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Last Thursday, LkldNow broke the story about a proposed data center.
In the wake of that coverage, residents packed a City Commission meeting on Monday — then the developers canceled the June 3 review meeting, and a technical error led us to believe that the project had been withdrawn completely, until the city emailed us a correction. If you feel a little whiplash following this story, so do we.
For now, “Project Swan” lives on. Catch up on the saga below:
Hyperscale Data Center Proposed for Lakeland
May 28, 2026
MORE NEWS FROM LKLDNOW
A century-old building downtown is poised for a comeback. The new owner imagines retail space, a food hall, and possibly a boutique hotel upstairs.
Budget concerns seem top of mind for the city commission. In April, the Lakeland Police Department requested additional funds in the city’s budget for next year to pay for expanded AI-driven tools. The assistant chief calls them a game changer and a force multiplier — but what does that actually mean?
In November, voters will decide on a Florida constitutional amendment that could shrink the city’s coffers by $14.5 million year. Commissioners are already planning for the impact.
Commissioners also weighed and split on a $10,000 spend for a statue designed as part of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Between May Match and our one day Local News campaign, we raised $8,800! Thank you for your support!
Last Friday, the city gave out the monthly beautification awards.
In another fast-moving news story, Sheriff Judd asked for help identifying skeletal remains — hours later he made a preliminary identification.
Lakeland’s June 2026 Beautification Award Winners
June 1, 2026
Human Remains Discovered in Northeast Lakeland
May 29, 2026
LKLDBRIEFS
Polk County Urges Residents to Prepare for Hurricane Season Now
PokeKon-Fest Comes to Lakeland Saturday, May 30
Lakeside Village Celebrates VIVID Spring with Laser Show on May 30
RECOMMENDED READS
Polk State College trustees vote to hire Kamoutsas as next president | Gary White, The Ledger (paywall)
45,000-square-foot warehouse proposed on Old Polk City Road | Chuck Merlis, TBBW
Lakeland student accused of making multiple bomb threats at middle school, sheriff says | Sara Kitchin, News Channel 8
Kaylee from Clearwater came dressed as Vaporean for PokeKon Fest, which coincided with Lakeland’s first Hurricane Expo at RP Funding Center on Saturday, May 30. | Trinity Laurino, LkldNow
This week has been a whirlwind in the newsroom, especially on the heels of the Memorial Day holiday. Last week, we asked how many of you left town for the long weekend: 15% said yes, and 85% said no.
Who’s ready for another weekend?
Trinity Laurino
Executive Director, LkldNow
Anna Toms
Newsroom Lead, LkldNow
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