Candidates for City Commission agreed far more than they disagreed at a forum today hosted by the Republican Club of Lakeland. The issue that brought the sharpest differences was whether the current commission was correct in giving Lakeland Regional Health a five-year break on increases in lease payments to the city. More on that after video of the forum; skip ahead to the 16:15 mark to hear candidate statements:
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A company working with the city of Lakeland is hoping to win a competitive grant to build a low-income housing complex on East Bella Vista Street just south of Tigertown. But first it had to get chosen by city commissioners against another company with considerable affordable-housing experience. More
A company that melts old aluminum wheels into ingots is moving into a long-vacant industrial building a few blocks west of the entrance to the upcoming Bonnet Springs Park. More
A discussion of a possible city broadband utility might have the farthest-reaching implications, but plenty more happened during five meetings that occupied city commissioners and their top staff between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. today. Here are some highlights, as seen on social media: More
A 710,962-square-foot warehouse planned for property that was once part of the Lakeland Drag Strip could grow to more than 1 million square feet, as a result of City Commission action today. That would make it one of the five largest warehouses in Lakeland. More
The city of Lakeland is planning a series of public meetings on whether it should create a municipal internet service provider even as support on the commission remains limited. More
In four meetings from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today, city commissioners tackled a wide variety of topics, including budget cuts, municipal internet service, affordable housing and a lot more. Here are highlights, seen through posts on social media: More
Lakeland Regional Health is getting rent relief after city commissioners agreed Monday to suspend annual rate increases for five years.
The amendment to the hospital lease agreement removes the annual 2.75% increase in rent through fiscal year 2024, freezing the price at $14.4 million. The annual rent increases had been set under a 25-year agreement between the city and the hospital signed in 2015. More
The scope of a possible city-owned internet service provider became more focused Monday as the City Commission’s broadband committee set a goal to build a fiber optics network to cover all of Lakeland city limits. More
A plan by the city’s staff will reduce the pressure to raise the property tax rate if a request for rent relief by Lakeland Regional Health is granted, but it won’t be pain-free, City Manager Tony Delgado said. More
