LOCAL NEWS

WORDS Barry Friedman/LkldNow.com

THE SQUEEZE: DOWNTOWN LAKELAND’S NEW SHUTTLE SERVICE

Some folks are getting juiced about the new downtown Lakeland shuttle service from the Citrus Connection; it’s called The Squeeze. Two eight-passenger golf carts carry passengers on two distinct routes. A lunchtime circulator (11:30 to 1:30 Mondays through Thursdays) runs a loop along Kentucky and Tennessee Avenues between Lake Morton and Bay Street, with a detour along Lake Mirror Drive to The Joinery. The weekend evening route (3 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and 4:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday) covers a wider territory from the Springhill Suites (RP Funding Center) to the edge of the Florida Southern College campus. Costs are $2/day; $3/week; $9/month, payable via mobile cash apps.

CAROL JENKINS BARNETT IS REMEMBERED FOR HER PHILANTHROPY

Tributes and warm anecdotes poured out after philanthropist Carol Jenkins Barnett passed away on Dec. 7. The 65-year-old Lakeland native and daughter of Publix Super Markets founder George Jenkins died at home surrounded by family six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Friends and acquaintances recalled Barnett’s impact on Lakeland through donations and personal involvement in a wide range of local nonprofit organizations, particularly ones involving education at all levels and health care.

ALL LPD OFFICERS WILL GET BODY CAMERAS UNDER 10-YEAR CITY CONTRACT

Every sworn officer at the Lakeland Police Department will be outfitted with body cameras under an agreement between the city of Lakeland and Axon Enterprise of Scottsdale, Ariz. However, it might be well into 2023 before the new equipment is completely rolled out, according to Assistant Police Chief Hans Lehman. A technology package locked in at $938k a year for 10 years will provide the department with 250 body cameras, 250 tasers, 165 in-car video systems, artificial intelligence to redact bystanders’ faces, unlimited cloud storage, upgrades as technology advances, and virtual reality headsets for de-escalation training.

COMING SOON: A NERF GUN AND VIRTUAL REALITY GAME ARENA

Nerf guns and virtual reality games will be the focus of a family-friendly business coming to downtown Lakeland and adding to the growing roster of entertainment-oriented venues in the city core. Dart World Gaming Arena is expected to open by February at 201 Main St. in the former RP Funding Mortgage space. Owner Luis Lopez Jr. is planning two Nerf arenas with bunkers and covers for players and three virtual reality gaming rooms. The Downtown Development Authority’s Julie Townsend sees the business as offering choices for families and students, including high schoolers and “college students when bars are not an option.”

DEVELOPER PLANS 630 APARTMENTS AND RETAIL FOR ABANDONED FLORIDA TILE SITE

An urban-style community of 630 apartments with restaurants and shops will be built on the abandoned Florida Tile site west of Lake Wire, under plans unveiled at a meeting of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority. The conceptual design by Atlanta developers Carter & Associates and architects The Preston Partnership received enthusiastic approval from the LDDA board. The project, located between Lake Wire and the upcoming Bonnet Springs Park, is viewed as a key element in plans to develop “downtown west,” an extension of the urban core from the RP Funding Center north.

CITY ENDORSES RAILROAD CROSSINGS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLE RIDERS

With development coming to parts of downtown Lakeland west of Florida Avenue, city commissioners are turning their attention to ways to move pedestrians and bicyclists over and under the barrier formed by the CSX railroad tracks. They recently reaffirmed their support of a proposal to build a pedestrian bridge linking New York Avenue with Lake Wire. They also pressed their case to build a pedestrian underpass between Lake Beulah and the upcoming Bonnet Springs Park to keep walkers and cyclists from having to share the narrow and outdated Sloan Avenue underpass with cars and trucks.

NEW FOOD SPOTS: ONE FOR HEALTHY TREATS, ONE FOR FROZEN TREATS

Two new food/snack spots in Lakeland include a southside cafe with a menu emphasizing protein-enhanced shakes, refreshers, acai bowls, waffles, and donuts and a northside shop specializing in frozen custard and Italian ices. The health-conscious Rooted Lakeland was opened at 5327 S. Florida Ave. by a family that launched a similar restaurant in the Miami area. A Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard franchise was opened at 3115 U.S. 98 North by a New Jersey transplant who wants to share the sweet treats of her youth.

KATIE WORTHINGTON DECKER MOVING BACK TO LAKELAND AS LEDC SENIOR VP

Katie Worthington Decker is moving back to Lakeland after cementing her reputation in community and economic developer as president and CEO of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce for seven years. Decker, 38, will become senior vice president at the Lakeland Economic Development Council, second in command to long-time President Steve Scruggs. LEDC is a nonprofit organization funded mostly by member businesses. Its work involves attracting new enterprises to Lakeland and advocating for business growth, with an emphasis on increasing highskilled employment and encouraging entrepreneurism through its Catapult business incubator.

LHS’ BROWNLOW-DINDY FLIPS FROM OKLAHOMA TO TEXAS A&M

Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, the LHS Dreadnaughts defensive tackle who was highly sought by major colleges, has decided to join the Texas A&M Aggies rather than the Oklahoma Sooners, his earlier choice, At 6-foot3 and 275 pounds, Brownlow-Dindy was ranked third or fourth top player in the 2022 recruiting class by several national publications. He was the fifth recruit Oklahoma lost after Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley announced he was leaving for the University of Southern California.

LRH LAUNCHING A RESIDENCY PROGRAM, WITH FIRST STUDENTS REPORTING NEXT YEAR

Lakeland Regional Health’s quest to become a teaching hospital will soon become a reality with the first students expected to start on July 1, 2023, according to hospital CEO Danielle Drummond. The Graduate Medical Education program will build gradually and expects to reach its capacity of 190 residents five years after launching. LRH’s medical center is the 44th largest hospital in the U.S., Drummond said, yet it is one of the few among the largest hospitals not involved in training the next generation of physicians, Drummond told city commissioners.