, and McMullen stopped the truck approximately 1.5 miles west of Old Dixie Hwy. Deputies arrived and took him into custody. He showed several signs of impairment and told deputies that he had been drinking at the Apple Lounge on Recker Hwy that evening. He told deputies the truck is his and that he “wrecked” but that he wasn’t sure how many times he wrecked. He was taken into custody and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a first degree felony, and leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage, a misdemeanor.
Further charges are pending the toxicological results of his blood alcohol content. He is being held in the Polk County Jail on no bond until a first appearance hearing.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family who are certainly grieving the loss of their loved one, and our gratitude goes out to all of the witnesses who assisted us during this investigation. Thanks to their cooperation and a swift response from law enforcement, we were able to take McMullen into custody before he could hurt anyone else.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Providing more homes. Planting more trees. Restoring the historic downtown hotel. These topics and many more were discussed during the city commission candidate forum hosted at the Lake Wales History Museum on Tuesday evening.
Three candidates for city commissioner seats three and five appeared at the forum to discuss pertinent topics related to historical preservation, cultural resources, and economic development.
The participating candidates were Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson, who is running for Seat 5, and Michelle Threatt and Keith Thompson, who are running for Seat 3. Danielle Pride Gibson, who is running for Seat 5, was absent that evening.
The forum was sponsored and hosted by the Lake Wales History Museum, moderated by Brandon Alvardo, and the sound equipment was provided by Robert Foss. Several dozen attendees attended the forum that evening.
Each participating candidate offered opening and closing remarks, and each took turns answering a series of questions about select topics concerning the city.
Historic Restoration
Robert Gibson
Gibson considers himself “crazy” for historic development. He has personally overseen the historic restoration of four buildings, and he is currently overseeing his fifth building restoration.
So when asked if he would support city-funded incentives to restore historic buildings, he considered it the “easiest and most obvious question” with the most obvious answer: “of course.”
Even then, he remains fiscally conservative about such matters. He prefers not to spend money “willy nilly”; rather, he wants to ensure there is a value-to-value exchange where the city “gets more value in turn.”
Keith Thompson
Thompson considers himself converted towards appreciating his city’s history through Mimi Hardmann, the former museum director who had attended his church, where he served as associate pastor. Hearing how much of a heart she had for the city’s history made him appreciate local historic landmarks and buildings much more.
With historic restoration, Thompson feels the city can do more and should do more. He believes the best institution to accomplish that is the local government rather than the federal. He firmly believes “the strength of the city is its own ability to govern and regulate itself.”
Michelle Threatt
When Threatt walked into the museum that evening, she felt ashamed. She had attended several events there, but she never had the opportunity to walk through the entire museum and see its exhibits.
She admires the museum’s dedication to preserving history. She admits that there are aspects of the city she does not know about, but she wants to do everything to learn more about them and appreciate them.
“I just am really [humbled] with disappointment in myself not knowing stuff in our reach,” she said. “So any resources I can be a part of to get children more involved and [to] build on our history, I am for it.”
Lake Wales Envisioned
Robin Gibson
Gibson considers the Lake Wales Envisioned Plan an opportunity that Lake Wales needed to take advantage of. It was not just a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. It was a “once in a greater lifetime”, as the life of a city exceeds that of any person.
He knows growth is coming to the city. It is inevitable. So any opportunity the city can take to develop and prepare itself for the coming growth is a “critical point.” “Envisioned gives us that opportunity,” he said. “We have it in our hands. and if we do not take advantage of that, shame on us.”
Keith Thompson
Thompson considers the community involvement with the Envisioned plan to be the biggest positive. Not only has the local community been committed to providing their feedback for their plans, but also worked together for a unified vision.
“Regardless of our ideology, we are all of one accord,” he said. “We do not want to see town morph into something we do not recognize or are proud of.”
Michelle Threatt
The overall transparency of the project impressed her the most. Not only have the residents been open about expressing their opinions about their city, but the city itself has been open about accepting these opinions.
She wants to bring that same transparency to her role. She wants to hear what all residents think of the city’s decisions, and she wants them to know that, even if they do not agree with the final decision, they know how it was made.
Lake Wales History Museum
Each of the three candidates was asked if they supported the current litigation surrounding the hotel and the city’s attempt to gain ownership of it. They all unanimously answered that they did. Thompson answered, “yes, and yes.” Gibson answered, “yes, and hell yes.” Threatt answered, “yes” and asked if the hotel can include an ice cream shop.
As to what they would do to rehabilitate the hotel, Gibson replied by explaining his three-step process. One step was the current litigation underway. The second step was to create a trust fund to renovate the building, a “mechanism” that he claimed was being implemented in the Care Center as a “guinea pig.” And the third step was to have private owners build on its historic value.
Thompson said that the city would have to gain ownership first and see how the CRA would operate. The key, he said, is making sure the CRA is capitalized in the right way, and that the financing is “legit and solid.” The last he wants is “the sore thumb of the hotel sticking up without a plan.”
Threatt, on the other hand, suggested that some of the rooms inside the hotel could be utilized as apartments, especially to provide affordable housing. She recently counted on seeing eight homeless people, and the projected growth for the city and county has her concerned there is not enough affordable housing for people. She thinks the hotel can potentially help alleviate that.
About the Candidates
Robin Gibson
Several decades ago, Robin Gibson was motivated to do the “nuttiest thing I have ever done”, which is run for a political position. He was motivated to do so with the decline of the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, which he claimed was being “abused and mistreated” with “zero” being redeveloped.
Gibson decided to run and do something about the situation. Through his involvement, both on the local and state level, the Lake Wales CRA made an epic turnaround and helped spur local economic development.
Recently, the biggest feather in his cap is the $18.5 million Lake Wales Connected, a revitalization plan dedicated to uniting both the Lake Wales Downtown and Northwest District under a unified, more beautified vision.
Keith Thompson
Thompson has lived in Lake Wales for 55 years. He has grown a family there with a loving wife, a child, and two grandchildren. He works for the biggest wooden pellet company in the state.
However, having lived and worked in Lake Wales for as long as he has, he never imagined that he would one day run for a political position, and yet he determined that running for city commissioner was not only a possibility but a duty.
He loves his community and appreciates everything it has provided him: a loving family, a well-paying job, and an overall affluent lifestyle. For that reason, he wants to make the community a better place so that everyone can enjoy that same life.
“I never imagined myself in this position. This is not something I thought I would be doing,” he said. “As you age and get older, if you do not step up and help your city, then there is not a lot of substance to you at this point.”
Michelle Threatt
During her closing remarks, Threatt owed her motivation for following her current life path and running for political office to the most curious choice: Bradley Norris, a now-deceased convict who had assaulted her outside Lake Wales Hospital in 2010.
“His plan was to bash my brains in,” she said. “That was the best worst day of my life because it pushed me to this place.”
Since that fateful day, she decided to turn her life around and make something of herself. A retired communication officer from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, she is now the proud owner of Topsy’s Food Truck.
She is also the President of the Northwest Association and a Lake Wales housing board commissioner. Having served her city as an entrepreneur and civil servant, she wants to continue serving it in political office.
“If you want change, change; and that change starts with you,” she said. “I wanted change, so I started with me, and that is why I am sitting before you.”
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has proven to be quite the tumultuous movie franchise. Originally, it was marketed as the “darker” and “edgier” competitor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its superficial “maturity” only led to cinematic disasters like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. Only after it shaved off its “edge” and lightened its tone did the DCEU gain momentum with some real successes: Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Suicide Squad, and Shazam!
Without exaggeration and with all sincerity, the original 2019 Shazam! is the best DCEU film, if for no other reason than it’s the most fun and hilarious. How can it not be? The movie has a very fun and hilarious premise: what if a young boy was granted the power to turn into an adult and gain super abilities like super strength, speed, and flight? The answer is a superhero version of 1988’s Big, with a boy taking full advantage of being both an adult and superhero, from performing heroic feats to legally buying beer at a gas station for his teenage companion.
Zachary Levi (despite the glaring fault of his anti-vaccine views) does a great job of playing a young boy trapped inside the body of an adult man with his immature quips and mannerisms. He certainly has you believe he is a young boy turned into a man. And he certainly appears to have fun playing that role, which makes it even more fun watching him play that role.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods follows where the last movie ended. Two years had passed since Billy Baxton and his foster family of children gained the superpowers of Shazam. They try to use their powers to be superheroes and save the day, but, still being young inexperienced children, they often fail in their endeavors, to the point of their team being dubbed the “Philly Fiascos.”
Aside from the many failures of him and his superhero team, Billy also battles with the insecurity of almost turning 18 and soon aging out of the foster system. That, along with his other family members doing their separate things, makes him question his place in his family and worry about his future within it.
Of course, things take an unexpected turn when he and the others are hunted by the Daughters of Atlas, the Greek titan punished with holding up the Earth, and who was one of the legendary heroes whose powers were stolen to create Shazam. His daughters now seek to hunt down Billy and his family and steal back those powers for their own nefarious purposes. Will Billy keep his family together, both figuratively and literally, in the face of these new threats?
Admittedly, this review is going to be short because I don’t have much to say about it. Shazam is your typical superhero movie with your typical message about the importance of family. It follows the typical beats of those stories, and thus you know what the typical outcome is going to be. This movie is typical, which is what I’m trying to get at. It’s average—or “mid”, as the kids these days will put it.
But, again, as with the original movie, what makes this sequel work is Zachary Levi and the other actors, all of whom do a good job of acting like kids inside the bodies of adults. Special
props to Meagan Good, who does an excellent job of playing a young woman being played by a young girl playing a young woman. There’s one scene at the start where she and the team are saving people from a collapsing bridge. She sees a car with a basket of baby kittens. She coos in excitement over their cuteness and snatches them to rescue them, leaving behind the confused human occupants before returning to save them.
Moments like that essentially save this movie from being just average. Like the original movie, it is fun and hilarious. There are plenty of funny moments that certainly prove entertaining and add levity to the heavy action.
For example, one of the scenes involves a little girl having to tame a unicorn to save a city from an army of monsters by tossing Skittles at it and asking it to “taste the rainbow!” If moments like that make you roll your eyes and scoff, you’ll want to avoid this movie. But if you like fun and having fun, then give this movie a chance.
Not many superhero movies know how to be fun anymore. Aside from the Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool, and Ant-Man films, most superhero movies take themselves way too seriously. That was especially true for the DCEU at its start. So it’s a real relief to finally be able to watch movies like Shazam that don’t take themselves too seriously and know how to have a good time. We need more movies like that.
So, it’s a real pity that Shazam: Fury of the Gods isn’t doing well at the box office or in reviews. The movie flopped its opening weekend with only a measly $30.5 million, and with a meager 52 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Don’t let its poor performance fool you. The new Shazam! movie may not be great, but it’s pretty good for what it is. If you liked the campy children’s movies of the 1980s, both this and Shazam! 2019 have that exact feel that will make you feel good and make you chuckle. Overall, I’d certainly recommend watching this movie, at least as a matinee.
Warner University sent their best when they sent four students from their clay shooting program to compete in the Lake Wales Care Center Eighth Annual Clay Shoot.
The Warner University team won first place with a combined score of 304, which was done by each of their 4 shooters hitting a perfect 76 out of 76 clays. Each participant received an engraved tumbler and a door prize of their choosing.
More than 27 teams participated in this year’s clay shoot, hosted at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center. Proceeds from the event went to benefit the Lake Wales Care Center.
For the past eight years, the clay shoot has remained a popular fundraiser for the Care Center, with plenty of avid clay shooter enthusiasts supporting and participating in the shoot each year, explained Mike Morrow, Director of Resource Development.
“The Care Center is appreciative of the sponsors and participants who have enabled this event to continue to grow from year to year,” he said. “There is a strong clay shooting community in our area – many of which like to work alongside the Care Center to help support the needs of our Lake Wales neighbors. This event gives them the opportunity to come together to raise funds and awareness of Care Centers programs and services.”
On April 15th, the Lake Wales Care Center is hosting a 5k and a 10k road race set around Lake Wailes lake. Also, their stay-at-home work camps for middle and high school students are set for the summer. In October, they will host their annual golf tournament at Lake Wales Country Club.
For more information about these upcoming events, visit their website at: https://lakewalescarecenter.com/
Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School accepts everyone as a student regardless of who they are. The only major exception are alligators.
A baby gator snuck into Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School last Thursday, but was promptly and safely expelled by school staff.
The school was hosting a food drive, an event they host once a month to collect donations to help feed the local community.
However, while the school staff was busy loading and unloading food donations, they encountered an unexpected visitor who happened to enter the school. That visitor had scaly skin and a row of sharp teeth!
“We had one of our classroom doors open as we were getting the boxes of food out to load onto the bus ramp,” explained Principal Kim Griffith. “And when the teachers were coming in to get more food, they noticed our friend there.”
Fortunately, the alligator was a small baby that did not hurt anyone. Teachers William Milton and Amanda Bender used a broom to guide the baby gator out of the school and back outside.
Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School is located near a protected wilderness area, which is home to various creatures including turkeys, possums, and raccoons. Many of these creatures have been seen wandering the school grounds.
“Apparently, alligators can climb fences,” Griffith said. “I did not know that. And so we are certainly more aware of that.”
The protected wilderness area is regularly checked by Florida Fish and Wildlife. Early spring is when most baby alligators hatch and start wandering away from their parents.
Principal Griffith assures students and their families that the school is safe and that the staff will take further precautions to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.
“I think it is to be aware that as we have more homes in the community,” she said. “That a lot of the habitat is missing from nature, and we want to make sure the students are aware and they do not approach the animals. It was a good learning experience for the staff as well.”
On March 29, 2023, Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested 33-year-old Ricardo Guerra-Vergara and 32-year-old Eduardo Rojas-Astudillofor multiple vehicle burglaries, grand theft, fraud and other charges. Both Guerra-Vergara and Rojas-Astudillo are Chilean citizens who are in the United States illegally.
Hunt Fountain Park burglaries
On March 25, 2023, detectives began investigating two vehicle burglaries that occurred at Hunt Fountain Park (2020 Duff Road) in Lakeland. An additional vehicle at the park was damaged from an attempted burglary as well. The suspects removed personal items, including credit and debit cards, from the vehicles. The burglaries occurred while the victims were attending youth sporting events at the park.
The victims received multiple notifications from their financial institutions alerting them to fraudulent activity associated with the stolen credit and debit cards while they were at the park, at which time they returned to their vehicles and found them damaged and/or burglarized.
In the first burglary, two victims received multiple alerts of suspected fraudulent activity from their financial institutions. Detectives confirmed that a total of $4,994.19 was withdrawn using the stolen cards, and an additional $9,529.26 was attempted but the transactions were declined.
Another victim received alerts that someone attempted to withdraw $6669.63 from different credit and debit cards. When the victim checked, all of the fraudulently used cards were still in her wallet, however, $957 in cash was taken from her car.
Another victim whose car was parked in the lot reported damage to her driver side keyhole, but nothing from within her vehicle was missing.
Lake Parker Park burglary
During the investigation, detectives learned that the Lakeland Police Department was investigating a similar vehicle burglary by the same suspects at the Lake Parker Pavilion Park (830 E. Robson St.) that also occurred on March 25th. The suspects burglarized one vehicle and damaged a second vehicle in a failed attempt to break into it.
PCSO detectives obtained video evidence at Lake Parker Park that identified a gray Dodge Durango as the suspects’ vehicle. The video revealed three Hispanic males in the Durango—the truck stopped beside a victim’s vehicle and exited the Durango. Two of the men appeared to be look-outs, while the third male entered the victim’s vehicle. All three returned to the Durango and left the park.
A total of four victims had personal items in the burglarized vehicle. The suspects attempted to withdraw a total of $13,200.66 from the victims’ credit and debit cards. The attempted transactions were declined by the financial institutions. Also stolen from the vehicle was $795 in cash.
The Dodge Durango was determined to have been rented from Miami, Florida, and the vehicle information was disseminated to area law enforcement agencies.
On March 29th, The Haines City Police Department located the Durango at the Bank of America (905 E. Hinson Ave.) in Haines City. Officers confirmed the identities of the men in the Durango as Guerra-Vergara and Rojas-Astudillo. They were detained until PCSO detectives arrived.
PCSO detectives showed both suspects a photo of themselves from the Lake Parker Pavilion Park security video. Rojas-Astudillo admitted they were the men in the photo. Detectives also heard Guerra-Vergara make the statements, “I was wearing a hat, so they can’t tell it was me,” and “They can’t prove anything, we returned all of the cards.”
“Not only are these criminals in the country illegally, they are preying on the innocent citizens of Polk County. Because of the quick work by my detectives and the partnership we have with other law enforcement agencies, these two thieves are off the street and in jail where they belong. Two key takeaways from this burglary trend are: don’t leave your valuables in plain view when you leave your car parked at a sports field, dog park, or gym, where suspects know women are more likely to leave their purses; and make sure your bank offers fraud alerts – the victims who had that set up on their phones were immediately notified that their cards had been stolen or compromised, which made a huge difference in this investigation.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Ricardo Guerra-Vergara was charged with:
Grand theft (F3) (3 counts)
Vehicle burglary (F3) (3 counts)
Attempted vehicle burglary (F3) (2 counts)
Fraudulent use of credit cards (F3) (12 counts)
Obtaining property by fraud (F3)
Criminal use of personal identification (F3) (6 counts)
Criminal mischief (F3) (2 counts)
Traveling across county lines to commit a burglary (charge enhancement)
He is currently in the Polk County Jail and being held on a $29,000 bond.
Eduardo Rojas-Astudillo was charged with:
Grand theft (F3) (3 counts)
Vehicle burglary (F3) (3 counts)
Attempted vehicle burglary (F3) (2 counts)
Fraudulent use of credit cards (F3) (12 counts)
Obtaining property by fraud (F3)
Criminal use of personal identification (F3) (6 counts)
Criminal mischief (F3) (2 counts)
Traveling across county lines to commit a burglary (charge enhancement)
He is currently in the Polk County Jail and being held on a $29,000 bond.
PCSO has confirmed with the Department of Homeland Security/United States Border Patrol that both Guerra-Vergara and Rojas-Astudillo are in the United States illegally. The Department of Homeland Security has completed an immigration detainer for each of the suspects and they are being held in the Polk County jail with those detainers, in addition to their bond.
Need a new car? Looking for a Toyota, Hyundai, or Genesis? You can shop for all three brands at the newly-refurbished Lakeland Automall. Just as with their old location, they remain dedicated, as their website states, to “convenience, savings, and selection.”
At Lakeland Automall, not only can you expect a diverse selection of Toyota, Hyundai, and Genesis brand vehicles, but you can also expect “exceptional service” with sales focused on your personal needs and finances.
“When it comes to the vehicle you drive, never settle for anything but the best. We believe that everyone should be treated like a guest in our home,” their website states. “This philosophy translates to exceptional service, money-saving specials, and the latest Ford, Hyundai, and used car vehicle inventory selections to its Orlando, Tampa Bay, FL area customers, backed by outstanding service.”
Lakeland Automall relocated their Lakeland Hyundai facility into the former Lakeland Mazda building, all while completely remodeling their 1500 property. As the Lakeland Chamber reported: “For over a year and a $2M reinvestment. [they have] updated the facility with the latest technologies including 2 public access EV fast charging stations, an expanded three-lane service bay and completely remodeled sales and service showrooms.”
Lakeland Automall celebrated the grand opening of its newly-refurbished facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.
Over the past year, the facility has undergone its journey towards a complete remodel of its property. Owner Greg Balasco owes their success to their committed staff who have remained steadfast throughout the entire process. Their next venture, he announced, will be to transform their old Mazda building into Genesis.
“In the end, what we see is absolutely beautiful,” he said. “I am proud to be here with everyone here. I am proud that we pulled this off and got everything done. It has been a fun experience. I am glad it is done…Thank you for supporting us through this long journey.”
Bob Kim, National VP of Sales, had traveled from their national headquarters in Atlanta to express his support and gratitude for the Lakeland campus. He presented a golden model of a Korean warship, 11 of which had bravely fought off a Japanese fleet of 201.
Kim has high expectations moving forward with the company. Last year, they sold 700,000 units, and they expect to sell between 1.2 – 1.5 million in a couple of years. They had already invested $1.5 billion in Savannah to build the first all-electric battery plant.
“Our commitment is there, and the partnership there is with you,” Kim said. “It says a lot about you about what you mean to us. We truly appreciate you. We appreciate it.”
Mayor Bill Mutz commended Lakeland Automall for its remodel. As the company has undergone development, so, too, has the city thanks to businesses like theirs. The economic development of
the city and its local businesses mirror each other, and for that, Mutz remains proud of the overall endeavor.
“I cannot tell you what a privilege it is to be reflected in this time and moment,” he said. We want to be reflected and available in our minds and hearts due to the passions that are within us and to fulfill our roles the best we can wherever we are, and when we do that, the rest just works out, think about doing your skills the best you can, make the most of the best and the least of the worst. That is what happened here.”
Lakeland Automall is located at 1430 W Memorial Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33815. For more information, visit their website at: https://www.lakelandautomall.com/
As Polk County continues experiencing dry weather conditions due to a prolonged lack of rainfall, Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) has issued an official burn ban ordinance.
The current increased risk of brush fires and uncontrolled fires are a threat to Polk County’s safety. The dry conditions don’t show signs of easing up any time in the near future, so Polk County Fire Rescue has issued the burn ban.
The burn ban includes:
Campfires;
Bonfires;
Unpermitted controlled burns;
Burning of yard and household trash;
Burning of construction debris;
Burning of organic debris;
Igniting of fireworks; and
Noncommercial burning of materials other than for religious or ceremonial purposes, in which case they must be contained in a barbecue grill or barbecue pit, and the total fuel area cannot exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height.
“Polk County Fire Rescue has held off as long as we possibly can on issuing this burn ban,” said Polk County Fire Rescue Chief, Hezedean A. Smith, D.M. “The current dry conditions are favorable for the rapid development and spread of brush fires throughout the County. Ensuring the safety of every resident and visitor throughout Polk County and minimizing the likeliness for loss of property county wide are top priorities for Polk County Fire Rescue.”
More than 50 percent of Polk County is averaging over 501 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). The KBDI index is a continuous reference scale used by the Florida Forest Service to assess the likelihood and severity of brush fires. The scale begins at zero, which reflects no danger, and rises to 800, which reflects extreme danger.
The burn ban applies to all unincorporated Polk and the following municipalities: Auburndale, Eagle Lake, Lake Alfred, Mulberry, Lake Hamilton, Haines City, Hillcrest Heights, Polk City, Winter Haven, Davenport, Dundee, Lakeland, Bartow, Frostproof, Fort Meade and Highland Park.
Anyone who refuses to comply or violates this burn ban shall be in violation of County Ordinance 08-015 and can be punished by a fine not to exceed $500 or by imprisonment by a term not to exceed 60 days in the county jail or both.
Update 8:30pm – The fire has increased in size to approximately 500 acres with 50% containment. Multiple outbuildings have been lost. 10 dozers(Lakeland, Orlando, and Okeechobee Districts) are working the fire. @PolkFire is assisting. Cause is unknown. Last update for tonight
————————
The Florida Fire Service advises they are battling a 300 acre fire near River Ranch. They currently have 9 dozers suppressing the spread of the fire.
From Canopy Oaks – Posted To Lake Wales Daily Facebook
Many camps have been destroyed. The fire isn’t far from Canopy Oaks off C. R. 630 E.
The initial call came in around 2:40pm.
We will update as more information released.
#RightGate Fire update- Fire is approximately 300 acres in size. @FLForestService has 9 dozers suppressing the fire. River Ranch has been closed to anyone entering. Several camps have been destroyed, too early to estimate. pic.twitter.com/p8Odw0QO7Q
