Lakeland Commission Moves Juneteenth Discussion to April 1 Meeting

Lakeland’s City Commission will consider whether to make Juneteenth a paid city holiday at its April 1 meeting, instead of the March 18 session.

City attorney Palmer Davis recommended the shift on Friday.

“At the last meeting, we discussed the Juneteenth resolution and potentially having a resolution for consideration on the March 18 meeting. Since that time, I’ve discovered that two commissioners will be absent from that meeting. So I’m recommending that we push that to the following meeting to the first meeting in April,” Davis explained. “It’s going to be a permanent change approved to the city schedule, so it’s probably appropriate to have all seven commissioners at the meeting where that’s under consideration.”

The commission agreed, however Mayor Pro Tem Stephanie Madden and Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr. requested that city staff notify community members who advocated for the holiday at the last meeting of the change.

“We’ll make sure that does happen, if that’s what the commission wants to do,” Davis said.

Commissioner Mike Musick also wanted to make sure the later date would not affect whether city workers can get June 19 off as a paid holiday in 2024.

“We do have till mid-June, right, to be able to do that?” Commissioner Mike Musick asked, adding that he hoped the Lakeland’s Black community would not interpret the delay as a lack of support. “I think that they see our sincerity — I would certainly hope that — so I would much rather everybody here to dialogue.”