This story is part of our weekly Hidden Gems feature series as the USA TODAY Network – Florida takes readers around the state to highlight some of our most interesting attractions Catholics journeyed annually from Canada to a pastoral site a few miles east of Lake Wales drawn in part by a relic — what church leaders considered a physical vestige of St the once-thriving community encircling a small lake is itself a relic While only fragments of the original settlement remain There is no marker along State Road 60 to indicate a historic site though some drivers might notice the green sign denoting St you will pass between watermelon fields before coming to a narrow two-lane road that encircles a 15-acre lake a pair of coquina-covered railings covering some 30 feet along both sides of the road a stone structure stands at the edge of the lake — a conical enclosure set atop four pillars standing upon two flat slabs said that two visitors have stopped at the site on a recent day “I’m the unofficial director of where the shrine is I'll go out and introduce myself and then tell them where the shrine is that the gentleman that built the shrine also built the bridge and the monument out in the lake and anything with this type of stonework around the lake.” In the house they’ve occupied for about 30 years including vintage postcards and photocopies of news articles dating to the 1920s which recall the once vaunted status of the St Founded by French CanadianHere is the history as captured in contemporaneous news reporting documents from the Lake Wales History Center and previous Ledger articles: The boy recovered in the balmier climate of Hesperides leading other Canadians to begin making winter pilgrimages as a small colony arose around what was then called Lake Helena and is now St Hesperides is now recognized only by a road marker along SR 60 A Catholic bishop soon gave permission for construction of the Church of Ste A photo from a 1930 edition of the defunct Lake Wales Highlander newspaper shows a small An account describes the church as standing “in a grove of tall pines.” stone platform that held a statue of Jesus They also constructed the coquina-ringed structure that bore a statue of St described in Christian and Islamic tradition as the mother of Mary who gave birth to Jesus and also known as Our Lady of Lourdes Congregants posted statues depicting the Stations of the Cross in the woods surrounding the lake The faithful also constructed a grotto behind the church where a girl claimed to have 18 visits from the Virgin Mary in a cave in 1858 an assemblage of coquina rocks perhaps 20 feet fall according to a 1979 article in the Polk County Historical Quarterly The church gained an official connection with what is now the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec believed to be a piece of a finger bone from St stored in a “beautifully carved golden reliquary,” the Highlander reported Anne des Lacs was drawing hundreds of annual visitors from Canada The church held masses on Sundays during the winter months Catholic pilgrims also visited the site each February to celebrate the anniversary of the Virgin Mary's apparition at Lourdes and in July for St describes a service in which the High Mass was sung in Latin “The procession of the Blessed Sacrament moved from the church to the altar Anne society and the golden casket by young women of the parish,” the report says Priests and bishops from as far away as St Augustine and New Smyrna Beach presided over ceremonies at the site a congregant at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Lake Wales said she is one of the few living links to the St Joseph and Stella Gravel (pronounced gra-VELL) were among the French Canadians who once lived along the lake and attended the church “The church was a beautiful little church.” after Pettus had left the area for college the wooden church burned down and was replaced by another structure and you could look inside and see a slab with a cloth on it representing where Jesus had been buried,” she said “And the cloth indicated that he had arisen I remember playing bingo in the little social hall — well apparently operated by nuns who lived at the site Rick Smith indicated Pelletier’s former home a two-story house on the lake’s western shore along with houses previously occupied by priests and nuns Pettus offered an explanation for the church’s demise “It eventually got to the point that there were people who were selling all kinds of items “It became so commercial that the bishop finally had to close it down.” Augustine de-sanctified the church in the 1960s Pettus said that she does not know what happened to any remnants that were taken The stone platform for the statue of Jesus still stands on the inside of the road circling the lake The base bears a red cross on all four sides while the slab above bears inscriptions in Latin: Adveniat Regnum Tuum (“Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”) and Cor Jesu All that remains of the church is a set of three steps that once led to its entrance the steps sit disconnectedly in the front yard of a private home easily missed by drivers as it is set back from the road and concealed behind a stand of oak and palm trees one notices a marble ground slab inscribed The slab declares that Pelletier was born in Canada 1857 describing him as the “zealous propagator” of the St “which he built and maintained himself.” Pelletier died and was buried at the site in March 7 Pelletier's remains were interred at the site of the former church Pelletier’s family eventually had his remains transported to Canada constructed from pieces of coquina mortared together Circular tiles set into the bridge bear Pelletier’s initials in blue (though the “P” is shaped more like a “D”) a small statue of the Virgin Mary occupies a curved niche opposite a statue of a woman praying to her Easter services were held at the grotto for years and we’d get about 100 to 150 people,” he said a priest set up a folding table as an altar until Smith and other members of the Knights of Columbus poured concrete to make a permanent altar But the custom of holding masses at the grotto faded amid complaints from residents the tile-lined altar platform held small religious figures and a collection of artificial flowers Prayer candles stood on a ledge at the back of the grotto a circular rock formation rises upward to hold a figure of St known as “Little Flower.” White tiles set into the concrete between the grotto and the ringed structure spell out the nickname While the rest of the land around the lake is now residential the Diocese of Orlando still owns the grotto tract Smith said that the ecclesiastical district does not maintain the site so he and a pair of neighbors mow the grass and keep the altar area tidy The diocese did not respond to a voicemail from The Ledger “We kind of put these two pieces of fence up,” Smith said And if there's anybody back here praying or meditating we thought that they would not want to be interrupted.” Anne Shrine no longer draws religious pilgrims from Canada but enough historical mystery remains to lure periodic visitors “We've had busloads come up from Miami,” he said “This one bus had their youth group there; they were going on up to And they came up (State Road) 60 and stopped here at the shrine and had lunch.” Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13 LAKELAND — It was a near-perfect day for George Jenkins senior Chelsi Williams who won three events of the four events in which she competed and set three personal records Williams’ day led the George Jenkins girls track team to the team title in the Class 4A Region 2 Track and Field Meet at George Jenkins High School She finished second in the 400 hurdles to Cypress Creek’s Alondra Rodriguez who ran 59.50 the fastest time in the state this season and second-fastest time in the nation Williams’ time of 59.89 is the third-fastest time in Florida the fourth-fastest in the nation and a personal record She wasn’t disappointed about finishing second District track: Auburndale's Payoute wins 3 events as top girls athlete from Polk at 3A-7 meet District track: George Jenkins boys, girls make it a clean sweep in district team titles “I'm happier about the time because the 400 hurdles really isn’t my main event,” she said allowing Rodriguez to catch her on the final turn and the two were neck-and-neck down the stretch “I got to be perfect in the race,” she said It was a near-perfect day otherwise for Williams She began the day by jumping 20 feet 8.5 inches in the long jump then putting up a distance of 41-07.75 in the triple jump Williams’ mark in the long jump puts her at No.1 in the nation by five inches which she did on her only attempt of the day In the 100 hurdles and running in a stiff breeze “I didn't want it to be one of my bad days And that was especially after the fact when she realized it was the last meet of her high school career at George Jenkins I'm glad I had the opportunity to run here and to run for so long in high school So I started my first meet here when I was in the 8th grade (at McKeel) I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to run for my dad and to be who I am.” It was a more enjoyable region meet this year compared to last season when she was battling a hamstring injury and was worried about getting through each event without getting re-injured Williams’ final high school meet will be next week at the Class 4A state meet She needs two more gold medals to match Lake Wales’ Ocatavious Freeman with the most gold medals in track for a track athlete from Polk County Freeman had 10 in the ninth through 12th grade two a year including two she won at McKeel as an eighth-grader triple jump and 100 hurdles then see what happens in the 400 hurdles I'm going to try to win all three and then just give all I have left in the 400 hurdles.” George Jenkins girls track coach Curtis Williams was ecstatic with how his team performed The Eagles finished with 103 points to win the team competition far ahead of second-place Winter Haven with 65 “I never thought we’d get 100 points,” he said man I don't know if I'm getting the kids through Jenkins had one other individiual winner in Violet Smith Taylor Gibson was second in the javelin (121-08) and second in the discus (36-04.25) The other individual region champions from Polk for the girls were Haines City’s Calonnie Holmes in the javelin (129-09) and Winter Haven’s Olivia Celiscar in the shot put (40-03.5) George Jenkins finished third with 48 points The Eagles had one regional champion with their 4x800 relay team that ran 7:54.76 which is the sixth-fastest time in the state this year Jah’son McCalla and Gabriel Bourque were the Eagles’ top individual finisher Haines City’s Isaiah Deyant and Yvenerson Elizee finished second and third Lake Wales didn’t crown any individual champion but finished with 64 points to edge Mount Dora to win the girls team title at the Class 3A Region 2 Track and Field Meet at Embry-Riddle The Highlanders had four individual second-place finishers Kansas Henry finished second in the 200 (24.69) and the 400 (57.17) and Dackjerlin Senior was second in the 800 (2:15.59) Vanessa Squire took third in the javelin (96-0) and Jordyn Alston took third in the shot put (35-09.25) Auburndale’s Wisberly was third in the high jump (5-01.75) Lake Wales' Gabriel Harris was the only individual champion Teammates Myrone Jean was second in the 200 and fourth in the 400 and William Windham was third in the 1,600 Andrew Morrison and Peyton Wildcat each won region titles on Saturday to lead Victory Christian to a third-place finish in the team competition at the Class 1A and Luke Lazenby and Jerrell Paul were fifth and sixth Morrison also was fourth in the 200 and sixth in the high jump and AJ Cunningham and Paul were third and fourth Lakeland Christian’s AJ Truedell finished  third in the 200 The Storm finished with 88 points to take third place Lakeland Christian freshman Emma Wilkinson was the top performer from Polk County Wilkinson finished second in the 1,600 (5:18.50) and the 3,200 (11:32.34) Victory Christian came from behind to win the girls 4x400 in 4:02.55 The Storm also finished second in the 4x100 Motorcyclist dies in late-night collision with pickup east of Lake WalesLakeland LedgerA motorcyclist was killed the night of April 29 when he collided with a pickup that was entering the road near Lake Wales according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office Sheriff's deputies and Polk County Fire Rescue personnel found Justin Casey Weyburn Weyburn was driving his black 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle east on Mammoth Grove Road of Lake Wales was exiting a private driveway to head west on Mammoth Grove Road in his black 2023 Ford F250 with a boat on a trailer The Sheriff's Office said Weyburn was not wearing a helmet and the Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing AdventHealth Lake Wales team members gathered today to celebrate the prestigious distinction The Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals nationwide based on over 30 performance measures reflecting errors as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them “It’s a tremendous honor to receive this “A” grade It’s a testament to the exceptional work our team members are doing every day to keep our patients visitors and each other safe,” AdventHealth Lake Wales CEO Royce Brown said safety is at the heart of everything we do and we are grateful for the trust our community has placed in our hospital as we work to deliver exceptional The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors injuries and infections that can lead to harm or even death “Achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade reflects enormous dedication to patient safety,” said Leah Binder “I extend my congratulations to AdventHealth Lake Wales staff and volunteers for creating a culture where patients come first.” To see AdventHealth Lake Wales’ full grade details and to access essential patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org. Connect with The Leapfrog Group on Twitter To learn more about AdventHealth Lake Wales and the many healthcare services offered there by going to AdventHealth Lake Wales | Formerly Lake Wales Medical Center. Our website uses cookies. Please review our privacy policy to find out more about the cookies we use Browsing our website means you accept these terms Ranch Coffeehouse Employees Donated Funds to Replace Those Stolen two veterans start a juke joint for the local black community using money stolen from gangsters, Lake Wales is on the verge of reclaiming one of its most important downtown assets The city and its Community Redevelopment Agency reached an agreement Friday with the owner of the Walesbilt Hotel to end a three-year legal battle the city will pay $450,000 to Raymond Brown to transfer ownership of the hotel to the Lake Wales CRA The deal only needs the approval of the Lake Wales City Commission and the CRA board which consists of the five city commissioners The City Commission meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. finally,” said City Commissioner Robin Gibson “It is going to mean a lot to the town and particularly downtown Our expert witness who was going to testify at trial had validated the economic consequences of not having the hotel renovated and that is loss of tax revenue and all the surrounding property values not going up Lake Wales officials signed a redevelopment agreement with Brown for what was then called the Grand Hotel The city had acquired the property through foreclosure in 2007 Lake Wales transferred ownership of the circa-1927 hotel to Brown who promised to restore the 10-story structure and convert the hotel rooms into condominiums with retail space planned for the first floor Brown engaged in some efforts to restore the hotel as documented by The Ledger in previous reports Brown said he had spent $1.5 million into the project But Brown’s restoration stalled, and in 2022 the city sued his company Lake Wales accused Dixie-Walesbilt LLC of fraud in the inducement The lawsuit listed eight counts of alleged breach of contract by the developer including the developer’s failure to complete and lease the residential units and first-floor retail space and to build a health club and parking spaces within 30 days of beginning work Brown’s lawyer filed motions to have the suit dismissed but Circuit Judge Jennifer Swenson denied those bids Deal follows marathon meetingLake Wales City Manager James Slaton and the city’s lawyer engaged in more than eight hours of discussions with Brown and his legal team before reaching the agreement Friday night Once the City Commission and CRA approve the agreement the deed will transfer to the city within 30 days Gibson said that the $450,000 payment to Brown will probably come from either CRA trust funds or a mixture of city and CRA funds “I'm absolutely elated,” Slaton said Monday “We've been in litigation for three years now But the hope to have that hotel redeveloped has been 15 years in the making.” The agreement states that both sides would relinquish any legal claims against each other and pay their own attorney fees Slaton said that he has heard from developers interested in acquiring the property all of whom saw the property as a potential hotel Lake Wales would offer a request for qualifications before seeking a potential new owner Congress' short-term spending bill Polk County and cities will miss out on 2025 funds Both Slaton and Gibson emphasized that Lake Wales would not offer any developer a deal like the one the city gave Brown in which ownership transferred based on promises of restoration “The developer is going to have to have skin in the game.” He added: “We’re going to have a procedure put in place vastly superior to what was done back in 2010.” Gibson described a structure in which a potential developer must pay money into a city trust fund and after a city inspector validates restoration work the trust fund matches the investments made “I will say that the details of the procedure have not been ironed out yet but I can tell you that we won't repeat past mistakes with this hotel,” Slaton said The Dixie Walesbilt Hotel opened during the Florida land boom of the 1920s and has had various names since then The Mediterranean Revival building gained recognition on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 The building has been vacant for decades. In recent years, the city has launched a range of downtown revitalization projects under the Lake Wales Connected program a framework adapted from an unrealized 1931 city design plan The projects include the transformation of Park Avenue which runs along the north edge of the Walesbilt property Reviving the Walesbilt would bolster the momentum the city has generated “I don't think the impact can be overstated because it's a lot more than just the tax increment revenue and the impacts on the local economy,” Slaton said historic hotel that everyone in Lake Wales is passionate about Recovering the Walesbilt Hotel ranked among three personal objectives Slaton set for his tenure as city manager The other two: restoring the Seminole Hotel and addressing the “eyesore” of the abandoned Estes Electric building on Scenic Highway Lake Wales has recovered ownership of the Seminole Hotel in the Northwest Neighborhood and Slaton still hopes to find a developer to restore it The city demolished the Estes building in 2022 One possible cloud hangs over Lake Wales’ quest to see the Walesbilt Hotel returned to use is considering bills that would block CRAs from initiating new projects or issuing debt after Oct “I'm astonished at anyone wanting to put an end to community redevelopment especially in a state like ours that has such a mixture of developments that have either historic (status) or have declined,” Gibson said “Why anybody would want to do away with a very successful mechanism for redevelopment is astounding to me.” The AdventHealth Lake Wales Wound Care Center achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for twelve consecutive months including a patient satisfaction rate higher than 92 percent AdventHealth Lake Wales Wound Care Center recently received the President’s Circle Award The Center achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for twelve consecutive months “We feel extremely honored to receive these prestigious awards and to be recognized by Healogics as a Center of Distinction,” said AdventHealth Lake Wales CEO Royce Brown “These awards are a testament to the exceptional care and dedication demonstrated by our team members as they work to provide the best whole person care for our patients.” The AdventHealth Lake Wales Wound Care Center a member of the Healogics network of over 600 Wound Care Centers® specializes in treating infections and other chronic wounds A Lake Wales man has been arrested Tuesday on charges of driving while intoxicated in connection with a fatal Winter Haven crash in January Sergio Nino Ramirez, 27, faces two felony charges of driving while intoxicated causing death and homicide, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office Ramirez is being held at the processing center until his first appearance on Wednesday 35-year-old Orli Dagoberto Argueta Sanchez of Honduras was killed in a head-on crash on State Road 60 at Logistics Parkway Sanchez was driving his 2004 Nissan Sentra when he was hit by a 2022 Hyundai Sonata driven by Ramirez that was traveling west in the eastbound lanes The Sheriff's Office said a sample of Ramirez's blood was taken at the hospital following the fatal crash It was sent to the toxicology lab at the University of Florida for processing Murder case: Bartow man pleads guilty to killing father, wounding mother after they told him to get a job The lab results showed Ramirez had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 % at the time he was admitted to the hospital following the crash Polk detectives examined the crash data from Ramirez's car There was no indication of braking or other driver input immediately prior to the collision Saiyed Mohib joins a team of expert physicians working hard daily to tackle heart disease and improve heart health in Polk County Mohib is a board-certified cardiologist who is now accepting new patients in Lake Wales at the AdventHealth Medical Group General Surgery Office With over 20 years of experience in cardiology Mohib is an expert in assessing and preventing heart attacks and other heart-related diseases He offers nutritional counseling and lifestyle modification plans that assist patients with improving their health overall I specialize in using minimally invasive techniques to open up blocked arteries and restore blood flow to the heart “I am experienced in treating a wide range of heart rhythm disorders including atrial fibrillation and tachycardia devices and procedures such as ablation to restore a normal heart rhythm.” the rate of deaths from heart disease in Polk County in 2023 was about 145 per 100,000 people That was higher than the state average of about 135 per 100,000 people Mohib also brings to the area expertise in treating conditions that affect blood vessels outside the heart and brain Mohib has performed several thousand cardiac interventions and has vast experience in cardiac diagnostic testing Mohib completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois one in cardiovascular disease at the University of Florida at Jacksonville one of the most renowned cardiology programs in the country and the other fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital Mohib received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Aga Khan University Medical College Board-certified in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine Mohib previously also held board certifications in internal medicine Speaking during a workshop last week, Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson suggested that the city aggressively challenge proposed routes for a new toll road Gibson stated that the alignments conflict with Lake Wales’ long-term growth strategy, as outlined in the Lake Wales Envisioned plan “I think it's important for us as an entire community to take a position and I don't object to being obnoxious about it because this is something we want to do for our community for the benefit of our community,” Gibson said but the City Commission moved toward voicing concerns about plans for the Central Polk Parkway East during a discussion in Tuesday night’s regular meeting Commissioners voted 5-0 to delay action on a proposed resolution stating opposition to the project a statement that would be shared with Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise the agency directing the study of potential routes The Turnpike Enterprise held a public meeting last month in Davenport to reveal the four proposed routes for the toll road which would extend more than 20 miles from State Road 60 to U.S The agency also conducted an online meeting to answer residents’ questions has been considering extensions of the Polk Parkway since soon after it opened in 1998 The agency approved plans in 2012 for an eastern route that took a more westerly path but construction never proceeded as money was not budgeted for the project The Turnpike Enterprise is now constructing the Central Polk Parkway a 6.5-mile spur running from the State Road 540 exit (Winter Lake Road) southeast to U.S Plans call for eventually extending that segment from U.S 17 to State Road 60 near Connersville Road The agency has revived the planning for the eastern toll road, launching an alternative corridor evaluation the first of five phases in designing and building a “limited-access” highway The highway is needed to relieve congestion on U.S The cost of construction would be covered through tolls collected on existing roads The agency has published images showing the study area a roughly two-mile-wide swath starting at State Road 60 west of U.S From there the A and B alignments veer north before curving east on the north side of Lake Mabel The resolution considered Tuesday stated that the proposed alignments “have the potential to significantly impact the City of Lake Wales including disruption to existing development encroachment on environmentally sensitive areas and potential conflicts with the City's long-term development plans as outlined in Lake Wales Envisioned.” The resolution said that the highway would negatively impact approved developments, including a 558-acre planned mixed use development approved in November — Lake Wales Commons Commissioners discussed the road proposal during a work session on Jan City Manager James Slaton and staff members met with Turnpike Enterprise officials in November and asked them to move the highway as far west as possible closer to the CSX Intermodal Logistics Center Slaton fretted about the potential disruptions to two large developments that have been approved but not yet built proposes to build 2,900 housing units on 1,841 acres west of U.S the City Commission voted to annex 558 acres west of U.S 27 and north of State Road 60 and to modify land-use and zoning designations for the proposed Lake Wales Commons development “I think we're all stunned by this,” Lake Wales Mayor Jack Hilligoss said I don't know that anybody's happy about any of these routes that they've proposed I guess I would wonder why the Turnpike (Enterprise) wouldn't talk to the governing bodies of a municipality about these things.” Hilligoss warned that the road posed harm not only to Lake Wales in general but also to the historic Mountain Lake Estates community and Bok Tower Gardens Gibson wondered whether the Turnpike Enterprise would consider building an elevated highway on the U.S City Attorney Chuck Galloway added that such a route would save the state on having to purchase the land required to build any of the four proposed alignments "We are considering all comments in our evaluation of the Corridor Alternatives," Turnpike Enterprise spokesperson Yasir Mercado said by email "The alternatives can be modified based on feedback received and the final corridor can be a combination of the four alternatives."  Poinciana Polk School Board approves moving forward with proposal for high school A spokesperson for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise had not responded by Wednesday to an email sent Monday asking about potential changes to the alignments Commissioner Carol Gillespie suggested holding a town hall on the subject “But if you're wanting a commission resolution on this I really think we need to get more than just us five involved,” Gillespie said “I would want to have the residents who have an interest — and I think a lot of them would — to have a meeting where they become informed as to all of the alternatives that are being considered and give us some ammunition Commissioner: Action is prematureSeveral residents spoke during Tuesday night’s meeting raising fears that the planned highway would degrade the quality of life in Lake Wales Catherine Price said she found it “concerning” that commissioners described the project as a surprise when Hilligoss represents Lake Wales on the Polk Transportation Planning Organization which has discussed the highway and favors its construction Price echoed Gillespie’s call for a town hall Eric Hinshaw noted that the Florida Department of Transportation approved plans for the parkway extension in 2012 that remained farther west annexed and approved development in what was the 2012 plan for the East Polk Parkway,” Hinshaw said “And I was just assuming that the developers knew that that's one of the reasons they may have purchased property down there at a pretty good value.” Dean Nelson said the toll road is badly needed but he said the route should stay away from Bok Tower Gardens Commissioner Keith Thompson warned that it was premature to adopt a resolution “I do happen to agree with a lot of the sentiment that I think we might be a little out over our skis right now in terms of needing to pass this proclamation,” Thompson said He suggested that the commission should try to have influence over the process rather than stating outright opposition to the highway “We're not the final say on where this road goes as a city commission “We don't have jurisdictional authority over that and so I would love to hear more from the community.” “I think everybody in Lake Wales is pretty united in that we don't like what we saw and that's what we said at the work session,” Hilligoss said that line we’re opposed to the implementation of the project lamented not learning about the project earlier “The only thing I wanted to say is I never heard anything about this meeting in Davenport new corridors have been actually roundly discussed and I personally never heard about it,” she said “I don't imagine that very many of our residents heard about it And so that gets me back to what I've been preaching about is that we need a town hall.” The commission did not set a date for holding a special meeting to discuss the project — The City of Lake Wales is taking back ownership of a historic downtown hotel that has been the subject of a legal battle Robert Connors opened The Thirsty Dragon in downtown Lake Wales about two months ago with the restoration of the historic Walesbilt Hotel in mind “Really fascinating history with all the silent film stars and Al Capone and all the characters involved in that building We wanted to create a historical ethic here as well So we’re trying to create this old-world style tavern,” said Connors The tavern is a block away from the Walesbilt Hotel it provided lodging for the rich and famous “We would stay in that hotel on a regular basis and it was quite nice at the time,” Connors said He said reviving Walesbilt would be a big boost for downtown businesses is going to have tremendous impact in the number of guests and visitors it brings in here The amount of foot traffic it generates,” Connors said WATCH: Lake Wales regains ownership of historic downtown Walesbilt Hotel the City of Lake Wales transferred ownership of the vacant building to Raymond Brown Brown agreed to renovate the hotel for apartments and retail space After years without any progress on the restoration The city reached an agreement Friday to regain ownership of Walesbilt Hotel after a three-year legal battle The deal calls for the city to pay $450,000 to Brown to transfer ownership of the hotel to the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency Regaining ownership of the iconic hotel is an integral part of the city’s ongoing plan to revitalize downtown “It means everything to revitalizing this area While we were never going to let this hotel hold our redevelopment efforts back it’s going to elevate them now,” said James Slaton The future redevelopment of the Walesbilt Hotel could be at risk if the Florida legislature adopts a pair of bills that would block CRAs from initiating new projects or issuing debt after Oct Community Redevelopment Agencies were created to improve blighted conditions in our local communities CRAs have both the financial resources and the flexibility to make those happen Why state legislators want to limit redevelopment in our local communities is baffling to us,” Slaton said and I feel like that's part of where the system failed" Henry Betsey Jr. is facing charges for marrying three Florida women in three different counties at the same time. Now saying the system that handles marriage licenses kept them in the dark Latest Polk County News from ABC Action News Report a typo Lake Wales has a history of long-serving mayors Current Mayor Jack Hilligoss seeks to continue that tradition by gaining a second term in the April 1 election Hilligoss faces a challenge in the nonpartisan race from Curtis Gibson Jr. Polk County’s sixth-largest city with a population of about 17,000 meaning the mayor is a city commissioner with limited extra powers such as appointing board members and controlling the reading of proclamations Attack messages: Outside PAC floods Lake Wales voters with attacks on Curtis Gibson in mayoral election has lived in Lake Wales since 1998 and is manager of the Eagle Ridge Mall having previously worked for Polk County Public Schools Gibson was elected to the Lake Wales City Commission in 2017 and earned reelection in 2019 He chose not to seek another term after moving from his district Gibson ran for mayor and finished third in a three-way race as Hilligoss prevailed Gibson said that community members encouraged him to run for mayor again and that “everything lined up” for him to do so Gibson offered a veiled criticism of Hilligoss “I just think it will be best that we elect a new leader to lead our city due to the fact that we need a mayor that's going to represent everybody be respectful and bring unity to our community versus division,” he said Both candidates have emphasized their commitment to two related guidelines for development, Lake Wales Connected and Lake Wales Envisioned a plan created by the consulting firm Dover a general strategy the city has adopted outlining preferred neighborhood designs Gibson accused Hilligoss of being “a rubber stamp” for developers “My opponent says if we don't say yes to the development and they're going to say yes to it,” Gibson said we still need to make sure that we follow the plan of Lake Wales and how we want our city to look and don’t just double down all beginning near State Road 60 just west of Lake Wales and stretching northeast toward Davenport Hilligoss represents Lake Wales on the Polk Transportation Planning Organization Gibson criticized Hilligoss for not keeping the commission better informed on the project “It’s sad that we have a mayor who sits on the board but acts as though he never knew anything about it,” Gibson said we’re supposed to be bringing that information back to the commission and talking about what's taking place Gibson said he entirely opposes the highway but acknowledged that Lake Wales cannot dictate actions to a state agency The Turnpike Enterprise has cited traffic congestion on U.S Polk County’s population growth has also stressed water supplies. Like all local municipalities, Lake Wales is a member of the Polk Regional Water Cooperative an association formed in 2017 to address future water needs Cities in Central Florida will soon reach the limit of sustainable withdrawals from the Upper Floridan Aquifer The PRWC is developing the Southeast Wellfield project a series of wells drilled into the Lower Floridan Aquifer and the PRWC is building a water production facility several miles east of Lake Wales The water will be pumped through a 60-mile pipeline to join city and county networks 'A sense of relief': A years-long alternative water project for Polk County reaches milestone Lake Wales could choose to join the project later and seek to receive water from the PRWC and PRWC Executive Director Eric DeHaven said such discussions are under way But the cost to the city would be higher than if it had joined the project at the outset Gibson acknowledged voting against participation in the Southeast Wellfield project as a commissioner He said city staffers told commissioners at the time that Lake Wales could save money by drilling its own deep wells Testing has proved that Lake Wales’ chosen site for a deep well is not suitable Special Projects Administrator Sara Irvine told city commissioners last year “We need to get part of this Polk Water Cooperative group now “so that we know when it's time for us to tap into that water you're talking about tax dollars in the millions you have to pay (over) what we would initially pay if we would have joined it when everybody else joined it.” Gibson had reported about $7,240 in campaign contributions through March 1 including in-kind donations and a $500 loan from himself His contributors included City Commissioner Carol Gillespie Lake Wales lawyer Richard McKinley and the “Three Little Ladies” podcasters Charlene Bennett is senior pastor at HighPoint Church in Lake Wales according to a biography on the church’s website City commissioners appointed Hilligoss to a vacancy on the panel in 2021 Ron DeSantis suspended Commissioner Kris Fitzgerald following an arrest to 32.1% for Tammy James and 24.2% for Gibson Hilligoss did not respond to a voicemail left Monday Hilligoss said that growth management is one of Lake Wales’ main challenges He said it is unrealistic to talk about halting development how do we maximize the benefits and minimize the negative impacts?” Hilligoss said And the city of Lake Wales has done that very well.” City leaders had already given at least preliminary approval to many housing developments before he joined the City Commission and before the Lake Wales Envisioned plan was adopted in 2023 He felt obligated to allow developments that would not meet the new and more restrictive standards “I will tell you that while we were adopting the new regulations for the Lake Wales Envisioned plan I made it clear that I wasn't going to punish builders that had followed the rules and played by the rules up to that point,” he said “So some of them got approved because they were already in process.” Hilligoss said that projects completed through the Lake Wales Connected plan, such as the redesign of Park Avenue are attracting businesses to the city’s downtown Despite general agreement on the principles of Lake Wales Envisioned He cited opposition to the city’s initial approval of a proposed development of 28 cottages on 1.46 acres near Lake Alta Hilligoss joined a 3-2 vote against the proposal though he said he thought it met the city’s goal of promoting infill Hilligoss emphasized that Lake Wales’ consumption is well below the amount permitted by the Southwest Florida Water Management District He did not indicate whether he wants the city to become a participant in the Southeast Wellfield project “So what I'm happy about is that's there for us,” Hilligoss said but we haven't had to at this point because we've managed what we've done pretty well and we're well under our pumping capacity.” Hilligoss pointed to progress he said Lake Wales has made during his term as mayor we've added five new patrol officers to our police force,” he said “We've added one new resource officer for the schools We've added three new firefighters to the firefighting force.” He also touted plans to build a new fire station in southern Lake Wales, the purchase of the city’s first new fire engine in about 20 years and the expansion of the police department Lake Wales purchased the former Family Elder Law office at 122 E and the City Commission approved spending $89,000 to renovate the building for police use At a commission meeting in February, Hilligoss expressed objections to the proposed routes of the Central Polk Parkway East “I think we're all stunned by this," Hilligoss said In early 2023, Hilligoss joined the majority in a 3-2 vote to set a 30-minute limit for public comments at meetings and reduce individual comments from five minutes to three the commission removed a provision that would have required speakers to sign an affidavit pledging to be truthful Often the object of criticism from a contingent of Lake Wales residents during City Commission meetings Hilligoss lamented the presence of “consistent agitators” during the interview with Mendez Soon after taking office in 2022, Hilligoss ended a custom of reading a proclamation to recognize Polk Pride an organization that supports the LGBTQ community Hilligoss had reported $11,940 in campaign contributions through Feb citrus growers Victor Story and Kyle Story Polk County School Board member Travis Keyes of Haines City the Winter Haven 9/12 Project and two of its leaders Lake Wales voters will also consider an amendment to the city charter that would require runoff elections of the top two candidates if no candidate receives more than 50% of votes cast the change would take effect for the 2026 election Hilligoss earned the mayor’s position in 2022 with 43.8% of the vote in a three-way race. Last year, Commissioner Daniel Williams won reelection by four votes over Brandon Alvarado capturing 42.3% of the votes among three candidates Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518 LAKE WALES — Lake Wales folks just outside of Albert Kirkland Gymnasium were walking with purpose to see Florida Gator national champion Walter Clayton Jr. Children outside the gym were jubilantly playing in the bouncy house as their parents looked on in the blistering sun Friday in Lake Wales Local folks were selling food out of food trucks as folks were filling up their bellies just before the show The amenities outside were all a part of a larger spectacle that inside featured a 13,000-square-foot surface area in the gymnasium that was restored to be more durable which accommodates various types of athletic sports But the main attraction was Walter Clayton Jr. who participated in a ribbon cutting that signified the new and improved gym stood on a stage set up in the middle of the gym as dozens of local folks sitting in chairs looked at him in awe had just helped Florida to its third national championship — first since 2007 — and he was named March Madness' Most Outstanding Player thanks to his 182 combined points: Clayton Jr put up 34 points in the Final Four semifinal game against Auburn which cemented him with the likes of Larry Bird scoring at least 30 points in back-to-back games in the Elite Eight and after He also scored 23 points against Norfolk State in the first round 23 points against UConn in the second round 13 points against Maryland in the Sweet 16 30 points against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and 11 points in the national championship game against Houston to cap off a historic season would finally speak on some fond memories in the Lake Wales gym said on the microphone as folks cheered him on "...It's a lot of fun memories in here honestly (I'm) thinking about all the times me and my friends used to play five-on-five..." Who's the GOAT?: Column: Is Walter Clayton Jr the best college basketball from Polk County? If not, then who? Milestones: Gators' Clayton continues to reach milestones in NCAA tournament to go with multiple awards A milestone was also accomplished amongst his friends in the gym: Clayton Jr executed his first dunk in the Lake Wales gym That dunk led to some seminal highlights for the Highlander though he was a highly touted football player for Lake Wales he was a four-star safety prospect and received offers from Florida He even took a visit to Gainsville where his longtime friend decided not to follow family members and do great things with that pigskin He'd rather take his Lake Wales basketball experience and take his talents to Bartow High School as the Polk County product is the current record holder for the most consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer thanks to a streak of 42 games has drained a 3 in 54 of his 55 games at Florida He's also the first Gator to become a first-team All-American With his journey ballooning into a hoop dream turned reality was fully qualified to answer pertinent questions pertaining to dreaming big Whatever you want to do in life you can do it You just got to put the work in every day...," he said he basked in all of the supporters who graced themselves in his presence a lot of familiar faces in here growing up from Lake Wales so it just feels great having everybody here for this ceremony," Clayton Jr The future NBA player is now gearing up for the NBA draft which is slated for June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Weeks before the election for Lake Wales mayor voters began receiving attack mailers and text messages more typical of a congressional or presidential race The mailers target Curtis Gibson, a former city commissioner challenging Mayor Jack Hilligoss The campaign materials highlight Gibson’s two past arrests IS DANGEROUS,” reads the headline on one of the mailers Another declares: “A DISTURBING HISTORY WE CANNOT TRUST.” Gibson says that he was exonerated in both cases the most recent a 2017 arrest that yielded charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence The group responsible for the mailers and text messages has no apparent direct affiliation with Hilligoss “Paid electioneering communication paid for by Floridians for Senior Care.” Some voters have also received at least six text messages either promoting Hilligoss or criticizing Gibson One included what appeared to be an official photo of Hilligoss with the headline At least one text message featured an image of Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd with the statement “Curtis Gibson is NOT endorsed by Grady Judd and he never will be …” Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carrie Horstman said Judd said that Gibson created a campaign commercial that included clips from a 2022 podcast interview between the two Judd said that Gibson falsely implied that the sheriff had endorsed him Other text messages cite court records detailing Gibson’s past financial troubles One calls Gibson “A FINANCIAL HOUSE OF RUIN FOR LAKE WALES!” The supposed senders of the text messages are identified by first name such as “Julie with Floridians for Senior Care.” The texts appear to originate from a number with area code 863 Calls to that number yielded a recorded message saying “Your call cannot be completed as dialed.” known for using aggressive tactics in promoting conservative and Republican candidates The Lake Wales mayoral race is nonpartisan White has served as treasurer for more than 30 political committees according to Florida Division of Elections records Those include some chaired by Anthony Pedicini such as the Committee to Expose Fake Republicans White also serves as agent for committees affiliated with state Rep. Jon Albert, R-Frostproof, and Rep. Jennifer Kincart Jonsson, R-Lakeland White did not respond to a voicemail left Monday In a video posted March 6 on his campaign Facebook page Hilligoss addressed the mailers and text messages which he said focused on “some unfortunate incidents from my opponent's past Hilligoss said he did not know the mailers and text messages would be sent “I was just as surprised as you,” Hilligoss said to the camera and people have to decide whether that matters to them,” Hilligoss said Gibson criticized Hilligoss for not denouncing the campaign tactics of the outside group as though I'm this horrible person in the community — which is baloney,” Gibson said “And I'm sad in that my opponent didn't denounce any of these nasty attacks,” Gibson said “I would respect Jack more if he would have came out publicly and said ‘I denounced this because this is not how I want to run my campaign.’ And as a pastor do you think he called me up and offered a prayer to me for all the nonsense I've been going through?” Hilligoss indirectly responded to calls for him to condemn the mailers and texts “But I've seen where people have admonished me ‘Get your people under control,’” Hilligoss said Folks are free to say – and I could say the same thing to Curtis but I don't expect Curtis to police everyone's comments.” Hilligoss made a similar point during Tuesday’s City Commission meeting after citizens admonished him for not acting to stop the distribution of the mailers He said that he does not know anyone with Floridians for Senior Care I had nothing to do with this,” Hilligoss said You all are asking for me to tell them to stop One of the mailers states that Gibson “was arrested on felony charges for attempting to cash a bad check!” He said that he was the victim of an attempted scam and thought he had won a contest The State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit filed a “no bill” document Records from the case were not available for viewing as of Tuesday on the Polk County Clerk of Court’s website 'This is gorgeous': Completed projects bring Lake Wales closer to being 'a city in a garden' an argument arose between Gibson and his romantic partner Gibson pulled out a pocket knife with a 2½-inch blade and held it to the woman’s neck the State Attorney’s Office filed notice that it would not continue its prosecution of Gibson The alleged victim signed a waiver of prosecution saying that she wanted the charges dismissed The woman had moved out of state and did not want to return to Florida Gibson posted a message from Nakisha Rankins “It is disheartening to witness the public defamation of his character as well as the dissemination of misinformation regarding our situation,” Rankins wrote and I am convinced that they were politically motivated to tarnish Curtis Gibson’s reputation.” The committee had reported only two contributions through the end of 2024: $150,000 from Florida Care New York; and $125,000 from the Florida Health Care Association represents more than 86% of Florida’s nursing centers The entity lobbies on behalf of nursing homes and assisted living facilities the FHCA’s senior director of strategy and communications had not responded by Tuesday afternoon to an email sent Monday asking about the group’s donation to Floridians for Senior Care and its role in the texts and mailers attacking Gibson This is not the first time an outside political committee has intervened in a Lake Wales election a statewide political action committee registered in Jensen Beach paid for mailers sent in last year’s city commission election promoting incumbent candidate Danny Krueger The mailers bore a photo of Krueger standing with Judd though Judd did not officially endorse any candidate Despite that advertising, Krueger lost his reelection bid to Carol Gillespie The committee chair for Building A Brighter Future for Florida listed in state records is Thomas Piccolo a partner in SIMWins and the husband of state Rep The Tampa consulting firm played an active role in last year’s legislative elections involving Polk County districts Jonsson reported paying more than $286,000 to SIMWins for services that helped her win the open Florida House District 49 seat Albert reported paying SIMWins more than $66,000 as he captured the open Florida House District 48 seat Floridians for Senior Care’s reported expenditures include more than $164,000 to SIMWins in 2022 The PAC has given $8,500 to Advancing Florida Agriculture and smaller donations to various Republican legislative candidates Why is a statewide political committee spending so much capital to affect the mayoral race in a city of 17,000 residents where elections typically draw fewer than 3,000 voters and the mayor is paid $13,608 and has few extra powers There could be varying reasons for the PAC’s activities a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida among them “behind the scenes party affiliation.” Hilligoss is connected with Citizens Defending Freedom a conservative political group founded in Polk County Jewett said personal affiliations could also be at work really likes Mayor Hilligoss or dislikes Gibson (for instance a friend or an enemy of one or the other),” Jewett said by email The committee or its supporters might be seeking to influence government policy in Lake Wales “It also could be ‘good government’ in the sense that maybe the PAC really feels that Mayor Hilligoss has done a good job and deserves another term whereas they think that voters should learn of Gibson's background which they may think is disqualifying,” Jewett said He added: “And maybe something else we have not thought of.” LifeLink of Florida said AdventHealth Lake Wales had two donors save five lives and AdventHealth Heart of Florida had three donors save five lives in 2024 Team members at AdventHealth Heart of Florida and AdventHealth Lake Wales (above) helped get new donor registrations to the Donate Life Florida state donor registry through a variety of events including flag raisings donor registration tabling events and more ten lives were saved by organ donors at the two hospitals in 2024 The organization said AdventHealth Heart of Florida had three donors who saved five lives and AdventHealth Lake Wales had two donors save five lives The hospitals also had a combined nine tissue donors last year LifeLink said each tissue donor has the ability to impact up to 75 lives with the life enhancing tissue grafts they donate DoNation engages workplaces of all sizes and industries to highlight the importance in the lifesaving and life-giving mission of organ and tissue donation and transplantation AdventHealth Heart of Florida and AdventHealth Lake Wales in partnership with the LifeLink of Florida the local organ and tissue recovery program earned Gold recognition for conducting organ donation education and donor registration activities between October 2023 and September 2024 AdventHealth Heart of Florida and AdventHealth Lake Wales were two of 58 participating hospital partners within the LifeLink service area new donor registrations were added to the Donate Life Florida state donor registry This registry is currently the third largest in the country with over 11 million registered donors Donating an organ is the greatest gift one person can give another as you are providing hope and helping someone live longer; potentially giving a family more precious time with their loved one,” said AdventHealth Polk Market President Tim Clark “We are very honored to receive this prestigious designation It shows just how committed AdventHealth and our hospital teams are to bringing awareness to the tremendous need for organ donations in Florida and nationwide.” over 104,000 individuals are waiting for a lifesaving transplant and more than 5,000 of those individuals live in Florida every day in the United States 17 people pass away because an organ was not available in time to save their lives another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list This ongoing need reaffirms the critical and growing need for more registered organ A 12-year-old child was struck and seriously injured while in a crosswalk by a driver who ran a red light the boy was in the crosswalk at State Road 60 and 3rd Street when he was hit by a 2010 Buick Enclave Video footage obtained by Lake Wales police shows the child waited at the crosswalk and began to cross east once westbound traffic was stopped at the light Ethan Havlock of Lake Wales was traveling east on State Road 60 and proceeded through the red light Police estimate the vehicle was traveling 47 mph when the impact occurred Havlock stopped his vehicle and was on the scene when police arrived The child has been airlifted to an area trauma center for immediate medical treatment Neither the child's name or condition was released by police More: Police: Lake Wales business hit with Molotov cocktails, 'Civil War Trump' message Lake Wales police have an active investigation underway The crash occurs as Lakes Wales will take proposals at 2 p.m. Friday for red light and school zone speed enforcement cameras as the city has plans to implement these traffic control devices. Lake Wales has approved an agreement that will return ownership of the historic Walesbilt Hotel to the city The Lake Wales City Commission and Community Redevelopment Agency Board both voted 5-0 Tuesday night to approve the settlement with Raymond Brown the city will pay Brown $450,000 to reclaim title to the building accusing him of fraud and breach of contract Lake Wales officials reached a redevelopment agreement with Brown for the property Brown said in 2011 that he had spent $1.5 million on restoring the building and his plans to convert the hotel into condominiums stalled Lake Wales will receive title to the property within 30 days City Manager James Slaton said that he has had discussions with developers interested in restoring the building as a hotel said that the $450,000 payment to Brown will probably come from either CRA trust funds or a mixture of city and CRA funds Local Clinic Earns National President's Circle Award — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said a suspect was shot and killed after he threatened deputies with a knife a 43-year-old suspect wandered into the garage of a 78-year-old man in Lake Wales The suspect asked the man for a gun so he could kill himself Deputies said the suspect then wandered into the house of a woman asking for a gun again so he could kill himself Sheriff Judd said it's unclear how the woman got the suspect to leave A deputy arrived on Masterpiece Road and found the suspect the Sheriff said the suspect pulled out a knife and started walking toward the deputy Authorities said the deputy attempted to de-escalate the situation by moving back and putting a patrol car between them the second deputy asked the suspect to put the knife down PCSO said the suspect turned his attention to the second deputy and the second deputy told him to put the knife down Sheriff Judd said the suspect continued to walk toward the second deputy and the deputy shot the suspect multiple times Our deputies were in a position of grave danger and risk and they protected themselves," Sheriff Judd said during a news conference Officials said life-saving measures were administered PCSO has not identified the suspect since next of kin has yet to be notified The purchase of 4,158 acres southwest of Lake Wales last year was the third largest land purchase in Florida within the ranch and recreation land category, according to a presentation at the 2025 Lay of the Land Conference The conference was hosted in Lakeland in March by Saunders Real Estate and large land sales continued to dominate Florida's land market “Florida’s land market experienced a notable transformation in 2024 with large-acreage transactions driving sales despite an overall decline in volume,” according to a news release announcing its 2013 to 2024 report on annual transactions In Polk County, further details about the massive land deal near Lake Wales were reported by GrowthSpotter Home builder Richland Communities bought the land from 5R Ranch for $50 million The property is located southwest of State Road 60 and U.S The property has a future land use of rural agricultural and doesn’t have any development entitlements No development plans yet?Richland VP Matt Young told GrowthSpotter that he doesn’t have any details to share on what the builder envisions for the site but that the acquisition is representative of the confidence that the company has in Florida’s future “We saw it as a good investment and continue to believe in the future growth of Florida,” Young said “We’re continually looking throughout the region and coast to coast to expand our portfolio It’s just a factor of timing when opportunities like this one come online.”  The property is in unincorporated Polk County Richland does not have any plans for an annexation into Lake Wales at this time Neither Lake Wales nor Polk County said there are any plans submitted by Richland as of Thursday master-planned communities and has several in the pipeline in Lake County The company also has divisions focused on multifamily and industrial development and has projects completed or underway in Polk County’s Posner Village and downtown Orlando the sale to “an active land-development company may be a harbinger of yet another major development proposal."  “The long-discussed 5-R Ranch property could potentially host many thousands of homes along with commercial and industrial uses if purchaser Richland Communities decides the time is ripe to develop the sprawling property south of Lake Wales Airport,” the Lake Wales News reported The idea behind the plan is to have a network of environmental lands as a buffer to outward urbanization Past proposals to build on the property were met with hostile reactions from area residents flatwoods and mesic hammocks stretching as far south as Alturas-Babson Park Cutoff Road Richland Communities is currently building out or designing a half-dozen other large developments across central Florida notably Sugarloaf Mountain and Minneola Ridge in Lake County Those two projects will host nearly 4,200 homes and 1.23 million square feet of "commerce park" structures If development were to be proposed on the the 5R Ranch site it would be the largest project yet for the southern Polk County portion of the Lake Wales Ridge which mentioned several other large developments along the Ridge The similar Peace Ridge project, which has already received preliminary approvals, includes up to 6,100 residential units spread across 1,943 acres is also a mix of uplands and marshes stretching south to connect with Mountain Lake Cutoff Road West The recently annexed Lake Wales Commons project site located at the western edge of Lake Wales on the north side of SR 60 is expected to contain 3,200 residential units along with 1.2 million square feet of light industrial and 750,000 square feet of commercial development on 558 acres Meanwhile, CBD Real Estate Investment, a Celebration-based company headed by David Waronker, is pursuing approval of his plans for a 344-acre subdivision east of Bartow that he has re-branded as Emilie East was rejected by the Polk County Commission Waronker is now seeking annexation into Bartow A hearing is expected on the development in Bartow later in April Waronker has appeared before the Lake Wales City Commission on at least two occasions as he obtained approvals for several projects on the east side of the city, including the Hunt Club North and South projects totaling nearly 1,200 units Extended Search Blayze Mattox is the 2025 state champion for ages 13 and under He competed at the USA Weightlifting Florida State Championship in Lake Wales Ten-year-old Blayze Mattox reigns as state champion for weightlifters age 13 and younger in the 39 kilogram division Mattox competed among the state’s best at the USA Weightlifting Florida State Championship in Lake Wales Saturday.  The second was 22 kilograms (48.5 pounds) and then on his third try he set a new personal record at 26 kilograms (57.32 pounds) he needed to set a new personal record and lift 33 kilograms (72.75 pounds) He was determined and did just that.  Parents Brandon and Tabatha Mattox are proud of their son The younger Mattox works out four to five days per week on top of playing basketball and football but what really sets him apart from others is his work ethic and mindset,” Brandon Mattox said Blayze finds a way to respond the right way.” The Callahan Intermediate School third-grader qualified for the state competition during an event at the University of Florida Mattox won that meet with a 20 kilogram snatch lift and a 31 kilogram clean and jerk Read Nassau County Record, Callahan, Florida © 2025 Nassau County Record Layoffs Leading to Apparent Closing of Facility at Longleaf Business Park The corporate owner of Legoland Florida Resort plans to dismiss 31 employees at the Lake Wales facility that designs and builds Lego models for the theme park Merlin Entertainments has filed a notice with Florida Commerce of the planned layoffs, scheduled to commence May 31 at the Merlin Magic Shop The layoffs could continue through June 13 Those losing their jobs comprise one model shop manager one model technical builder and three brick stockers None of the employees are represented by a union “In an effort to deliver a sustainable and thriving future for Merlin Entertainments Merlin Magic Making (MMM) supports attractions worldwide driving innovation and setting a new standard for themed experiences," Merlin spokesperson Julie Estrada said by email we regularly conduct strategic reviews into how we can evolve the delivery of the business Estrada added: "By consolidating our operations to one MMM facility we’ll be able to offer more flexibility and respond more effectively to other Merlin sites globally delivering the best value and product to our teams running LEGO production from a single hub moving forward continues our successful collaboration with the LEGO Group where ultimately The Merlin Magic Shop opened in 2016 at a former Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership on U.S at the north end of Longleaf Business Park Merlin Entertainments bought the 6.9-acre property the previous year for $1.4 million including the 38,000-square-foot former motorcycle showroom The Lake Wales facility joined existing shops in California Europe and Malaysia that produced models for Legoland sites Merlin now operates 10 Legoland resorts in eight countries including three theme parks in the United States Legoland Florida Resort opened in 2011 at the former Cypress Gardens attraction in Winter Haven Testing hypotheses: Polk students compete in annual State Science and Engineering Fair When a Ledger reporter toured the Merlin Magic Shop in April 2016 The spacious shop with a 40-foot ceiling held tall rows of shelves containing bins filled with more than 10,000 Lego bricks in various sizes Workers assembled models of human and animal figures some of which took thousands of Lego bricks The shop planned to make not only models but also signs and other products used for theming at parks while also creating animated elements and making wax figures for display at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums It has been a difficult five-month stretch for Merlin and Legoland workers in Polk County. Legoland Florida Resort halted Brickbeard’s Watersport Stunt Show in late December ending a decades-old tradition of water-ski shows on Lake Eloise dating to the creation of Cypress Gardens In January, Legoland Florida Resort announced that it would lay off 234 entertainment employees at the theme park in March The job cuts were part of a “business restructuring specific to our operation,” Legoland said in its notice to Florida Commerce Legoland Florida Resort has moved forward with construction of Sea Life Florida The attraction will feature more than 3,000 marine animals in tanks holding 150,000 gallons of water went private in 2019 in a deal between Lego's founding family and Blackstone EAGLE LAKE — Polk County girls hurdlers compete in the very large shadow cast by the George Jenkins’ hurdlers Auburndale sophomore Wiseberly Payoute managed to escape that shadow who just began running the hurdles last year the 400 hurdles and the high jump as the top individual from Polk County on Saturday at the Class 3A District 7 track and field meet at Lake Region High School Payoute’s time of 15.54 was good enough to hold off Lake Wales’ Mikaila Walker (15.63) It was off her personal-record of 15.22 but it was the second consecutive meet that she ran under 16 seconds Her time also was about two seconds faster than last year when she consistently ran in the mid 17s (seconds) and ran under 17 seconds just once who works with Payoute in the hurdles described her as a fast-rising track athlete Payoute is ranked fourth in the county behind the Jenkins trio of Williams She is hoping to get close to 15 seconds this year then break into the 14s next season I've been running with her since last year Payoute said Williams has helped her in the hurdles “She taught me how to stay patient,” Payoute said While Williams casts a large shadow over Polk County hurdles Payoute is following some impressive footsteps in the 100 hurdles over the the past decade at Auburndale Cat Morris and Olympian Monae Nichols are ranked No 5 in Polk County over the past quarter century While her 100 hurdles time was off her personal best shaving nearly two seconds off her best time of 1:12.45 that she ran two weeks ago at the county meet Payoute began her day by winning the high jump Her mark of 4-11.75 was just off her best mark of 5-00.25 While Payoute was the top individual from Polk The Highlanders finished second with 133 points When the Highlanders finished 1-2 in the 200 Lake Wales would have led at that point but its 4x100 team that crossed the finish line in first place was disqualified for an exchange zone violation pulled away with two runners scoring points in the 3,200 Lake Wales won the 4x400 but gained only two points on Zephyrhills Fleur and Jordyn Alston were the top athletes for Lake Wales Henry won the 400 (58.53) and outleaned St Fleur ran 25.16 in the 200 and won the 100 in 12.25 Alston won the discus (96-09) and the shot put (16-04.5) Mickaila Walker won the long jump (16-04.25) and finished second in the 110 hurdles and fifth in the 100 Lake Wales’ William Windham was the top athlete for the boys He won the 1,600 in 4:41.10 and took fourth in the 800 Teammate Gabriel Harris won the 3,200 in 10:22.13 as the only other individual winner from Polk County Lake Wales finished third in the team competition McKeel’s Jonsson a 3-time individual champ as top Polk athlete in 2A-9 meetMcKeel freshman Elin Jonsson won three individual events and was on the winning 4x800 team to finish as the top athlete from Polk County at the Class 2A District 9 track and field meet on Friday at Tenoroc High School who is a one of the top swimmers in the county the 1,600 (6:07.83) and the 3,200 (13:00.57) Two other Polk athletes won multiple medals in the girls competition Tenoroc’s Kyla McKenzie won the shot put  (29-03.25) and discus (75-09) and Frostproof’s Alyssa Ingraham won the triple jump (34-01.5) and long jump (16-0.25) Other individual winners from Polk were Frostproof’s Jenna Jordan (javelin) Frostproof's Yalimar Casquez (100 hurdles) and Discovery’s Joi Buckle (400) and E’Mirra Green (200) Discovery’s Ja’Quarius Lucas won the shot put (40-10.5) and discus (131-04) Other boys winners from Polk are Frostproof’s Nicholas Lopez (javelin) McKeel’s Cal Howard (1,600) and Jayden Vegter (800) and Tenoroc’s Sean Dickerson (400 hurdles) Armani Thomas (400) and Demetrius Jones (200) FLORIDA — The Florida men’s basketball team is playing for the NCAA Tournament National Championship tonight against the Houston Cougars Fla.) has been the best player in the tournament so far he’s averaged nearly 25 points per game and his shooting the lights out — 50% from the field 49% from the three-point arc and 90% from the free throw line When the Gators’ backs are against the wall “I feel like everyone sees it,” Florida guard Will Richard said We’re glad everyone else is seeing him do it in the game.” “He’s incredible,” Florida forward Thomas Haugh added We trust him in those situations and he knocks down big shots day after day.” Florida (35-4) clinched a spot in the title game by defeating Auburn 79-73 in Saturday’s Final Four UF rallied from nine points down in the second half I just let the game come to me,” Clayton said “I have bunch of other guys around me that are threats also like Tommy hit that three in the first half it kind of loosened up their defense a little bit The Gators face a Houston (35-4) defense that will do everything to get the ball out of Clayton’s hands and make someone else beat them “They’re the best defensive team in America,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said “They have a great identity as a program of being physically and mentally tough Not only this year but Coach Sampson and his program have done it for a long time now.” Florida will play in its fourth NCAA title game and first since winning back-to-back crowns in 2006-07 It’s been a roller coaster of emotions for Lake Wales head cheer coach Brandi Kehres In a year in which the program was coming off a first state championship season in program history there were a lot of ups and downs in 2024-25 but it was the cheer competitors who kept coming back for more despite being knocked off their feet numerous times That’s what it’s about: How many times can you get knocked down and keep getting up the program has the right mix of coaches that can quell the storm despite more pressure on the coaches “These 11 athletes on mat this year have been great at adapting on the spot and being coachable I believe this is the most talented group of individuals we’ve ever had," Kehres said we were very excited for all the individual talent at this year’s tryout We set high goals and expectations from the very beginning of announcing our competitive team These athletes are hands down doing the most elite routine we’ve ever had in program history." Helping with this difficult routine are Lake Wales High School cheer alumni Bailey Polston who was just added to the coaching staff this year Kehres said it is imperative to have relationships to help execute this routine “I take pride in building lasting relationships with athletes and truly appreciate that these coaches want to come back to coach alongside me pour into their hometown kids and continue building the program they were once on,” she said All-County cheer: Meet The Ledger's All-County Cheer Team for 2023-24 season Pushing through Lakeland cheer's Amaya Thoene pushes through condition, helps squad continue success Head has helped build the program immensely thanks to his experience (Head has won two national championships with UCF cheer three world championships and coaches all-star cheer) which has helped exhibit hands-on involvement that has greatly impacted the Lake Wales athletes’ stunt technique as the biggest challenge the Highlanders have faced this year was leadership and camaraderie because the program graduated athletes last season that were the glue of the team there were four new athletes on mat who had big shoes to fill As the program approaches FHSAA State thanks to placing first in the Polk County Championship earning the highest score so far of an 80.4 in the small non-tumbling division Kehres said her competitors value the “WE not me” motto which means family mentality more than ever “Truthfully all our athletes are our strongest competitors,” Kehres said “We would not be the team we are without all 11 of these athletes “We have flyers that have to base at some point in the routine veterans that are now main bases in elite skills and rookies that are first-year high school athletes Being in the small NT division with only 11 athletes on mat (This story was revised to include new information.) A woman was bitten on the elbow by an alligator Monday while paddling at Tiger Lake Canal in Polk County the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said The FWC and Polk County Fire Rescue responded to the scene and the victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries A contracted nuisance alligator trapper was dispatched to remove the alligator In the recording of the 911 call obtained by The Ledger the location was described as the Tiger Lake Canal not far from Lake Kissimmee The caller first described two injuries to a man’s leg and a woman’s elbow but then later in the call said just the woman was injured He said she was bleeding profusely from a puncture and tear type wound and in need of a torniquet She was mostly out of the water and on some ground in a nearby swampy or marsh area the caller said the woman was going into shock and was reporting a lot of pain but was still able to speak The caller later said her breathing was rapid and her pulse was dropping Meanwhile the 911 call taker continued to reassure the caller that help was on the way by boat and air She also told him and the patient to stay far away from the animal “The animal disappeared but it might not be that far away,” he said but it took some time to get it because people feared going in the water where the woman had been attacked He reported the life vest the gator got off one of the boaters could be seen bobbing in the water presumably in the control of the reptile The caller also was asked to drop a pin to the location so the first responders could find them be bandaged and get her feet out of the water nor get back in the boat to be towed to a boat ramp and meet first responders At 33 minutes into the nearly 45-minutes call a helicopter could be heard and the kayakers started to wave their paddles the caller reported it seemed as if the copter was trying to land Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida “SNAP uses contracted nuisance alligator trappers throughout the state to remove alligators believed to pose a threat to people People with concerns about an alligator should call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286) The FWC recommends the following precautionary measures near alligators to reduce the chances of conflicts with alligators: Alligators in Polk: Among the state's most alligator-infested lakes, Polk County shows up a lot. Surprise? Nah Toll Road Would Follow Lake Wales Ridge Toward I-4 We desperately needed a highway system as an alternative to get to Orlando faster I personally think option C or D are the better options to select from and would be even greater with an exit ramp and on-ramp where the proposed highway intersects with US 27 Fla — A Polk County woman is a lottery millionaire after winning the top prize from a scratch-off ticket won $5 million from playing the Gold Rush Limited Scratch-Off game Mathews bought the ticket from Murphy USA at 2048 Sam Walton Way in Lake Wales Mathews received a lump sum payment of $3,960,000 The Murphy USA location where she bought the ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winner The Lake Wales Police Department is investigating an attempted arson attack on the Univista Insurance business one or more suspects threw bottles containing flammable liquid through the front lobby glass of the business at 674 State Road 60 The suspects also spray painted “Civil War Trump” on the office’s front windows The fire caused limited damage to the interior of the business The agency released video showing a light-colored Toyota Prius captured on surveillance cameras at the building LWPD said the occupants might have been involved in the incident Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of $2,500 for information leading to an arrest Lake Wales: Commission approves red-light cameras, speed detection in school zones or download the free “P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet to submit a tip Prosecutors have added about 30 counts of money laundering to the charges against Jason Penrod, a former Lake Wales lawyer arrested in September and accused of stealing from a client's trust fund Penrod appeared in Polk County court Thursday before Judge Cassandra Denmark to face the additional charges Penrod had been in jail on $500,000 bond since his arrest Assistant State Attorney Matthew Hendry argued for an increased bond because of the “exceedingly high amounts of money that are alleged to be stolen from the victims,” WFLA reported Denmark ordered Penrod to be held without possible release on bond The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Penrod in September charging him with grand theft over his alleged diversion of nearly $1.8 million from a client’s trust fund carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 Penrod has pleaded not guilty to the original charge Thursday's first appearance on the new charges did not require him to enter a plea Penrod, 47, was founder and owner of Family Elder Law The firm abruptly closed its offices in July with no warning to clients probate and estate administration and special needs protection and planning a former associate attorney discovered Penrod’s misuse of client funds and reported him to The Florida Bar Penrod then reported himself to the Florida Supreme Court for misuse of funds from two clients In November, The Florida Bar permanently revoked Penrod’s law license Jan. 6 defendants Grady Judd disagrees with Trump's pardons for those who assaulted officers at Capitol the State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit alleged that Penrod engaged in money laundering through financial transactions intended to conceal the theft that was the source of the money or to avoid transaction reporting requirements The counts cover a period from April 2023 to April 2024 The filing also accuses Penrod of a second instance of stealing money from a client’s trust fund he knowingly used or sought to use more than $100,000 belonging to Mary Ann Sparks and/or the Kurt Sparks Living Trust Penrod’s September arrest followed the filing of a civil lawsuit in Polk County accusing him of stealing nearly $1.8 million from the trust fund of a client who has since died 21 in Circuit Court for the 10th Judicial Circuit The 53-page complaint said that Penrod traveled to Pennsylvania and confessed to depleting the trust fund and using the money to gamble at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa He proposed repaying the money to Anderson’s adult children over 10 years The complaint quoted from a letter in which Penrod described himself as a “raging” gambling addict PCSO detectives confirmed that Penrod visited the Seminole Hard Rock Casino numerous times and lost more than $1.7 million gambling Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in September Copies of Penrod’s bank records showed that he had wired more than $1.2 million to the Hard Rock and had withdrawn more than $24,000 from ATMs at the casino Lake Wales has added a western appendage as leaders welcome the prospect of only the second master-planned community in the city The City Commission last month voted to annex 558 acres west of U.S 27 and to modify land-use and zoning designations for the proposed Lake Wales Commons development The mixed-use project would include single-family housing commissioners suggested that if they did not annex the land for the proposed project “We cherish the natural setting in which we find ourselves the hills and the lakes,” Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson said during the meeting and we are striving to collect our growth in areas so that we can preserve the countryside along with accommodating the growth and providing for economic prosperity and Lake Wales Commons is just about exactly what we need for that plan.” Commissioners voted 4-0 for the annexation and for code and zoning revisions to accommodate the project The annexed area is bounded by State Road 60 to the south and lies mostly south and west of Old Bartow Road One segment stretches just north of Lake Parker The 558-acre project site consists of 26 separate parcels Among the largest is a 116-acre tract between SR 60 and Lake Parker that the developer bought last year for $4.9 million Records list the developer as Lake Wales Commons LP a lawyer with Peterson & Myers in Lakeland Rice said that the proposed project would be the second master-planned community approved by the city “The primary component of that is that it has to be truly mixed use,” Rice said “And this was created back when that project was initially approved to support and require this mixed-use component through limitations in the comprehensive plan So you have to have a certain threshold amount of industrial or commercial or residential or open space for public use.” City leaders in 2021 approved the first master-planned community Commissioners Keith Thompson and Carol Gillespie joined Gibson in speaking enthusiastically about the proposal Addressing concerns about a lack of affordable housing Thompson said the city needs to create more economic opportunity He said that Lake Wales Commons would help in that regard “We're going to have to have higher-end housing for those professionals who would want to live here in Lake Wales,” Thompson said we've got to do a lot of things all at the same time as a commission And I know it looks like sometimes that we're not listening or paying attention to what the public is saying Gibson also emphasized the theme of economic development suggesting that the proposed upscale housing of Lake Wales Commons could attract people capable of owning businesses Lake Wales has one of the lowest median incomes in Polk County “And one of the reasons it's a problem is because our economy was based — the anchor for our economy was citrus The citrus production has fallen off by 60% to 70% so what we have in terms of affordable housing 'A huge part of our history': Legoland Florida in Winter Haven will discontinue water ski shows said she was “blown away” when she first saw a presentation for the development Identifying herself as a longtime resident Montgomery lamented the “annihilation of the landscape” and also expressed concerns about a lack of affordable housing “We are literally pricing our young families out of home ownership,” Montgomery said “What I see in this mixed use is businesses and leasers My family have had to come home because they have not been able to afford rent and utilities and I see a whole lot more rental signs than I do home ownership.” Price said that Lake Wales Commons will create a range of housing options “If you burrow deep into this master development plan what we have is a substantial portion of the site — I would say close to half — is dedicated to single-family residential,” Rice said That could be anything from large estate lots to attached lots to townhomes So we intentionally created a lot of flexibility so that we could have a lot of different lot products and product types.” have been annexing land in recent years to accommodate development projects while many have sprung up in unincorporated Polk County Thompson and other commissioners said that Lake Wales is better off with the project inside its boundaries what we are dealing with is the annexation piece of it which is critical for us as a commission to do so that some other municipality doesn't come in and sweep that land up “We want to be in charge of the destiny of that piece of property We want to benefit from whatever is going to go out there We want to benefit from the tax increment.” Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518 LAKE WALES — Cheryl Brannan and Sue Polzin decided on a trip to downtown Lake Wales on Wednesday from their homes in Saddlebag Lake Resort As they stood in Market Plaza trying to decide on a lunch spot “I hope that people start coming down here.” Lake Wales recently finished two related projects multiyear plan to revitalize downtown and attract new businesses The city held a ribbon cutting March 7 to celebrate the renovations of Park Avenue and Market Plaza Those two are among dozens of projects, many already completed, outlined in Lake Wales Connected a long-term blueprint for urban revival focused on downtown and the Northwest Neighborhood commissioned a design firm to create the guidelines drawing upon a city plan from 1931 that was never fully realized That plan, created by the Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts, envisioned Lake Wales as “a city in a garden.” The consulting firm Work began in March 2023 on the transformation of Park Avenue from Scenic Highway (State Road 17) to Wetmore Street a stretch of just over a quarter of a mile Lake Wales converted what for decades had been a wide one-lane road into a two-way street with parallel parking on one side “The end result is we're creating a pedestrian-friendly botanically rich environment,” Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton said “A lot of downtowns prioritize vehicular traffic over pedestrian traffic We're trying to create an environment where pedestrians feel safe and comfortable to walk around downtown and cross the street.” Lake Wales devoted nearly $13 million to the Park Avenue and Market Plaza projects The renovated Park Avenue features a brick surface abundant planters and wide sidewalks set with benches Vintage-looking streetlamps on black poles line the road their lights angled downward to limit light pollution In fidelity to the “city in a garden” theme Lake Wales lined Park Street with vegetation according to Assistant City Manager Deena Drumgo which will offer increasing shade as they rise are complemented by flowering and fragrance trees including crape myrtles and pink tabebuias oversized pots and baskets hanging from street lamps Planters also teem with such native species as coontie and pink muhly grass “Our goal was to incorporate a wide variety of plants which would complement one another in their own way and that would not take away from the historic charm of the downtown,” Drumgo said by email while a drainage system along a two-block stretch was not functioning properly The City Commission, in its role as board of directors of the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency approved spending about $138,000 to fix the problems The city offered $5,000 grants to Park Avenue businesses affected by the disruptions of the project The Park Avenue project was further complicated by the need to coordinate with the Florida Department of Transportation on the intersection with Scenic Highway installed new pedestrian crossings and brought the intersection corners closer together “It was tough during the construction because it's an inconvenience to everyone,” Slaton said we hear from the public that (they) can't believe this is in Lake Wales and how beautiful it is.” the city roughly tripled the size of Market Plaza a public space south of Park Avenue and east of Market Street Crews removed a parking lot and a retention area expanding the plaza with a grassy tract surrounded by trees and flowering plants The newly opened space affords a better view of the floral-themed mural on the side of the building at 220 Park Ave round dining tables and portable green chairs and three people sat under the partial shade of newly planted oak trees Wednesday afternoon Market Plaza retains its most distinctive element a stone clock tower donated to the city in 1931 by Sarah F is to create “a destination” in downtown Lake Wales Market Plaza hosts the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday mornings twice a month and periodic live music shows on Friday evenings Slaton said he foresees an increase in events at the expanded site One component that downtown Lake Wales lacks is public restrooms Brannan said that her hometown in Wyoming recently completed a downtown revitalization and now hosts Thursday evening gatherings She hopes Lake Wales will expand its offerings including more eateries with outdoor seating I really do think that the downtown is kind of the heart of the community and it's really nice to see them put a little bit of money and effort into it,” Brannan said “It makes you want to come down here now,” Polzin added Lake Wales leaders are counting on the projects to lure more businesses into the downtown area he began meeting with entrepreneurs considering the location Those prospective business owners include some outside Polk County and at least one from another state including that of the former Wales Pointe restaurant Workers were completing renovations at 244 E where a window sign advertised the pending opening of Luxe Bride Another sign announced that the Hair Affair at 211 E four new businesses have opened in a one-story strip: Smokin’ DJ’s Fine Line Barber Shop and The Thirsty Dragon owner Gordon Broadhead welcomed the conclusion of the lengthy road transformation which Broadhead has operated for nearly eight years occupies the former Friedlander Department Store G’s Vintage Market peddles various nostalgic wares from lamps to sports jerseys to vinyl records and the store mascot — a Pomeranian named Nash — adds to the customer appeal Broadhead acknowledged that his business suffered during the road closure forced by the construction project He was among the business owners who claimed grants from the city “The parking lot across the street was always open but there was a time when they (customers) had to walk up to the intersection and back I'm just really thankful that the locals still came and supported (the store).” As a solo business owner with no employees Broadhead said he was able to withstand the decline in business He expressed sympathy for other proprietors downtowns went by the wayside when all the big box stores started coming because they always go to major roadways like (State Road) 60 and (U.S.) 27,” Broadhead said it's great to see that Lake Wales has taken an effort to revitalize downtown And there's some great businesses on the street and over on Stuart (Avenue) It just takes people to come and patronize them.” Lake Wales has other revitalization projects in the planning stages Orange Avenue and Crystal Avenue will be resurfaced with the cost covered by a federal grant and an intergovernmental agreement with Polk County Lincoln Avenue and A Street using nearly $23 million in federal funding from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program As the city continues to tick off projects from the Lake Wales Connected plan Slaton expressed satisfaction that Park Avenue and Market Square are no longer construction zones I know it's a relief to our downtown business owners but it's also exciting because this is a new chapter in Lake Wales history and what we know is we're creating a destination downtown and a community that we think is going to be unlike any others here in Central Florida And we're really setting the stage for revitalization and creating a vibrant downtown.” Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — The city of Lake Wales continues to build new trails and improve their streets as the area grows one new trail will connect to the city’s biggest attraction it would be nice to have a way for people to walk or to ride up to the gardens,” Price said That’s the idea of the new Tower Boulevard Trail It will connect Bok Tower Gardens to Lake Wales Park It’s all part of bigger plans to connect the city through a trail system and improve existing streets The new trail will be paid in part by a grant of $282,380 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recreational Trails Program That grant comes after a major $22.9 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation last year to help the city fund its Complete Streets program.  Plans for the Tower Boulevard Trail call for a 12-foot wide Price hopes that means easier access to Bok Tower Gardens for more visitors people have biked here to the Gardens,” Price said creating these trails will be a safer system to get here and also more beautiful.” City officials say planning for the trail will take place over the next few months with construction expected to be done by 2027 A Lake Wales woman has been arrested and faces murder charges after a fatal stabbing on Saturday Lake Wales police officers responded to reports of a stabbing at a home on Ashton Palms Drive in the Lake Ashton development about 6:19 a.m Officers arriving on the scene found a 71-year-old man with a stab wound to his check Officers rendered aid until Polk County Fire Rescue arrived on the scene The man was taken via ambulance to Lakes Wales AdventHealth Lake Wales detectives identified 49-year-old Mihaela Mallen of Lake Wales Mallen was arrested and has been charged with second-degree murder Mallen is being held in the Polk County jail Lake Wales police did not identify the victim by name But Polk County property records show Mihaela Mallen shared a home with her husband Court records show she had filed for divorce on Feb