LOCAL NEWS

WORDS Barry Friedman/LkldNow.com

‘PLAY BALL’ FINALLY HEARD AS SPRING TRAINING GETS A LATE START

The cry of “Play ball” and the crack of the bat were finally heard at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 18 as Spring Training got under way three weeks late. The delay, a byproduct of stalled negotiations between players and team owners, meant the Detroit Tigers play 19 pre-season games (10 of them home stands in Lakeland) instead of the 33 that had been scheduled. The first game was a 6-6 draw with the Philadelphia Phillies. The abbreviated season ends April 6 with a home game against the Baltimore Orioles.

FORMER COMMISSIONER MICHAEL DUNN PLEADS GUILTY TO REDUCED CHARGE

Former Lakeland City Commissioner Michael Dunn faces up to 17½ years in prison after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter with a firearm. Dunn had originally been charged with second-degree murder in the 2018 shooting death of a suspected shoplifter trying to leave his store. The plea came four days before the start of a scheduled trial and one year to the day after Circuit Court Judge Donald Jacobsen denied Dunn’s motion to have the charge dropped on stand-your-ground grounds. Sentencing is scheduled for May 23. Before that, the judge will hear sentence recommendations from Dunn’s lawyers and prosecutors.

PLANNERS VETTING PROPOSALS FOR 1,000+ APARTMENTS IN SOUTHWEST LAKELAND

Watch for an explosion of apartments in southwest Lakeland. At least four proposed complexes accounting for more than 1,150 units are under review by city and county planners. Three of the complexes are close to busy West Pipkin Road, which is in the early stages of a two-year widening project. City commissioners recently approved 252 units at the southwest corner of West Pipkin and Yates Roads. Just south of that, a 350-apartment addition to Towne Park will go to the planning board in the next month or two. Polk County’s planning board recently approved 151 units at West Pipkin and South Pipkin Roads. And city planners are reviewing a proposal to add 120 apartments to a 271-unit project at Parkway Frontage Road South and Pipkin Creek Road.

NEW HISTORICAL MARKER MARKS 1928 FOUNDING OF KATHLEEN SCHOOL

Ninety-four years ago, a brick schoolhouse opened in Kathleen, then a farming community known for its strawberries. The school served students in grades 1 to 12; its opening marked the first time schooling was offered past the eighth grade in Kathleen. Despite a tornado that lifted parts of its roof in October 2019, the brick schoolhouse still stands as the home of Kathleen Middle School. The school’s long history was honored in March when a historical marker was erected; it lists all six members of the school’s first graduating class, and several of their descendants and relatives attended the dedication ceremony.

JET NOISE: AMAZON AIR EXPANSION CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL COURT

Amazon’s plans to expand its air cargo facility at Lakeland Linder International Airport passed muster with the Federal Aviation Administration. But five local residents have gone to court to challenge the FAA’s finding that the Amazon expansion “will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.” The five filed a petition in federal court seeking a review of the FAA’s order, alleging it violates several federal laws, including ones dealing with noise control and clean air. A lawyer representing the five said several homeowners associations, including one representing roughly 400 Grasslands residents, have signed onto the effort.

COVID IN POLK PLUNGES; POSITIVITY DIPS TO LOWEST LEVEL YET FIRE DEPARTMENT WANTS A NEW STATION; LPD CHIEF SEEKS MORE OFFICERS

What went up definitely came down. Over the winter, COVID-19 numbers in Polk were driven to new heights by the less-virulent omicron variant. But by mid-March, cases here had plummeted. Testing positivity dipped to a weekly average of 1.84%, the lowest rate ever. The number of new infections — 210 for the week of March 11-17 — were in a range not seen since the first few months of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. Moreover, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention downgraded Polk’s level of community transmission from “high” during the omicron surge to “substantial” in late February and then to “moderate” by mid-March. In addition, by late March, Polk’s “Community Level” of COVID-19 was rated as low by the CDC on its new high-medium-low metric. The Lakeland Fire Department wants $7.2 million to build a new fire station on U.S. 98 north of I-4, and the Lakeland Police Department is seeking about $5.3 million to hire 31 new police officers over the next three years. Both tentative funding requests for fiscal year 2023 surfaced during the Lakeland City Commission’s annual two-day strategic planning session. Population growth and increased traffic in north Lakeland mean it takes too long to respond to emergencies from the current station 3 at Florida Avenue and Bella Vista Street, Fire Chief Doug Riley said. As for LPD, Chief Ruben Garcia said the department is fully staffed but state and national standards indicate 26 to 35 more officers are needed. The city will continue hammering out its 2023 budget through September.

PUBLIX GRANTED INCENTIVES FOR ITS PLAN TO EXPAND DATA OPERATIONS DOWNTOWN

Publix Super Markets is planning to expand its information technology presence in downtown Lakeland by purchasing and upgrading the FedEx building and adding an estimated 100 new jobs in three years, according to Polk County documents. City and county commissioners are helping by promising $500,000 in incentives to be paid once the Lakeland-based grocer has hired 100 new workers at an average pay of $93,526 a year. Publix also asked and received approval for ad valorem tax exemptions worth an estimated $1.8 million over 10 years. Economic development officials praised the deal for expanding the base of highskill, high-wage jobs in Lakeland.

MAYOR WANTS TO REDUCE CITY SUBSIDY FOR RP FUNDING CENTER

How much should the city of Lakeland kick in to subsidize the RP Funding Center? That’s a question city officials will be grappling with in coming months. The large entertainment and convention venue has reduced its city subsidy from $4.4 million to $1.8 million in the last few years. But Mayor Bill Mutz wants to see revenues increased so that the subsidy is reduced to $1 million; upcoming negotiations involving the Lakeland Magic might help, he suggests. If the venue’s managers can’t reduce the subsidy, he warns, the city may hire a management firm or consultant to recommend changes.

DESSERT BUSINESS GROWS FROM A TABLE AT THE MALL TO A STOREFRONT

Business growth has been icing on the cake for The Best Blue Velvet Cupcakes, which grew from a table at Lakeland Square mall to a kiosk and finally a storefront in the last five years. Owner Chiquita Blake, 43, was able to maintain that growth despite a pandemic that set back many other businesses. She started baking as a youngster and picked up more skills at Publix Super Markets, where she gained experience in the bakery, deli, and management. She plans to expand the range of desserts offered at her shop and hopes to expand into a second location and beyond.