Carvana Expands Vehicle Delivery to Lakeland
Carvana, an online used-car dealership with an inventory of more than 15,000 vehicles, has added Lakeland to the roughly 130 markets where it offers as-soon-as-next-day delivery. More
Consumer
Affordable Housing Shortage: Rents Outpace Wages
People looking for rentals in Lakeland are discovering that affordability is hard to find in a market that combines a housing shortage, growing population, escalating development costs and stagnant wages.
Report Has Polk Second in U.S. in New Foreclosures
Lakeland-Winter Haven has had the nation’s second-highest rate of new foreclosure filings among metro areas this year, according to a new analysis that finds the filings down from last year nationally but up significantly in Florida. More
HomeGoods Store Coming to S. Florida Avenue
HomeGoods (website), an off-price home-furnishings sister company to T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s, is building a 21,000-square-foot store next to the site of the upcoming GreenWise Market on South Florida Avenue, Polk County building records show.
Lakeland Electric Fuel Charge Will Decrease Slightly
Lakeland Electric customers can thank a warm winter and dropping natural gas prices for a slight dip in their electric bill over the next three months. The utility’s fuel charge will drop from 3.875 cents per kilowatt hour to 3.750 cents for April, May and June. That’s a $1.25 decrease for the “typical” residential customer using 1,000 kWh of power.
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Hard-Earned Consumer Tip: Understand Your Water Bill
A consumer tip comes via a Lakeland Water Utilities customer who discovered he was paying a $35.15 monthly base rate instead of $13.13 because his house had a larger-than-standard meter: Check your water bill; understand what you are being charged for.
Polk Solar Co-op Has Attracted 41 Members
The organization, which aims to use the power of group purchasing to get its members good deals on solar power installation, has scheduled an information session for 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at the main Lakeland Library. The group has 225 slots; sign-ups go through Christmas | Solar United website
Lakeland Sears Will Close in Bankruptcy Move
The Lakeland Square location is one of 77 Sears and 65 Kmarts nationwide that will close by the end of the year. Liquidation sales begin soon.
Lakeland GreenWise Projected to Open in Early 2020
The eagerly anticipated GreenWise Market planned for south Lakeland is projected to open in the first quarter of 2020 and will take up nearly one-third of a shopping center that will include another anchor store, Publix Super Markets executives said this morning. More
Lakeland Cracks Top 10 in U.S. News Best Retirement Cities
Lakeland moved from 26th last year to 10th this year in U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Places to Retire in the U.S. Other Florida cities in the top 10 are Fort Myers at No. 2 and Sarasota, which dropped from the top spot last year to 3rd this year. More