City Commission Election: By the Numbers
City Hall
Chad McLeod Elected to City Commission
Chad McLeod will be the newest Lakeland city commissioner, elected today with 55% of the vote to 45% for Carole Philipson in a low-key runoff election held just after a long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. More
City Moves Toward Formal Hearings on Broadband as New Potential Partners Emerge
Justin Troller, who has devoted much of his final year as a city commissioner pushing for a broadband utility, came away from his next-to-last meeting today with a bigger win than he was angling for. His fellow commissioners rejected his motion to hold a public referendum on an internet utility, but went along with a more far-reaching plan to start a process aimed at making a decision on broadband as early as March. More
Downtown Tower Deal Gets Commission Go-Ahead
A project to move a Lakeland-based company and its 500 employees to a new downtown tower on Lake Mirror won approval today from the City Commission, which agreed to trade the city-owned land for a 30 year nights-and-weekends lease of 150 parking spots. More
Deal for Summit Tower on Lake Mirror Coming to a Vote Monday
A deal to build a nine-story office building on city-owned land on the northwest shore of Lake Mirror is headed to city commissioners Monday for discussion and an expected approval. More
Mayor: Spectrum’s Enhanced Service Should Settle Broadband Debate
If there was any question about Mayor Bill Mutz’s position on whether Lakeland should build a fiber-to-the-home internet utility, an event Friday touted as a significant announcement about Lakeland’s gigabit ambitions should settle it. More
City Says It’s Serious This Time: No Chairs Until Parade Day
For several years, the city of Lakeland has asked people not to put up chairs until the day of the annual Christmas Parade, but the presence of early chairs has grown. This year, officials say they’ll remove chairs that show up along the parade route before Dec. 5, the day of the parade | News release
Despite Denials, Couple Persists With Preschool Plans
Even though two city boards have rejected their plans, Thomas and Madison Brawner say they are pressing on with their proposal to turn the 107-year-old Deen House into Alta Schoolhouse, a preschool. More
City Approves Impact Fees Below Consultant’s Recommendation
City commissioners today approved changes — mostly increases — in impact fees assessed on new construction. The purpose of impact fees is to pay the costs for new roads, parks and public safety associated with new development.
But in most cases, the impact fees approved today fall short of the levels that a city consultant said would be necessary to pay for that new infrastructure. How far short? City staff estimates it’s up to $5.1 million over the next five years for transportation, parks and cultural facilities that either won’t be built or will have to depend on other funding sources. More
Proposed City Rules Affect Food Trucks, Downtown Buildings, More
The evolution of food trucks from simple commissaries to rolling kitchens serving gourmet morsels has promoted the city to consider changes regulating their waste disposal. More