In recent years, LkldNow has hosted free community forums to explore timely local topics and introduce voters to candidates for local office. For our latest forums, we have partnered with Lakeland Vision to gather local experts to dissect issues and answer questions from audience members in order to foster civil discussion and seek solutions.
Let’s Talk Lkld: K-12 Education Forum
Panelists shared frustration with testing and emphasized the importance of valuing teachers as professionals.
Community Shows Up for LkldNow Forum on Race & Equity
Panelists discuss progress made since Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and ways to continue eliminating obstacles to prosperity and security.
Lakeland Smart Growth Forum Addresses Housing Needs, Infrastructure
About 100 people attended a Smart Growth Summit to discuss Lakeland’s increasing population and ways to handle it in the future.
Mayor: Lakeland Is ‘5,000 Residences Short’ for a City Its Size
Skyrocketing home values and rental rates are issues across Central Florida but rising housing costs in Lakeland are particularly acute because it is “5,000 residences short” for a city its size, Mayor Bill Mutz said at a forum on housing and homelessness.
Video and Photos: Lakeland Homelessness Forum
Here are photos and partial video from “Humanity, Housing and Homelessness,” a forum held Thursday evening at Catapult Lakeland.
Video: LkldNow Mayor Candidate Forum
Here is the video from LkldNow’s Mayor Candidate Forum, held Tuesday evening at Lkld Live. The video starts just after host Andrea Oliver had introduced candidates Bill Mutz and Saga Stevin but just before she asked them the first question.
Video: LkldNow City Commission Candidate Forum
The four candidates for two seats on the Lakeland City Commission expressed views on local issues at a forum sponsored by LkldNow on Wednesday evening. Here is an updated video of the event. The audio is spotty for the first 20 minutes but improves after that.
City Candidates Differ on Issues at LkldNow Forum
Differences emerged among the four candidates for Lakeland City Commission at a recent forum held by LkldNow. Issues where the candidates differed included COVID-19 masking, the South Florida Avenue road diet, body cameras for police officers, the city’s hospital lease and ways the city can support minority businesses.