Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - Apr 29 Lakeland 5 - Tampa 0
Posted: 29 Apr 2009 07:52 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/YkBC2Q8EPwM/
Box Score | Game Recap
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Robbie Weinhardt
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Apr 29 Lakeland 5 - Tampa 0
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LakelandLocal.com - Filming Endure
Posted: 29 Apr 2009 06:03 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/4L5_nIkh3Eo/
For a few weeks Im volunteering for NFocus, a Lakeland company making an
independent film here in town. Its my job to handle writing for their
official behind the scenes site, Endure. Im also tweeting what I can at
@enduremovie. Im shooting a lot of photos for the production, though some
cant be published. Cest la vie.
The crew shoots from at 7am to 7pm, so I cant be on the set at all times.
The other day I was visiting a friend who lives near one set and spotted
those young women watching production. With Devon Sawa in the film, theyve
had quite a few bystander scenes like that one.
photo credit: Chuck Welch for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Filming Endure
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LakelandLocal.com - Lakeland Commission: Man, The People We (Ostensibly)
Serve Are Annoying
Posted: 29 Apr 2009 05:44 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/7qHhr2EiIMc/
In the latest effort to ensure it still gets invited to all the good
regional cocktail parties if and when the CSX deal goes splat, our Lakeland
City Commission - excluding Justin Troller and Howard Wiggs - has sent a
blanket email - with DOT-fawning letter attached - urging Florida senators
to ignore any silly citizen emails or other contact expressing opposition
from anyone not official.
Money paragraphs from City Manager Doug Thomas email:
We understand that you may have received information from individuals
and/or organizations that have conveyed the erroneous impression that the
City of Lakeland is opposed to the passage of Senate Bill 1212. Please be
advised that the City of Lakeland has worked diligently throughout the 2009
Legislative Session with Senate Leadership, various Committee Chairs, Bill
Sponsors and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to attain
acceptable language in SB 1212 calling for: (A) the FDOT to undertake a
Project Design and Environmental (PDE) Study of various freight rail
rerouting options arising from the FDOT District 1 Alternative Rail Study;
and (B) that the preferred freight rail rerouting option from the PDE
Study, with a priority ranking from the Polk County Transportation Planning
Organization, shall be programmed in the FDOT work program in a fiscal year
no later than 10 years from commencement of construction of the CSX Winter
Haven Integrated Logistics Center
We trust this information clarifies any questions or impressions you may
have regarding the City of Lakeland’s official position on this
legislation, and please feel free to contact the office of either the
Lakeland Mayor City Commission or the City Manager in the event you have
any related questions.
Leadership Lakeland must be so proud of its alums. However, it does seem a
curious way for Commissioners Gow Fields and Jim Verplanck to approach
their mayoral campaigns. I can imagine their speeches: My fellow
Lakelanders, you may be under the erroneous impression that you want a
third candidate, perhaps one that is younger, better looking, and more
energetic. We assure you that you do not. Thats our official position. You
want us to make your decisions for you, in contravention of your input.
Feel those goosebumps?
This is all too silly for words, really. But I suppose I should bite
briefly on the substance of the Lakeland language.
1) Lakeland only controls - at best - eight votes on the countys
Transportation Planning Organization, which is made up of elected officials
across the county. Eight votes isnt close to a majority. IMHO, there is no
chance that TPO members - which include officials from Winter Haven and
Auburndale - will vote to both impact themselves directly through rerouting
or commit to massive funding of a project that would likely cause other
projects to be delayed. I suspect thats the reason the TPO language got
inserted. The TPO wont priority rank a $1 billion rerouting.
2) No one seems to have asked CSX if it would use any alternative route. I
received no response from the company when I asked the press person. And
Thomas told me via email that while the city hasnt secured CSXs
cooperation, it would make perfect sense for it to play ball. Well, of
course, if it would make sense, Im sure CSX will do it out of general
principle
Back in the real world, once the Orlando deal goes through, and $600
million in cash and product is burning holes in CSXs pockets, our wise
commissioners have zero leverage to ask the company to do anything. So, we
can get this study done, and TPO prioritization, and all that. But when CSX
says no, future legislators will just strike the language from the statute.
Lakeland who? Official Lakeland, thats who.
Anyway, if you would like to annoy the commission further, email these two
senators: (Larcenia Bullard) bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov; (Sen. Pres.
Jeff Atwater) atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov. Tell them that official is
always temporary.
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Lakeland Commission: Man, The People We
(Ostensibly) Serve Are Annoying
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - Apr 28 Tampa 3 - Lakeland 1
Posted: 28 Apr 2009 01:13 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/EFTPNmyRGTM/
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Box Score | Game Recap
Dontrelle Willis Jeff Kunkel April 21
Player Notes: LakelandLocal.com photographer Tom Hagerty reports that Shawn
Roof and Jeff Kunkel have been called up to the Erie Seawolves. Replacing
them on the Flying Tigers are Mike Gosse and Jordan Newton.
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Apr 28 Tampa 3 - Lakeland 1
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LakelandLocal.com - Lakeland City Truck Stolen
Posted: 28 Apr 2009 12:42 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/copPys4McNo/
The city water utilities division needs your help. It seems the driver
didnt listen to any of the many Lakeland Police Department reminders, and
left the keys in a city truck while he ran into a convenience store. As
youve deduced, the truck was gone when the city employee ran back out.
The truck was stolen this morning from the 2000 block of East Edgewood
Drive. Based on the description, we believe it is the location below:
View Larger Map
The vehicle is described as a 2006 white Chevrolet Silverado Diesel pick-up
truck with the City of Lakeland swan logo on the side door. The door also
has the words, “City of Lakeland Water Utilities” on the door. The tag
number on the vehicle is XA0797 and the tag is yellow in color. Inside LPD
LPD has no suspects at this time, but ask citizens to call police
immediately if the truck is spotted.
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Lakeland City Truck Stolen
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LakelandLocal.com - Sgt Hutchinson
Posted: 28 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/HEaJ3crKWIQ/
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Sgt Hutchinson
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - April 27 Tampa 6 - Lakeland 0
Posted: 27 Apr 2009 10:10 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/js1bB7DHMM8/
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Box Score | Game Recap
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as April 27 Tampa 6 - Lakeland 0
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LakelandLocal.com - Fun Sans Sun
Posted: 27 Apr 2009 05:21 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/oE4PhS7Gq-o/
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Fun Sans Sun
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - April 26 Daytona 5 - Lakeland 3
Posted: 27 Apr 2009 03:17 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/IYT8LDyTkwg/
Lakeland fan Brett Anderson at the April 11 Flying Tigers game
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Box Score | Game Recap
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as April 26 Daytona 5 - Lakeland 3
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - April 25 Daytona 6 - Lakeland 3
Posted: 25 Apr 2009 07:51 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/TlcgtTv0NB8/
You can read about tonights game in the recap, but I wanted to point out one very telling stat: 4,149. Yes, the attendance. The Daytona Cubs out drew the Flying Tigers, and Im not sure why. The Lakeland team puts on a fine experience. Its fun and inexpensive to go to a baseball game at Joker Marchant. At least it is after spring training. For the Flying Tigers, parking is free, tickets are very inexpensive, and most people will find the play as good as anything they see the MLB teams do in Spring Training.
Id love to hear from people who dont go to the games. Why not?
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Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as April 25 Daytona 6 - Lakeland 3
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LakelandLocal.com - Sumo
Posted: 25 Apr 2009 05:02 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/fL2OyWpvaQY/
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Sumo
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - Religion in the City - Sacred Spaces
Posted: 25 Apr 2009 03:55 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/h-_ErJi89r8/
This weekend I am attending a violin performance by Arianna Kim and Robert
Waters at Wesley Methodist Church on Massachusetts in Lakeland. Besides
being an inner city church, the small congregation of Wesley has an amazing
afterschool tutoring and athletic ministry to the Parker Street
neighborhood. Because of tough economic times, Wesley has decided to
transform its historic sanctuary into a sacred, community center and stage
for local musicians, artists and plays.
Sitting at Mitchells coffee house earlier this week a friend asked me if I
thought Wesley’s sanctuary was still a sacred space, even though they have
stripped away its pews and so much of the sanctuary? Of course I said yes!
But it got me thinking about what I felt makes a space sacred?
“…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them…I will dwell among
the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their
God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.”
(Exodus 29:45-46)
When some people think of a sacred spaces they get images of tented
Tabernacle or huge cathedral churches. Other people think of sacred space
as a church palpate or the rail around an alter. However I think the
majority of people simply see sacred space they go to for their Sunday
morning worship time.
What makes a space, sacred? Is “sacred” a smell like burning incense, is a
taste like grape juice or wine at a communion rail? How would you know a
“sacred” space if you saw it?
I would like to pose that a sacred space could be any opportunity or space
the divine can create hope and renewal for you and your community.
In Ephesians Paul makes the point that when you join with the sacred, your
body is made into a temple. “…a holy Temple in The Lord. And in Him you
too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His
Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20)
I believe the places and people we deem sacred are the ones which align our
spirits with what is true and right. The Buddhist art of feng shui is the
positioning of objects like homes and furniture, based on a belief in
patterns of yin and yang, The sacred, would be described as the flow of
energy around positive and negative effects between objects and one’s life.
I recently spoke to a church-group of parents on the topic of –
communicating to children at their level. The first exercise I had them do
was to take a blank sheet of paper and draw their childhood bedrooms
growing up. I then asked the group to describe their favorite place either
in their childhood room or home. Some of the parents talked about their
bed at night reading by themselves. Others talked about areas that were
their own—for example, the back of their closet, away from brothers,
sisters or parents. I then asked them what was so important to them about
that “sacred space”. Now that the group was taken back to those early
moments and feelings, I could now ask them if they knew where their
children’s “sacred spaces” are. I suggested to them to not only ask their
children where their “sacred space” was, but to every now and then go to
that space when they were not around and pray for them from the eye level
and perspective of the world as they see it.
When we think of our bodies as temples and sacred spaces as any place where
the divine offers hope or renewal, then any place can be a sacred. Any size
room, any smell, taste or sight can be sacred.
I was recently asked by a Presbyterian Minister friend of mine in town,
what has been the most sacred space I have ever been in? My answer without
a second thought was “Denny’s”! There is no more sacred place to me. No
where I feel more called, challenged or connected to the divine than
Denny’s at 2:00 in the morning. Sitting next to taxi drivers, college
students, runaways, prostitutesI have heard and asked some of the deepest
questions about life, purpose and God posed in those early hours.
When you think about it, where is your sacred space? And what makes it
sacred?
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Religion in the City - Sacred Spaces
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LakelandLocal.com - Apr 24 Lakeland 5 - Daytona 1
Posted: 24 Apr 2009 08:34 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/1hW3EB7Hvfo/
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Box Score | Game Recap
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Apr 24 Lakeland 5 - Daytona 1
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LakelandLocal.com - Round the last bend - Lakeland Minute at the Lakeland
Derby by Darby
Posted: 24 Apr 2009 04:57 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/4mhz0pYT33w/
The Annual Lakeland Derby - What you missed on the lake, well just one
minute of the event so be sure to go next year!
(on iphone? check out the video here).
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as ‘Round the last bend - Lakeland Minute at the
Lakeland Derby by Darby
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LakelandLocal.com - City Press Release on UWUA Negotiations
Posted: 24 Apr 2009 03:08 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/DwVDW0XyUNQ/
(Note: This is a verbatim press release from the City of Lakeland. It is
presented here for reader information. I have not interviewed any of the
parties involved, and do not plan to do so this weekend. Until I can do so,
Im publishing the press release, and offer to do the same for the UWUA. )
LAKELAND, FL (April 24, 2009) The City of Lakeland made a last, best and
final offer to the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) Local 604 on
March 13th after almost 18 months of negotiations that included offers and
counter offers regarding compensation. The union and those Lakeland
Electric employees represented by Local 604 notified the City of Lakeland
on April 21st via faxed letter that they are declaring impasse on the issue
of wages. Impasse begins a process to resolve disputes between the
employer and the union that could not be agreed upon through negotiation.
The City of Lakeland and the UWUA have been involved in negotiations since
September 2007 for an inaugural collective bargaining agreement. All other
proposed bargaining points have been tentatively agreed upon by both
parties with wages being the last article to be resolved. At the last
scheduled meeting between the negotiating teams on March 13th, the City
made a final offer on wages in a good faith effort to bring closure to the
collective bargaining process. This final offer involved a multi-year,
market based proposal that was developed through wage surveys of Central
Florida area electric utilities, including both investor and municipally
owned utility systems which Lakeland Electric competes for skilled
personnel.
City Manager Doug Thomas said, “Our negotiation team has strived to develop
a fair market based proposal that takes into account total compensation
including hourly wages and benefits. If you take the total package into
consideration, especially in light of the unique electric utility market in
which we compete in Central Florida. We believe it is difficult to justify
wages that are higher than those proposed in the City’s offer, especially
when you take into account the balance of historical municipal benefits
including medical, dental, vision plans, a defined benefit pension and paid
leave which have been tentatively agreed upon by the parties.”
The final wage proposal also reflected a transition to a performance based
pay plan with market based compensation developed for each job
classification. After evaluating wages from area electric utilities, a pay
band was established with a minimum hourly wage and a maximum hourly wage
for each union represented position at Lakeland Electric.
Jim Pennington, Deputy General Manager for Lakeland Electric said, “The
market survey showed us that in some areas, especially at the low end of
some of our job classifications, we (Lakeland Electric) needed to improve
to assure the retention and recruitment of numerous technical utility
positions, and I believe that the latest wage proposal took that into
effect. The market survey also made it evident that some of our union
represented job classifications were already at, and in some cases above,
what other utilities in the area are paying.” He added, “We believe that
the City’s final wage proposal is a fair offer that reflects the local
market for electric utility worker wages, especially given the significant
economic challenges we are all facing.”
Through the City’s final wage offer, all bargaining employees would have
received an immediate 2% across the board wage increase upon ratification
of the contract with a second 1% increase in pay on October 1, 2009. The
final wage proposal also called for an immediate wage adjustment to bring
those bargaining unit employees to the established minimum for their
classification if their hourly rate was still less than the market minimum
after the across the board wage increases. All bargaining employees would
have also been eligible for an annual performance based merit increase up
to 3% for 2009, up to 4% for 2010 and up to 5% for 2011.
With the UWUA declaring impasse, the next step could be mediation. If an
agreement cannot be made through the assistance of a designated mediator or
if the parties choose not to go to mediation, a Special Master is appointed
to help resolve the dispute. The parties may mutually agree upon a Special
Master but if they do not, one will be appointed by the Lakeland Public
Employee Relations Commission. After the Special Master hearing, if the
parties still don’t agree on recommendations, the remaining issues are
decided by the Lakeland City Commission. Any agreement must be ratified by
the union and ultimately have the approval of the Lakeland City Commission
in order to go into effect.
Thomas said, “The City presented a last, best and final offer to the UWUA
and those employees represented by Local 604. We have made several offers
and this last one is the very best we can do under these extremely
challenging economic market conditions. We have surveyed other area
utility compensation plans and developed a pay plan based upon that data.
Our team feels that we have put together a very fair offer and believe it
is unjust for our customers to pay more than what the market bears,
especially during economic times with rising unemployment, foreclosures and
failing businesses.”
(Note: This is a verbatim press release from the City of Lakeland. It is
presented here for reader information. I have not interviewed any of the
parties involved, and do not plan to do so this weekend. Until I can do so,
Im publishing the press release, and offer to do the same for the UWUA. )
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as City Press Release on UWUA Negotiations
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LakelandLocal.com - Smile
Posted: 24 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/HIb6Tvtr_Oc/
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Smile
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - Lakeland Florida Homes for Sale Listed 04/12 to 04/18
Posted: 23 Apr 2009 08:33 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/wn77jek0bxY/
CommunityWalk Map - Lakeland FL New Home Listings 04/12 to 04/18
Full Size Map - Lakeland FL New Home Listings 04/12 to 04/18
The report from Petra Norris at Lakeland Real Estate Blog
There were 76 homes newly listed in Lakeland with an average sales price of
$190,049 or $97.87 per square foot. In total, there are 2,137 properties
currently for sale according to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS).
4 condos listed with an average sales price of $172,400
7 mobile homes listed with an average sales price of $70,800
1 townhome/villa with a sales price of $74,900
64 single family homes with an average price of $205,994
The priciest home that came newly on the market here in Lakeland, Florida
is a 2008 Custom built pool home in the Highlands in the Woods Subdivision;
featuring 4 bedrooms and 3 baths with over 3,500 square feet of living
space currently offered for $625,000. On the contrary, the cheapest home
newly on the market is a 3 bedroom 1 bath bank-owned property listed for
only $24,900 – under $25.00 per square foot - located in Webster Omohundro
Subdivison.
The data for this report was obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS, it
is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This report does not include For
Sale By Owner.
The breakdown by zip code is as follows:
33801 – 04
33803 – 11
33805 – 08
33809 – 08
33810 – 14
33811 – 07
33812 – 02
33813 – 20
33815 – 02
There are 19 newly distressed properties being offered for sale listed this
past week at an average price for a home is $146,639. Currently, there are
496 homes facing foreclosure, are in pre-foreclosure, are bank-owned or
trying to do a short sale.
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Lakeland Florida Homes for Sale Listed 04/12 to
04/18
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LakelandLocal.com - Apr 23 Clearwater 7 - Lakeland 6
Posted: 23 Apr 2009 07:07 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/TMeb1XNRMy8/
The 575 fans at Joker Marchant let the umpires have quite a few boos
tonight as the Flying Tigers fell 7-6 to the Clearwater Threshers. Ground
outs at first, strikeouts, stolen bases all seemed to go against the home
team according the more vocal than usual fans. The boos were for naught as
the lack of video replay or umpire concern ensured no call was reversed.
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Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Apr 23 Clearwater 7 - Lakeland 6
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LakelandLocal.com - Reading
Posted: 23 Apr 2009 05:52 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/Bu1Lgxo7624/
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Reading
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LakelandLocal.com - Making a Film in Lakeland
Posted: 23 Apr 2009 04:49 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/aT3NMpjQmqY/
(For the past few weeks Ive volunteered to help the Lakeland-based
production company NFocus. The company is shooting a locally produced
script, Endure. They tell me my position is called Electronic Press Kit or
EPK. I would have called it blogging. Below is my post describing what I
found on the first day of production.)
This morning I wandered the set; watching the crew and the cast prepare,
discuss, and prepare some more. All for a scene that takes maybe a minute
of the film.
It couldnt sound more simple: cars pull in as people walk into and out of a
building.
Of course, its not simple to make sure each of those persons starts and
stops at the right time, and in the right place. Its not simple making sure
that every door, building and car is correctly labeled. Its not simple
making sure no one has hair sticking out sideways or tans that stop right
at the chin line. Its not simple making a sunny street when the sky is
overcast. Or a dark room appears to have sunlight streaming in the window.
Or making sure that a character is not wearing the same shirt and tie in
scenes set two days apart. Or is wearing the same shirt when the scene
calls for it.
Its just not simple to make a movie. There are at least a hundred crew and
cast dancing around and through a building. There could be twenty in the
hallway when the film can only show six. There are cables to be lifted
quietly off the floor and not tangled as the camera is pulled backwards
in front of actors walking forward, and stopping right there.
To enter the scene just so, actors walk around cameras, out of doors that
arent there, and speak their lines as they ignore the dozen crew peering at
them from behind the cameras view. A crew that seconds before was moving,
fixing, adjusting, installing, or removing. All with singular purpose; each
knowing his or her duty, and ready when called upon.
It was like watching a ballet in a crowded hallway performed by 30 of your
neighbors.
Id catch the random crew member here or there with a minute or two of free
time. Id ask how was the filming compared to other first days. Each seem
pleased that it was going so smoothly.
Early in the morning, Id overheard one crew member say to another, Youre
doing an excellent job. Then he introduced himself. Theyd already been
working together two hours at that point. They hadnt had time for
introductions.
When standing in a doorway that the camera couldnt see, I watched a scene
shot four times. Each time the director would adjust the movements of
background extras, and the actors would change their lines slightly to
emphasize a word or two. And the cameraman would reset to see one actors
face in just the right light. Each take looked like a movie scene.
Then I watched a little of what the camera filmed on the monitor. Now that
looked like reality.
(You can read more at Endure or follow @enduremovie at Twitter.)
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Making a Film in Lakeland
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - Apr 22 Lakeand 7 - Clearwater 1
Posted: 22 Apr 2009 09:25 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/TTCRjAFsKKs/
Click to enlarge
Winning pitcher Andrew Hess
Chris Carlson hit his 4th home run for the season to help the Flying Tigers to a 7-1 win.
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Click to enlarge
Reliever Pat Stanley
The next Flying Tigers home game is Thursday night at 7pm.
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Apr 22 Lakeand 7 - Clearwater 1
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LakelandLocal.com - Do Your Part On Earth Day & Every Day
Posted: 22 Apr 2009 06:36 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/EkzpVDWrR00/
Today is Earth Day. For me, its just another day. Not because I dont care about going green, being more environmentally friendly or looking for ways to reduce waste at my home. I concentrate on those things nearly every day. And you should, too.
Earlier this month, I thought about what I might write about today. Last year, I spouted off a laundry list of tips and tricks Ive heard about or practiced myself through the years to become more Earth-friendly.
This year, Ive done a few new things that Ill share.
I made my business a bit greener this year, which you can read about on my Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. site if youre so inclined.
At home, I started making my own laundry detergent at home this year. I read online about how frugal people were going to great lengths to cut back on costs during these tough times and saw do-it-yourself laundry detergent mentioned. A quick Google of make your own laundry detergent brought up this site, complete with photos, video and a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it.
Although I cant prove it, I believe the ingredients in this homemade laundry soap probably are safer on our environment than the store-bought stuff. I believe everything is phospate-free. Also, I feel better about the type of waste that results from this process. I know those big, plastic detergent jugs are recyclable, but it just feels better to me not to use them at all. The cardboard boxes the homemade ingredients come in are more recyclable in my mind. After all, I could tear them up and put them in my compost bin if I wanted to and remove them from the recycling and waste stream altogether.
Ive also been making some of my own household cleaning products. Here are some recipes Ill share:
Glass Cleaner
Mix 1 gallon of water with 1 cup of vinegar. Apply with a cloth or spray bottle and dry with a clean cloth.
I actually clean windows and mirrors with newspaper. I find that it doesnt leave streaks or lint and once it dries, I toss it in the recycling bin. Thats an extra use Ive gotten from the newspaper before it gets recycled. Thats good, in my book.
All-Purpose Cleaner
1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup household ammonia
1 gallon of warm water
Furniture Polish (this is one I havent tried yet)
Mix 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in one pint of mineral or vegetable oil and wipe your tables and chairs.
What I like about these cleaners is that their ingredients tend to be things that you already have around your home. That means you save yourself a trip to the grocery, which saves on fuel consumption.
The thing that strikes me the most about my attempts to be more Earth-friendly is that many of them simply dont require a great deal of effort on my part. They just require a different mindset, a willingness to do the right thing.
I hope each of you will take some time today and every day to look at your lifestyle and your habits and look for ways in which you can be a bit greener. If we all do our parts at home and in our workplaces, I truly believe we can make a difference on a grand scale.
Happy Earth Day.
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Do Your Part On Earth Day & Every Day
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LakelandLocal.com - Jack and Jill
Posted: 22 Apr 2009 05:43 AM PDT
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Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Jack and Jill
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LakelandLocal.com - The Heartland Parkway, CSX, and Mapping The Interests of JD Alexander and Company
Posted: 22 Apr 2009 05:07 AM PDT
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The Heartland Parkway will allow CSX the ability to efficiently move goods throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States.
That quotation comes from a letter Winter Haven City Manager David Greene wrote on Dec. 8, 2006 to then FDOT secretary Denver Stutler, explaining how important the Heartland Parkway is to the CSX rail hub/ILC planned for Winter Haven. The letter urges the state to authorize commencement of the [preliminary design and engineering] process so the Heartland Parkway can soon become reality.
The entire letter is a marvelously straightforward statement of the relationship between the proposed Heartland Parkway and the CSX deal, which Ive always seen as the great untold story of both issues. Between them, these two proposals call for roughly $10 billion in public spending to reorganize where and how freight and people move in Central Florida. When you look closely at the effort to build this wall of money, and at who it might benefit other than CSX, more often than not you see state Sen. JD Alexander, members and alumni of Orlandos GrayRobinson law firm, and a consistent cast of supporting characters and property owners, who between them own many properties that surround the hub or line the proposed parkway route.
For instance, Highland Cassidy, a partner with Alexander in pushing the Heartland Parkway and in several Winter Haven-area business ventures, has spent at least $8 million since 2004 to purchase at least 200 acres of property surrounding the would-be hub site, according to Polk Property Appraiser records.
Ive made a habit in this space of casting aspersions on Alexanders role in all of this, often noting his purchase of Phoenix Industries in the middle of the CSX fight and his relationship to the would-be Heartland Parkway. These references are a convenient shorthand for the set of interlocking and massively complex interests, stretching from Orange County to Hendry County and beyond, that have enormous potential stakes in what happens with the CSX deal. And the least of those interests is whether 3,000 people a day get to ride a train in Orlando.
I got to thinking about this again recently when I read this discussion with Alexander from a recent story in The Ledger:
I think SunRail is a good policy. It makes sense. But its not to die for, for me. He said the most important issue for him was the relocation of a CSX hub to eastern Polk County that would bring hundreds of jobs, and thats done, he said.
Though a number of news organizations have danced around this, I dont think anyone has fully laid out why relocating the hub might be the most important issue to Alexander. So Im going to take a stab at it here, using just publicly available reporting, property records, and official government correspondence. I have to warn you that this will get long, but I dont know how else to do it. Frankly, Im under no illusion that anybody other than my mother will read all of this piece. But I think someone ought to put it all in one place.
Final Frontier
The best place to start, I think, lies in the first few paragraphs of Final Frontier, a fabulous piece of journalism from reporter Cynthia Barnett, which Florida Trend magazine published in July 2006.
In February [2006], longtime Orlando lawyer J. Charles Gray, representing a consortium of rural landowners, sketched a suggested route for a new highway onto a road map and faxed it over to Floridas Turnpike Enterprise, the agency that builds and runs the states toll roads
Grays map showed Turnpike officials how they could tweak a northern branch of the proposed highway to avoid a private golf community and to end closer to a recently announced intermodal hub for transportation company CSX Corp. in Winter Haven [Emphasis Mine]
[E-mails Lindsay Peterson and I obtained from FDOT back in my Trib days indicate that Alexander met with then Gov. Jeb Bush and DOT secretary Denver Stutler on Dec. 5, 2005 to pitch the Heartland Parkway. It's not clear if CSX came up that day.]
The plans made public [in March 2006] by the Turnpike Enterprise followed Grays cartography. In fact, internal DOT and Turnpike Enterprise documents show, Gray, [Rick] Dantzler and Florida Sen. J.D. Alexander, a Lake Wales citrus grower, so influenced the planning for the north-south route that they even convinced state officials to dub it the Heartland Parkway.
You really should read the whole thing. Using the Heartland Parkway as an object lesson, it explained how the housing/development bubble economy of 2003-2007 and the struggles of traditional agribusiness were pushing big landowners - like Alexander - into the home-growing business. Its a valuable snapshot in time that includes many names familiar to Polk Countians.
J. Charles Gray is the Gray in GrayRobinson, the man as responsible as anyone for bringing Disney World to Orlando and USF Polytechnic to Lakeland during his long career of influential legal and development work. In 2006, Gray was the lawyer and registered agent for HEART - the Heartland Economic Agricultural and Rural Task Force - the consortium of landowners mentioned in Barnetts story.
Back in 2007, I posted list of the landowning companies that made up HEART. They are a whos who of west Central Florida Big Ag and development operations. I want to focus here on three of them: Atlantic Blue, Alico, and Highland Cassidy.
As has been widely reported, Alexander owns a controlling interest in the first two companies. The St. Pete Times delved into how Atlantic Blue and Alico stood to benefit from the Heartland Parkway in a March 2007 story titled Whos Driving This Road Effort: Big landowners, including a state senator, would benefit from a highway they want built.
Follow the link to find a terrific flash map that matches the properties in question with the proposed parkway route that - remember - Gray reportedly drew. Youll find Alexanders Blue Head Ranch sitting dead in the middle of the swath, like a rabbit in a snakes belly. Here are a few key graphs from the story:
Blue Head Ranch is flat, parched grassland split in two by a stretch of blacktop called U.S. 70.
But this dusty outpost could become one of Central Floridas hottest real estate commodities if a mammoth toll road wins approval by the state. Nearly all of Blue Head Ranch lies within a large swath where a $7-billion expressway could go.
The 62,000-acre ranch belongs to a company headed by J.D. Alexander, a powerful state senator with Florida royalty in his blood.
Alexander has been instrumental in pushing for the road by helping to form a lobbying group stocked with some of the most storied real estate dynasties in Florida. They, too, own thousands of acres along the toll road route.
The road campaign comes at a time when Alexanders businesses, and those of some of his relatives, are shifting from farming and ranching to land development
The key thing about both this story and Final Frontier is that both focused on property south of Polk County and hardly touched on the spot where the parkway would meet the hub site on SR 60, south of Winter Haven.
With that in mind, lets revisit Winter Haven City Manager David Greenes Dec. 2006 letter to FDOT Secretary Denver Stutler, urging him to expedite the Heartland Parkway because of the impacts of the CSX hub, of which Greene may be the single biggest booster. Sorry, I only have this in hard copy. Key passages:
This [CSX hub] project will significantly affect Intrastate and Interstate highways, as well as the City and County road network(s). The Heartland Parkway will allow CSX the ability to efficiently move goods throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States. Many of the approximate[ly] one thousand semi trucks that will enter and leave the ILC daily will be able to utilize the Parkway, which upon construction will be a more cost effective, safe, and environmentally sound way to move goods. This will significantly reduce traffic on US 27, SR 60 and US Highway 27
The Heartland Parkway will be a vital link to the movement of goods and services throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States. The proposed CSX Integrated Logistics Center is very important to the future of Winter Haven, Polk County, Central Florida and the State of Florida.
Got that? Theyre a package. One helps justify the other. Everyone I ever talked to about the hub, on whatever side, agreed that the existing road network surrounding the hub was inadequate for its long-term traffic impacts. Now, how might you solve that problem?
Alexander himself sounded this theme when I interviewed him in April 2007, back when he would talk to me. I asked him if he was worried about the CSX road impacts, and he answered: Sure Im worried, but I have to look at whats happening. The CSX thing is a reality. Its going to spur economic development. The county really doesnt have a choice but to improve our infrastructure.
More technically, the 2035 traffic projection map Floridas Turnpike Enterprise produced for the Heartland Parkway route pegs the currently rural hub section of the route as easily the busiest section not directly tied to I-4 by 2035. Its seen as far busier than where the new highway would meet the Polk Parkway in heavily populated suburban South Lakeland. That would seem absurd if planners werent already projecting hub traffic, before the hub even exists.
People tend to think that Gov. Charlie Crist killed the Heartland Parkway in spring of 2007. Not true. The portion that would link the Polk Parkway, the hub, and I-4 is being studied right now. Whats gone is the PR campaign. HEARTs extensive website as been swallowed by GoDaddy, and I couldnt find a link to the 2035 traffic study map I mentioned above anywhere online. It used to be a quick Google search. (I printed a copy back in the day.)
Anyway, it is true that this so-called Central Polk Parkway section does not include the north-south route that would run through Alexanders property south of Polk and provided much of the highways controversy. But supporters always planned to start with the central Polk portion and move south from there. And the CSX hub traffic would greatly enhance the case for the road in Polk. Even I would admit it makes sense to build the Central Polk Parkway if the hub comes to fruition.
Which leads us back to the question of conflict. In the Whos Driving This Road Effort? story, the SPT writes:
About the same time, Alexander said, he asked the Senates general counsel whether he had a conflict [related to the parkway]. He said he was told if he avoided discussions with government decisionmakers on a subject that affects him financially, he had no conflict.
Remember that.
The Hub, Highland Cassidy, and Phoenix
Heres where Highland Cassidy , Alexanders HEART partner, comes in.
The well-known Polk development company is actually a sort of joint venture of two other well-known Polk development companies: Cassidy Properties (owned by Winter Havens prominent Cassidy family) and Highland Equities (owned by Robert and Joel Adams).
Alexanders Atlantic Blue is in business both with Highland Cassidy and what it calls the Cassidy Organization - in a Winter Haven housing development and two Winter Haven hotels, respectively.
By my count, Highland Cassidy owns at least 220 acres of land surrounding the hub site. All of it has been purchased since 2004 at what looks like a total cost of more than $8 million. That does not count the additional 22 acres that an entity called Winter Haven Investment I LLC purchased from Gerald Bowen and former state legislator Marty Bowen on March 15, 2008 for $1.3 million. The managers of that entity are listed as Robert Adams and Albert Cassidy It has since changed its name to Winter Haven Development LLC.
The Polk Property Appraiser web site is a little tricky to decipher, with some of the sales figures seeming to overlap parcels. So I encourage you to check my reporting and math for yourself. Here are the relevant parcel numbers I could identify: Highland Cassidy: 262915000000012030, 262915000000022010, 262922000000011010, 262923000000033010, 262921690500020600. Winter Haven Investment I: 262915000000012090. These two entities own most, though not all, of the undeveloped property shown in the map below. The rail line for the hub is in the southwest corner of the map. Some of the property is off this map, which Ive provided just for orientation.
Bottom line: Business partners with JD Alexander have more than $9 million invested in 242 acres of land surrounding the hub site. I do not allege that Alexander is a partner in these hub properties. I have no evidence of that. But CSX has told Tom Palmer that the timeline of constructing the hub will depend on whether the commuter rail legislation, which includes some funding to move some equipment to the Winter Haven facility from the current facility in Orange County, passes.
CSX told the Tampa Tribune recently that it will build the hub within the next five years even if the commuter rail deal fails. Five years? Now thats a number I hadnt heard before. Think all that money Highland Cassidy spent on hub property might start getting heavy in this economy if it has to wait a few years for the hub?
Its important to remember that the deal includes $23 million for relocation of the Taft Yard hub in Orlando to the Winter Haven site. No one I know, myself included, has been able to get FDOT to define relocation clearly. But the states announcements indicate that the money will save CSX some hub-related cost. Its about a quarter of the $100 million price tag CSX has assigned to building the hub. Alexander has worked for and voted for this deal, particularly the hub part. One could reasonably ask if its in Alexanders best interest for his business partners to receive a healthy return on their investments near the hub and if the hubs quick construction would help. And will that relocation money hes voting for help ensure that. I dont know, but I think its a reasonable question. And for any reporters out there, keep an eye on that $23 million even if the CSX deal goes down.
And then theres Phoenix Industries, which Alexanders Atlantic Blue bought in very early 2008. The warehousing and distribution company sports CSXs logo on its homepage and boasts of unique dedicated service offerings with CSX and Union Pacific Distribution Services. Its an approved transloader for CSX and owns a warehouse a mile or two up the rail line from the hub site.
Alexander recently addressed the Phoenix question in a Ledger story:
He said that Phoenix does less than two percent of its business with CSX and he requested an opinion from the Senate lawyer before the 2007 purchase to make sure there would be no conflicts of interest.
For me to be muzzled by unfounded allegations and not advocate for the jobs that will help the people in my district would be a much greater wrong, he said
Maybe Alexander could make some of these legal opinions public?
Anyway, because its a fools game to argue with a company about its operations, I cant confirm or refute that incredibly vague less than two percent of its business line. Phoenix doesnt talk about its revenue. But assume for a moment that two percent of general revenue comes from CSX business. Phoenix employs more than 60 people, and I would guess that $20 million per year in revenue is a pretty conservative estimate. Two percent of that is $400,000. Thats not trivial, at least not for a schlub like me. And does anybody think that number is going down if the deal goes through?
Remember what the SPT reported in its Heartland Parkway story:
About the same time, Alexander said, he asked the Senates general counsel whether he had a conflict. He said he was told if he avoided discussions with government decisionmakers on a subject that affects him financially, he had no conflict.
GrayRobinson
A stones throw from Highland Cassidys hub properties, along SR 60, we come to our next chapter and ask this question:
What would it be like to own oodles of acres of undeveloped agricultural land at the very spot where an existing highway, a major rail distribution hub, and a major tollway are projected to meet? Ask the Stokes family.
CSX, in at least two separate transactions, has already paid a total of $1.2 million to Robert G. Stokes, Jeffrey Stokes, and Stokes Groves for the land with which to build the access road from SR 60 to the hub site. Again, here are the parcel numbers: 262927000000044010 and 262934000000033030.
Robert G. Stokes is a former Polk circuit judge who works for GrayRobinson. A Jan. 2007 profile in InTheField magazine says he joined GrayRobinson in 1995, but I dont think thats right. I think its more likely he worked with Lane Trohn in Lakeland until GrayRobinson absorbed it circa 2002.
The article is cute, waxing on about how Robert and his family have always valued this beautiful piece of old Florida, but he realized then how important it was to other people, especially in times of so many developments.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, in August of 2008, The Ledger reported:
Winter Haven City commissioners gave preliminary approval Monday night to develop 676 acres near the planned CSX rail facility with a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses.
The property owned by Stokes Groves Inc. is north and south of State Road 60 and east of County Road 655A. It is now woodlands, pasture, groves and wetlands.
City officials said that within five years, 93 residential units, 100,000 square feet of retail, 65,000 square feet of office space and 500,000 of industrial space are planned. The rest of property will be developed over 20 years.
Whatever. Its the Stokes land. Good for them.
But the whole thing is emblematic of how GrayRobinson people just keep showing up everywhere in the CSX/Heartland Parkway axis.
Obviously, Gray established HEART for Alexander and friends and apparently drew the Parkway route, as Ive mentioned. I am told by a source I trust implicitly, who was there, that it was Gray who last year put Gov. Charlie Crist on the spot during a meeting in Tally with Orlando-area business and civic types by asking for and receiving a public statement of support for the CSX deal.
Gray also appeared with Crist, Alexander, and a few other folks last legislative session to announce Crists support for USF Polytechnic. Gray represented the landowner of the property in question the Williams Company. But thats a whole other story, as they say.
But its Grays partner, Fred Leonhardt, who gets much of the credit for pushing the deal on behalf of his lobbying clients, which include the city of Orlando, the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX), Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, and Floridians For Better Transportation.
Leonhardts Florida Chamber of Commerce bio identifies him as the lead lawyer for the 55 West Condominium project in downtown Orlando. I dont know if thats still the case. The troubled project appears to be the latest reincarnation of the once-famed Church Street Station complex. For what its worth, SunRail includes a Church Street Station stop on its line.
Lakeland native and future House Speaker Dean Cannon, the driving force for the CSX deal in the House, worked for GrayRobinson until 2007.
And last week, during a contentious committee hearing over the CSX deal, the parliamentary tactics of Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami on behalf of the deal left Sen. Paula Dockery fuming. And why might this south Floridian maneuver on behalf of an Orlando-area priority? Who knows? But its worth noting that his brother, Renier, is a lobbyist and lawyer working for GrayRobinsons Miami office.
Im sure there are other GrayRobinson connections Im missing, but you get the picture. Look, Ive got no problem with effective advocacy and skillful use of power. Thats what clients pay for. When that machine works for you, its great. See USFP. When it works against you, not so much. But at some point, just as a matter of general civic principle, it would be nice if I could tell the difference between my government and a law firm.
Conclusion
Yes, yes, I know, my God, hes finally almost done. Sorry.
I started this off by talking about a set of interlocking and massively complex interests that have major stakes in this logistical reshuffling of Central Florida. I hope Ive at least provided a comprehensible description of what I perceive them to be.
A couple of caveats: obviously, macroeconomic conditions are vastly different now than they were when all this began to play out in 2005 or so. I dont know what ultimate impact that has, but its certainly likely to have some. I think the downturn has already made the CSX deal a much harder sell than it otherwise would be. That being said, every deal Ive addressed here remains alive.
Also, its important for me to note that most of what I reported here is easily available online. Indeed, much of it has already been reported by other news organizations. Other elements come from public records that are a little harder to find, but still available. Its hard to allege conspiracies when so much of this happened in broad daylight. It takes a certain size of stones for a sitting state senator to announce, in the middle of a heated legislative debate over CSX in which that senator taken CSXs side, that hes purchased a big company so tied to CSX that it keeps its logo on its homepage . I dont think anyone can accuse Alexander of going out of his way to hide things.
Rather, Im sure he thinks hes done nothing wrong . And maybe he hasnt. Its not for me to judge in any official capacity. Maybe this is just the way things are done. I cant tell you how many times Ive heard people tell me that in the last few years.
But Im sure thats what Ray Sansom thought, too.
PS Anyone mentioned in this piece who wants to respond to anything in it will have free rein to do so. I will happily correct any demonstrable errors of fact.
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as The Heartland Parkway, CSX, and Mapping The Interests of JD Alexander and Company
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - Apr 21 Clearwater 4 - Lakeland 0
Posted: 21 Apr 2009 08:49 PM PDT
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Dontrelle Willis Joe ColemanIn seven innings, Dontrelle Willis gave up eight hits, including a home run. Though the Flying Tigers scattered six hits, the team was unable to score on the visiting Threshers.
Appril 21123456789RHE
Clearwater000112000480
Lakeland000000000061
Box Score | Game RecapThe next Flying Tigers home game is Wednesday night at 7pm.
Jim DeGennaro CFDC Senior Business Marketing Manager his grandson
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Apr 21 Clearwater 4 - Lakeland 0
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LakelandLocal.com - Signing Bonus
Posted: 21 Apr 2009 05:40 AM PDT
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photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Signing Bonus
Lakeland Local
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LakelandLocal.com - Its Time For Sun n Fun
Posted: 20 Apr 2009 06:27 PM PDT
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Its that time of year again. You know the one Im talking about. Its that
time of year when the weather still is favorable enough that many of us can
go sans A/C at home. And starting Tuesday, the hum of EVERYTHING will be
drowned out by hundreds of airplanes flying over my neighborhood- and
yours, too- during the Sun n Fun Fly-In.
I wont lie. The sounds of the airplanes wear on me after a while. But I
recently learned some interesting facts that, in light of these tough
economic times, have made me feel grateful that our fair city has such an
event.
At my Lakeland Kiwanis Club meeting a couple of weeks ago, John Burton,
president of Sun n Fun, shared some interesting facts about the air show.
Here are the highlights:
Sun n Fun is the largest festival in Florida and the second largest event
of its kind in the world.
The Lakeland airport becomes the busiest airport in the world during this
event.
Visitors from 70 countries and all 50 states attended last years event.
More than 160,000 people attended Sun n Fun last year.
About 4,500 airplanes flew in for the event last year.
This one impressed me the most: the regional economic impact of this event
is $27 million.
No one knows what kind of effect the economy will have on this years event,
but it is my hope that Sun n Fun attracts as many airplanes and visitors as
it has in the past. Sure, the planes may be loud, the restaurants may be
overcrowded and you may get asked for directions by strangers over the next
week. But think about this: Sun n Fun has attracted more than 35 million
people to Polk County and Central Florida over the years, according to
Burton. These people spend their money here and tell their friends what
they thought of the place. This event is good for us!
If you go, here are some of the highlights Burton said you can expect to
see this year:
A host of WWII aircraft
The U.S. Army Golden Parachute Team- this will be their first appearance at
Sun n Fun
Rocket Racing demonstrations
A night air show on Friday
A hot-air balloon launch on Saturday
Earth Day activities all week long in honor of the April 22 holiday
Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as It’s Time For Sun ‘n Fun
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LakelandLocal.com - Father and Son
Posted: 20 Apr 2009 05:39 AM PDT
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Post from: Lakeland Local
Originally Published as Father and Son
