Page 8 - Neil Combee News Today

Polk County Commission holds surprise vote to move Confederate marker in Bartow The county commission made the decision to move a confederate monument. and last updated 2021-07-22 19:41:18-04 BARTOW, Fla. — Located in plain view, on the grounds of the old Polk County courthouse in Bartow is a Confederate memorial. Maggie Macaulay was at the unveiling ceremony nearly 40 years ago with her grandmother. “She was asked to unveil it and she did. I was there when she pulled the cord to lif...

Commissioner Bill Braswell believes it’s time for the county to consider a moratorium on residential growth.

The 4-1 vote by the commission reversed an earlier vote by the county’s planning commission and went against a staff recommendation to approve the project. “This is a residential area,” said Bill Braswell, who joined Rick Wilson, Martha Santiago and Neil Combee in a vote against the concept. “It sounds like the school is a fantastic school, a great program, but it’s still a business. This would be a non-residential use dropped into a residential area. I don’t see it as compatible.�...

State OKd bill preventing local government from placing greater restrictions on home-based business State lawmakers approved a bill banning cities and counties from regulating the sale of firearms With the Florida Legislatures regular session over, the states counties, cities and towns have found themselves in a familiar situation. Lawmakers in the Florida Senate and House this year continued to chip away at the power of local governments to control everything from home-based businesses to cru...

Mike Musick wins runoff election to Lakeland City Commission Mike Musick. Mike Musick will be joining the Lakeland City Commission after defeating Shandale Terrell in a runoff. The city held a runoff Tuesday for a Special Election to fill the void on the Commission left by U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin when he was elected to Congress last November. The Republican represents Florida’s 15th Congressional District. Musick’s victory was narrow — he garnered 50.69% of the vote, while Terrell m...

KATHLEEN — Craig and Linda Karppe live in what might be called the middle of nowhere. The couple’s family property occupies 50 acres in an area that is closer to Colt Creek State Park than to a grocery store. Their home lies in extreme northwest Polk County, roughly halfway between Lakeland and Dade City and about five miles east of Zephyrhills. To the east of their home is an undeveloped tract of 1,132 acres that appears on satellite photos as a verdant region near the headwaters of the H...

It’s back. Again. Of course. Legislation to prohibit counties and cities from monitoring and controlling the impact of short-term rentals in their communities has been a high priority for huge

LAKELAND — If one Florida senator gets his way, local governments may soon lose control over one ever-expanding industry: short-term rentals.  Florida Senate Bill 522 was filed by Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah Gardens, in January and has been referred to the regulated industries, commerce and tourism and rules committees.  The bill essentially turns over the regulation, licensing and inspection of the short-term rental industry to the state, removing layers of control that currently ex...

Polk County will offer a new wave of rent and utility assistance to residents who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Stacy Butterfield, Polks comptroller and clerk of courts, announced Tuesday the county received an additional $21.8 million in federal funding to provide rental and utility assistance.  "Its always nice to get that in, then help the people of the county," Commission Chairman Rick Wilson said. When will the funds be available?  County Manager Bill Be...

More than 19,000 people had registered for vaccinations as of Friday morning through phone lines and the website, a number that swelled to nearly 30,000 by the afternoon.