Commissioner Sarah Roberts McCarley
2-minute read

Lakeland City Commissioner Sara Roberts McCarley formally announced her bid for mayor Wednesday.

The election will be held Nov. 4. City elections are nonpartisan.

Roberts McCarley, 53, is the first candidate to publicly declare for the position. She has served as a commissioner for District C Southwest since 2019.

Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz, who has served in that role since 2018, announced last year that he would not seek another term. At that time, Roberts McCarley said she would consider a bid to succeed him.

Lakeland’s mayor is paid a salary of $45,599 a year plus $3,000 for expenses.

Lakeland commissioners are paid $31,533 a year with expenses.

Roberts McCarley’s commission seat is also up for election this year. Other seats that will be up for election this year are the District D Southeast seat held by first-full-term Commissioner Mike Musick and the At Large Seat 1 position held by two-term Commissioner Stephanie Madden.

‘Transparency’: In an emailed press release, the McCarley for Mayor organization called Roberts McCarley “a native Lakelander” who is “a proven champion for responsible spending and government transparency.”

Roberts McCarley was born at what was then called Lakeland General Hospital and grew up in Davenport. She first lived in Lakeland when she attended Florida Southern College, from which she graduated with a mass communications degree.

The announcement was issued by Isaac Communications, Inc., which had been registered in Jacksonville, although in the announcement it gave its address as “Free State, FL” with a Duval County zip code. Campaign treasurer is Noreen Fenner of Tallahassee.

Bill Mutz and Sara Roberts McCarley
Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz and Commissioner Sara Roberts McCarley listen as Lake Bonny residents plead for help with flooding in October 2024. | Barry Friedman, LkldNow | Barry Friedman, LkldNow

Volunteer service: The campaign announcement said Roberts McCarley’s priorities “for a thriving Lakeland” include “keeping local government accountable and transparent, protecting tax payers’ hard-earned dollars and supporting Lakeland’s first responders.”

It states that, as a mother and community leader, Roberts McCarley “understands the issues facing Lakeland’s families,” and that she “was instrumental in improving the quality of life of our residents as the former director of Polk Vision and through Best Buddies International.”

Roberts McCarley’s volunteer service, per the announcement, includes the Bonnet Springs Park Board, Randy Roberts Foundation founder, Polk Arts and Cultural Alliance Board, Junior League of Greater Lakeland, Ridge League of Cities VP, Sun N Fun Board and Night to Shine volunteer.

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Robert Meyerowitz has been a reporter, editor and foreign correspondent. He covered Central America and the Middle East, he was the cofounder and editor of the Anchorage Press in Alaska, and he taught journalism at the University of Alaska. He comes to Lakeland from Park City, Utah, where he edited The Park Record.

Barry Friedman founded Lkldnow.com in 2015 as the culmination of a career in print and digital journalism. Since 1982, he has used the tools of reporting, editing and content curation to help people in Lakeland understand their community better.

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2 Comments

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  2. The quality of our city government and city employees is too often taken for granted. We are getting remarkable return on our investment.

    Wouldn’t that be satisfying with other levels of government?!

    Reply
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