LakeWalesNews.net News (2024)

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 26, 2024

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A happy city staff, as well as grant consultants Lee Hale and Hilary Waers of Hale innovation, were celebrating before, during, and after the city commission workshop Wednesday. In a room decorated with balloons, City Manager James Slaton made the happy announcement that the city had received a grant award of $22.93 million from the US Department of Transportation. The RAISE grant for "Complete Streets" will assure the completion of the Lake Wales Connected plan, a...

Special to the News|Updated Jun 29, 2024

The community-developed Lake Wales Envisioned plan continues to receive accolades from organizations both in Florida and around the nation. In the latest announcement about the program, Lake Wales Envisioned has been chosen by the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA FL) for its premier honor, the Award of Excellence. Envisioned also won an award from the Florida Planning & Zoning Association earlier this month. The new award follows closely the...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 29, 2024

After a typically-slow start to the Hurricane season, things are beginning to move into an active phase in the tropics, a reminder to all that preparing for storm season should be well underway. NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami is alerting on the development of Hurricane Beryl in the mid-Atlantic, an unusual area for this point in the season. The storm is expected to intensify to become a major hurricane before reaching the southern Windward Islands. Long-range...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 29, 2024

With a growing traffic volume and a significant rate of deadly crashes, a stretch of State Road 60 in eastern Polk County that is restricted to two-lanes has been a visible target of transportation planners for years. Now, tangible plans are afoot to correct the dangerous stretch of highway by widening it to four travel lanes. The project was included as a priority in the Transportation Planning Organization for Polk County. The TPO board, consisting of representatives from mu...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 29, 2024

The boom in development of new fast-casual restaurants in Lake Wales is continuing unabated, pacing the area's fast-growing residential population. New conceptual applications have been submitted for both a Chipotle Mexican Grille and a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Pre-application meetings have been completed for both, according to city officials. Most of the newly-announced sites are clustered around the Eagle Ridge Mall on US 27 at Chalet Suzanne Road. An announced new Dunkin...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 29, 2024

In an emotional moment during a city commission workshop Wednesday afternoon, Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton, in a halting statement, revealed that he has had a change of heart and plans to withdraw his name from contention for jobs in other cities. The moment came in the midst of a celebratory mood marking the announcement of an award of a grant of nearly $23 million to construct the "complete streets" program of the Lake Wales Connected plan. That award, by the US Depa...

Special to the News|Updated Jun 25, 2024

A Lake Wales woman has been arrested after she allegedly intentionally drove over her husband, who was holding an infant, injuring them both on Monday afternoon. The 16-month-old child remains hospitalized with serious injuries. The incident followed a domestic argument between Aaliyah Ross, 27, of Lake Wales, and her husband, Devin Ross, 25, during which he reportedly walked out of the house carrying the child before throwing a concrete block onto her car. As the argument...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 25, 2024

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A new construction effort will see the construction of about a mile of new sidewalk and the planting of scores of new street trees in Lake Wales. The long-neglected Northwest Neighborhood of Lake Wales, subject of a two-year effort to improve housing, will soon benefit from an investment in new sidewalks and street trees. Residents will see some disruption as the improvements are made. The project is only the first portion of the two-phase project, City Manager James Slaton...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 22, 2024

After a serious months-long drought that saw falling lake levels and withered lawns and shrubs, southeast Polk and the entire region are finally expecting to see the start of the normal summer monsoon rains. Forecasts are calling for as much as 2" to 3" of rain in some locations on a daily basis this week, with areas that see repeated rounds expected to incur localized flooding. A saturated atmosphere and light steering winds will lead to the development of thunderstorms...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 21, 2024

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With the threat of a "long, expensive, and distracting" lawsuit looming, the Lake Wales Charter School board will have an opportunity to reconsider their June 7 decision to summarily fire Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich "for cause," according to an attorney representing him. The board agreed without objection to place the issue on their July 22 agenda after hearing from attorney Kemp Brinson, who is representing Rodolfich. Brinson, in a special presentation that was the...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 20, 2024

A busy stretch of South Scenic Highway in Lake Wales will be closed for at least 30 days beginning Monday, June 17 between Winston Avenue and Alvina Avenue, a distance of about four blocks. Florida Department of Transportation crews have closed Scenic Highway from Grove Avenue to Hillcrest Avenue. The closure will require a detour for motorists using the roadway, routing traffic along South 4th Street to avoid construction. The Florida Department of Transportation will be...

Howard Davies|Updated Jun 20, 2024

UPDATE: An argument between two young men who had known each other since high school near a recently-constructed county football field led to a shooting that left one dead around 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening in Lake Wales. The incident happened outside city limits near a county-owned sports park on W. Northside Drive, about 200 feet north of Washington Avenue. According to a preliminary report from Polk Sheriff's investigators, Vincent Thomas, Jr., 21, arrived in a car at a...

News Staff Reports|Updated Jun 18, 2024

The Florida Department of Health in Polk County (DOH-Polk) is once again cautioning the public about the presence of blue-green algae in several area lakes. Although none has been reported in Ridge-area lakes, not every lake is tested, so boaters, swimmers, and fishers should be aware of the potential and take precautions. Water samples taken from Scott Lake, Lake Van, Lake Hanco*ck, Lake Gibson, and Lake Conine on May 23 detected blue-green algae that have the potential to...

News Staff Report|Updated Jun 10, 2024

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The Lake Wales Charter School board summarily dismissed School Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich during a meeting this afternoon after hearing a report from the Tampa law firm of Barbas Cremer regarding their investigation into anonymous grievances which were filed against Rodolfich earlier this year. Dr. Rodolfich has led the seven-school charter district since July 2022 after a year-long hunt ended in his hiring in March of that year. He came to Lake Wales after leading...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 9, 2024

A very serious crash blocked SR 60 in both directions only a half-mile west of US 27 Saturday afternon, causing a massive backup for both east and west-bound traffic. UPDATE: All lanes of SR 60 were cleared by 3:30 p.m., allowing normal traffic to resume. The 1:48 p.m. incident drew nearly a dozen emergency vehicles and nearly a score of personnel to the scene to redirect traffic. Although no official word has been released, it was apparent that at least one vehicle had been...

Robert Connors|Updated Jun 6, 2024

With much of central Florida in a serious drought situation and wildfires becoming a growing threat, forecasters are at last predicting a potential start to the normal summer rainy season. Conditions across the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico will begin to normalize over the coming week as the "Bermuda High," a sprawling moisture pump that feeds moist tropical air northward to Florida, beginning to set up in the Atlantic. At the same time, a persistent high-pressure area that has...

News Staff Reports|Updated Jun 5, 2024

A large wildfire is raging tonight near Indian Lake Estates and the Canopy Oaks resort in eastern Polk County. More than 25 emergency units have been assigned to try to bring the inferno under control, and the Florida Forest Service has delivered heavy equipment to firefighters in an apparent attempt to build firelines to stop the spread of the flames. Units from Lake Wales and Frostproof were sent to the scene to assist state and county firefighters under the direction of the...

Brian Bruchey|Updated Jun 4, 2024

A Bartow Police Department officer was arrested by detectives from the Polk County Sheriff's Office, after the PCSO was requested by Bartow PD on May 8, 2024 to investigate his actions involving four teenage females, inappropriate video, drugs, and alcohol. UPDATE: Former Officer Now Facing Additional Charges 24-year old Markanthony Fernandez was charged Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at the Polk County Jail with four felonies and six misdemeanors for events that occurred during the...

News Staff Report|Updated Jun 4, 2024

Lake Wales Envisioned, a film documenting the development of the eponymous project created to help guide the community through the challenges of rapid development, has been named as a recipient of the 2024 Communicator Award for excellence in film-making. The 30-minute film was created by Lee Dover of the planning firm of Dover, Kohl & Partners, who were the lead planners responsible for the award-winning plan. It was selected for screening at the Redfish Film Festival in...

Special to the News|Updated Jun 4, 2024

The former Bartow police officer who remains in the Polk County Jail for his arrest on May 28, 2024 for inappropriate and criminal behavior with four teenage females, now has additional criminal charges from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Detectives from the PCSO became aware of a comment on a Facebook post about the arrest of 24-year old Markanthony Fernandez, which indicated that the commenter may also have been a victim of Fernandez. The commenter was contacted by a...

Frank Butler|Updated May 31, 2024

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A proposal by Lake Wales Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson would appoint at "sergeant at arms" to monitor comments made by the public during city commission meetings. During the commission's Wednesday agenda workshop Gibson cited what he called "personal attacks" that have "driven off good people" as his reasoning behind the proposal. The city has suffered the resignation of several officials during the past two years, but most have simply returned to work at the city as...

News Staff Report|Updated May 31, 2024

The Lake Wales region is now officially in a drought status after conditions here worsened during the past week. Excessive heat during April and May have increased stress on agriculture and native landscapes. According to the official U.S. Drought Monitor, conditions here worsened from Abnormally Dry (D0) to Moderate Drought (D1), according to this week's U.S. Drought Monitor. The Climate Prediction Center's May Drought Outlook released on April 30, 2024, had predicted that...

Robert Connors|Updated May 27, 2024

The drought and intense heatwave that has gripped the Ridge and most of central Florida has led Polk County to declare an outdoor burn ban which will go into effect next week. The move comes just as the 2024 hurricane season begins. The annual six-month cyclone season is predicted to be far more active than normal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a host of private weather predictions. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has released a forecast...

Robert Connors|Updated May 26, 2024

Work has begun on Hickory Ridge, an 85-lot single-family subdivision that will rise just east of Lake Wales Country Club. The project is the work of Garden Street Communities Southeast, based in Pensacola, FL. It adds to the growing list of residential projects now under development in the southeast quadrant of the city. Site work is underway, being conducted by Diamondback Civil. The 47-acre project site lies in unincorporated Polk County and includes a significant wetland...

Special to the News|Updated May 25, 2024

The Florida Department of Health in Polk County (DOH-Polk) is cautioning the public of the presence of blue-green algae in several lakes in the Lakeland and Winter Haven area. Although none has been reported in Ridge-area lakes, boaters, swimmers, and fishers should be aware of the potential and take precautions. Water samples taken from Scott Lake, Lake Van, Lake Hanco*ck, Lake Gibson, and Lake Conine on May 23 detected blue-green algae that have the potential to produce toxin...