What's Happening In Polk County

MMS Orchestra Ranks Superior

2008-02-20T23:14:00.002-05:00

McLaughlin Middle School and Fine Arts Academy Orchestra earned a superior rating during the Polk County Schools MPA evaluations this last Saturday. These evaluations are done to score all the schools music programs. Congratulations to Mr. Monacelli and the MMS students for their hard work and dedication to the program.

2nd Annual District 15 Nature Hike

2008-01-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone gets a chance to come out! I didn't put the full agenda on this page. If you'd like more info, email me and I'll send it, or email Laura (info below).

2nd Annual District 15 Nature Hike

Saturday, January 19, 2008
10:00 a.m.

Saddle Creek Park
(Tenoroc Fish Management Area)
Morgan Combee Road, Lakeland , Florida

The Saddle Creek Park Loop Trail is about 2 miles long
and will take about an hour and a half to complete.

* Drinks and refreshments will be provided *

RSVP by Friday, January 18th
Laura Rodriguez – (863) 413-2900
Rodriguez.Laura.S15@flsenate.gov

Hope to see you there!

FDOT Hearing Today

2008-01-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

FDOT has scheduled a public hearing today about concerning the widening project of Hwy. 27 north of I-4.
They will discuss the project development and environmental issues.
If you'd like to attend, you'll need some info. Here goes:

Location: Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate, North Davenport
Time: Open House 6pm
Public Hearing 7pm

WCR January Luncheon

2008-01-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

Today was the first Women's Council of Realtors luncheon of 2008. It's held each month at Cypress Wood Country Club.

Our sponsor for the day was Mike Woodard of Ameispec Home Inspection Service. He's a local owner and I would encourage everyone to use locals if you can. It's just good business.

The guest speaker was Sharon Creedon of Creedon Management Services. She explained that she coaches business plans, life skills and marketing packages for individuals and companies. All in all a very good motivation speaker.

Road Trip To Tallahassee

2007-12-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

I know I've been slow at blogging with the holidays. Hopefully now that everything has calmed down more, I can catch up.

Back in December, Julie Townsend, Pam Childers, and myself went to Tallahassee to lobby at the Senate Transportation Committee on behalf of ourselves, our neighbors and Julie for Lakeland. By a stroke of luck we were in the hall in the Senate when one of the Representitives called from the House of Representatives to say that CSX and FDOT were at the House speaking.

That led to a flight of the bumble bee run to the House, which is across a large room into a different building, or it felt like a different part of the same building.

I won't say I'm here to tell you everything that went on, hopefully everyone read that in the newspapers, but I will say that if you have never spoken in a public forum before, you should.

Be it city, county or state level, get involved and go for it.

I had someone recently say to me that government is set up to intimidate, which I will agree. But he also said shame on me for being intimidated. I should stand on my own two feet and speak. I also agree.

I guess the lesson for the new year is go for it, you'll never know until you try and it is very empowering. Be it CSX, taxes, roads or schools, whatever your passion is, speak up. If you don't, you have no right to complain.

Have a great New Year!!!

FDOT Transportation Secretary at Lakeland Meeting

2007-12-09T07:35:00.000-05:00

The secretary for transportation, Stephanie Kopelousos, was the guest speaker at the Lakeland CSX/FDOT meeting last Friday. And she was met with a less than warm and fuzzy crowd.
Lakeland was the main focus because their state senator Paula Dockery and representative Dennis Ross had arranged the meeting.

It was a passionate crownd starting with a presentation from Jim Studial of Lakeland. Jim had serious concerns with the project including the fact that an Environmental Impact Study was not being done on the site along with the DRI and that the DRI process was being fast tracked by the state.

Ron Weaver, the state wide well known land use attorney, who was hired to represent Lakeland spoke on the injustices to downtown Lakeland. He always makes excellent points!

I will say the most moving part of the day was when Julie Townsend asked the secretary 10 very hard questions. They were questions on everyone's mind and each one was met with a thunderous applause from the audience.
One such question was if the traffic from the Orlando intermodal site was harmful to Orlando and Orlando has tried to get rid of this thing for years, why does the state think it will be good for Polk County? (More thunderous applause!)

A few of us had time at the end to get up and speak on the impacts to us on the eastern side of the county.
Pam Childers, Johnny Guest, Eldon Tipper, Wayne Guest and others all had very good points and were well received.
My statement pointed out that by having this $500 million in hand and waiting to hand it over to CSX / Evansville railroad, at this point the state and federal governments would be just as liable and criminally negligent for the harmful impacts of this site to myself, my family, my neighbors and the thousands of unsuspecting Polk County residents who have had no representation and would be harmed by this.

I also want to point out that it's amazing that my own state senator, Senator JD Alexander when asked about this topic at last week's delegation meeting, thought it was the next best thing to sliced bread and didn't want to hear any different. Could it be that he would be one of those "fat cats" we hear about who stand to gain the most from this.
He needs the Heartland Parkway to go through so the state will buy all those glorious acres from he and his friends for the road, thus profiting him directly and secondly with a booming parkway in place his surrounding thousands of acres would be worth a fortune instead of just cattle land as it stands now. And what better way to ensure the future of the Heartland Parkway than to justify it's need with the thousands of semi trucks to an ILC site.
Where is Eastern Polk's representation when we need it? Do we not pay tax dollars also?

Any questions on that conspiracy theory?

Today is Pearl Harbor Day

2007-12-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Let's not forget this day as it is a reminder to all of us that freedom is not free. Let us not forget that today this great nation is in another struggle where our young men and women are picking up the tab for the rest of us.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1296093/posts

http://www.anysoldier.com/

McLaughlin Fine Arts Academy

2007-12-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

This year in Lake Wales is the first year for the McLaughlin Fine Arts Academy on the campus of McLaughlin Middle School.

Today the 8th grade orchestra class played Christmas music at the Lake Wales Woman's Club. Their teacher is Mr. Monicelli, sorry for the spelling, and he works very hard with the kids to bring out their best. My daughter Kylie is in the class and enjoys it very much.

I've put pictures at the top of the performance, which lasted about 15 minutes.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Madalyn Walton, who is the fine arts coordinator and was at the performance today. I did forget to mention in the previous post about the Woman's Club, that Ms. Watson was presented a check from the Woman's Club to the school for whatever the school needed. It was very generous of them! Thank You Ladies!

Tomorrow the same group will be playing at the annual Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce Christmas Luncheon, and I'll make sure to have pictures from that event.

The Woman's Club of Lake Wales

2007-12-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

My daughter and her classmates played at the Lake Wales Woman't Club luncheon today.

I wanted to post a little info for anyone who may like to get involved in this service club.

The yearly fee to be a member is $35 with a first time $5 start up fee.

The physical address is 275 East Park Ave in Lake Wales and the mailing address is

PO Box 1078, Lake Wales, FL 33859-1078.

Thank you to all the ladies for having the kids there and allowing us to be part of your day!

Polk's Legislators All Together

2007-12-06T14:16:00.000-05:00

Once a year, all the Representatives and senators from the Polk County area get together to discuss, hear from organizations about funding needs and resident's issues.
This meeting was held this past Tues. 12/4/07 at the County Commission Building in Bartow.
Now if you've read my previous blog, I said Pam and I were at Citizen's Academy graduation. Well we were partially. We were at the legislative meeting in the afternoon just to get the feel of the process. Residents were supposed to speak starting at 7pm. The afternoon session got finished early, so they ushered in people to start speaking. Everyone was there to speak on a different subject. It is a long day, but very interesting to hear all the different concerns and issues of the county.
Pam and I were there to speak about the CSX ILC, of course. They took Pam right away and she did not make a good impression on Sen. JD Alexander. He is definitely in favor of the ILC and didn't really want to hear any different. Too bad for him, he did.
There was about an hour break and then the evening session began around 7pm.
Pam and I were at graduation upstairs, our family and neighbors were downstairs preparing to plead our case. She and I were up and down those elevators all day.
The chairman of the meeting decided when he finally saw how many people were there to speak about CSX that everyone couldn't. They asked that 4 people represent the group. Mike Chiavuzzi, Eldon Tipper, Johnny Guest and Wayne Guest went, with Wally Krouson sneaking up the rear and getting in. (Go Wally!)
All in all I think it was a good meeting, not only for my personal cause, but for most people who attended.

Citizen's Academy Graduation

2007-12-06T13:51:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night was a momentous occassion for Pam and myself. We finally graduated. Ok, it was from Polk County's Citizen's Academy, and there was no cap and gown, but it was a great experience.

Spouses, significant others or a guest were allowed to come gone the last session. My husband, Mike did make it, or at least for awhile.

We had a brief class on our county library system, then on to graduation. At the actually graduation county manager Mike Herr attended and spoke, as well as the asst. county manager and County Commissioner Reed. (Commissioner Reed was in the first class when the program started!)

I am going to say shame on those of you who are native to Polk County. I found out most of the people in this class and others are new comers looking to get to know the area. I'm sure most natives will say they don't need the info, like I used to say, but they'd be wrong.

I do encourage everyone to contact the county to find out when the next class will be and attend. It was great!

County Commissioners In Ft. Meade Parade

2007-12-04T08:22:00.000-05:00

The county commissioners recently decided to join local hometown Christmas parades, partly in honor of our status as "The All American County".

I have to say that I'm from Ft. Meade and my family still lives there (Go Miners!). I'm the only one who moved to the big city of Winter Haven. I do still miss the things that make a small town great and I go back weekly to visit and join in.

Last Saturday evening was Ft. Meade's Christmas parade. There are other parades in the county, I just go to this one. It was a blast. Local businesses, churches and charity organizations set up boothes and sold baked goods, cotton candy, black beans and rice, chicken and had a huge slide and bouncy for the kids. Not to mention elephant rides.

Then right through the middle of it all down Broadway was the parade. Kids ran after candy, motorcycles drove by, the Ft. Meade High School Band marched, the JV cheerleaders, floats and horses on parade! I always feel like a kid again!

There was the extra treat this year of the county commission having a float. I saw Bob English, who walked the entire parade carrying the banner, go Bob! Randy Wilkinson and Jean Reed rode the float. I didn't see Sam Johnson. Jack Myers had said at a commission meeting that he didn't want to go to Ft. Meade, he'd go to Frostproof's instead. Now, I take personal issue with someone picking Frostproof over Ft. Meade. Not that it's a bad little town, it's just not mine. Wonder if Jack knew I was from Ft. Meade? Probably not, but missing the chance to see me more than likely didn't hurt his feelings either!

Hope everyone gets a chance to visit one of the hometown parades!

State FDOT Secretary Will Be In Lakeland

2007-11-30T12:05:00.000-05:00

I was sent this message today and wanted to share it with everyone! Hope you get to attend!

State Representative Dennis Ross and State Senator Paula Dockery have secured a visit and meeting with FDOT Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos on Friday December 7, 2007 from 2pm – 4:30pm. It will take place in the city commission chamber much like meeting with Tom Pelham. Please attend.

Commission On Open Government

2007-11-30T11:44:00.000-05:00

Tuesday afternoon from 2-8pm in Kissimmee, FL was a meeting with the Commission on Open Government.
The commission hears concerns of citizens from all over the state about problems and issues with openness and Florida Sunshine Law. (In FL public business is supposed to be done in the sunshine with the public invited to all appropriate meetings and any paperwork, email, and the like deemed public record to be accessable to citizens.)
There were a variety of issues brought before the commission, but the CSX rail realignment and ILC was the most prevelent.
Some of the concerns that were brought forward to the board was the FDOT's lack of communication about the proposed rail deal, FDOT reluctance in turning over emails and information about the rail deal without a fuss, how could $500 million of state money be spent by the governor without going before legislature, notices not being given to county officials as well as surrounding cities, and Gov. Crist's unwillingness to meet with resident and city/county officials impacted by project.
We spoke in length to some of the council members during the break and even they being from surrounding counties were not aware of the deal and we had just brought it to light for them.

Our message is simply, if a project can stand up to public scrutiny than so be it, if not and it has to be done secretly, then does anyone need it in the first place and do we trust our government leaders who tried to do this to us? I think not!

CSX DRI Meeting

2007-11-30T11:30:00.000-05:00

Monday, November 26th, the Central Fl Regional Planning Council, held a CSX/DRI meeting at the SE Complex in Winter Haven. It was a traffic methodology meeting. What that means in plain English is they had another meeting to go over the last meeting and answer questions the overseeing group had.
The questions were things like: (and answers)

What the expected growth would be (CSX and consultants couldn't really answer, although they
did say that the past performance had shown a flat line growth rate and didn't expect a change. A company that has no expectations to grow, wow, maybe we should ask their CEO and stockholders how this is happening.)

How many daily employees and employee trips in and out? (From the 8500 we first heard about to 200, now we are down to 75-110. The additional which add up to 200 are not employees but normal traffic in and out to run a complex, such as UPS drivers and mechanics to work on equipment.)

Those are just a few. Mostly a technical meeting which I am told most people wouldn't understand, but I still encourage everyone to come to the next meeting!

Here is a link to connect you with the Central Florida Regional Planning Counsil's website for more information.

http://www.cfrpc.org/

Commission On Open Government

2007-11-21T14:30:00.000-05:00

I wanted to pass this on to the community. I think it will be worthwhile to attend! Pam and I will be there.

To all parties interested in the CSX issue:
Next Tuesday, November 27, the Commission on Open Government will be meeting in Kissimmee . The nine member Commission was created within the Governor’s Office of Open Government to review, evaluate, and issue recommendations regarding Florida ’s public records and public meetings laws. This is an opportunity to raise your concerns about the nature in which the CSX deal came to fruition. The issues raised during these meetings are reported back to the Governor and his staff. In previous Commission meetings, we have taken particular notice when there are numerous citizens raising concerns on a particular issue.

As a member of the Commission, I will be in attendance. If you plan to attend, please contact the Commission directly to be placed on the agenda.

Meeting details and contact information for the Commission are below. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Warm regards,
Paula Dockery

Commission on Open Government
Tuesday, November 27
Meeting Location:
Clarion Resort & Conference Center
2261 East Irlo Bronson Highway
Meeting Room 3
Kissimmee, Florida 34744

Meeting Schedule:
2:00 – 4:00pm Public Hearing
4:00 – 6:00pm Break
6:00 – 8:00pm Public Hearing

Commission on Open Government website: http://www.flgov.com/og commission home
Open Government Contact Person: JoAnn Carrin
Phone: (850) 921-6099
Email: cristopengov@eog.myflorida.com
Address: Office of Open GovernmentThe Executive Office of the GovernorLL08 The CapitolTallahassee , Fl 32399

CSX Meetings in Lakeland

2007-11-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

I couldn't have done a better job of this, so I'm putting in Chuck Welch's story for everyone. He always does an awesome job.

CSX Weekly Roundup
Now that the Tampa Tribune has concentrated their CSX reporting to a reporter based outside Polk County, we're dependent on the Ledger. I'd still like to see the area newspaper use a single reporter as the point person on the story, but I understand the dynamics of that choice. I may believe one reporter could follow the story and still be used to cover other news, but it is an editor's call.
The two Ledger reporters who covered this week's CSX related stories did a very good job:
Longtime CSX opposition leader the Downtown Lakeland Partnership on Thursday outlined its plan to call for legislative review and accountability for the rail plan that would shift freight traffic to tracks that bisect the heart of the city. -- Eva Kis, Downtown Lakeland Maps Fight Against CSX
The Development of Regional Impact review for the proposed CSX rail freight terminal, if it holds to past DRIs, could take anywhere from eight months to 3 1/2 years, members of the CSX Task Force and Community Stakeholders learned Friday afternoon. -- Bill Rufty, CSX Plan Review May Take Some Time
Outside Polk County. CSX was defending itself against criticism leveled by a major investor in the company,
Over in Tampa, the Tribune editorial board met with some CSX officials. In Relegating Public To Caboose Derails Confidence In CSX, the board used strong language to characterize how many feel about the railroad company, "Plainly put, people in this community find CSX to be an arrogant, dictatorial and enormously frustrating company to deal with. It exudes a culture of secrecy and issues half-truths that hurt its credibility."
•
I was recently forwarded a couple of telling emails that spoke to such secrecy. In one, Florida Department of Transportation District Rail Administrator Arlene Barnes asks, "In the past several months (and as recently as this past week) rumors and newspaper articles have mentioned the CSX ILC in our District and that contacts have been made with FDOT, etc. No one in our District has been contacted about this and I am being constantly asked 'what is going on'."
That was early August 2006. Why did it take six months for the District Rail Administrator to contact the main office? Why didn't the main FDOT contact the district office?
If you can find anyone who suggests this was a well-planned project, ask them who did the planning and when.
•
The newspaper in Orlando is a cheerleader for this project. The NIMBY slant is evident in their reporting and editorials.
Back in July, Orlando and Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties all voted to kick in their share for the $615 million system, but negotiations between the state and CSX slowed with a legal debate over liability issues. -- Orlando Sentinel
What county is not mentioned? Oh yes, Polk County. The one that gets the ILC. Why couldn't Orlando, or Orange, Osceola, Seminole or Volusia get the "mother of all rail yards" in their own backyard? After all, they're getting all the benefits of the project.
•
Someone at a meeting asked what CSX stood for. Ignoring the obvious jokes, I'll give you this paragraph from Wikipedia:
The name came about during merger talks between Chessie System, Inc. and Seaboard System Railroad, Inc., commonly called Chessie and Seaboard. The company chairmen said it was important for the new name to include neither of those names due to it being a partnership. Employees were asked for suggestions, most of which consisted of combinations of the initials. At the same time a temporary shorthand name was needed for discussions with the Interstate Commerce Commission. CSC was chosen but belonged to a trucking company in Virginia. CSM (for Chessie-Seaboard Merger) was also taken. The lawyers decided to use CSX, and the name stuck. In the public announcement, it was said that "CSX is singularly appropriate. C can stand for Chessie, S for Seaboard, and X, the multiplication symbol, means that together we are so much more, and T for Transportation." The T had to be added to use CSXT as a reporting mark, since company initials that end in X could only be used by non-railroad railcar owners.
Posted by Chuck Welch on November 18, 2007 1:11 PM Permalink Comments (0) Tags: 33801 33803 33810 csx dlp fl fla florida lakeland ledger

Citizen's Academy

2007-11-20T09:29:00.000-05:00

Citizen's academy was on the November 13, 2007. Being a bit overwhelmed, I'm behind, but it was a great class anyway.

It was held at the Traffic Engineering & Operations Division off of Spirit Lake Rd. The class was split into two groups and shown everything from sign installation to filling a pot hole. (Our two helpers for sign installation and roadway stripping, Ken and Mike, were as friendly and knowledgeable as could be!)

We saw where all the signs for the county roads are made, as well as traffic signal headquarters.

One of the most interesting things is a fairly new camera system monitoring some of the county's busier red lights. There is no video taping taking place, but it does allow the traffic folks to keep an eye on conditions at these stops and help traffic flow smoother in the future. I truly never realized so much thought went into what makes a traffic light work!

Citizens academy is on break the week of Thanksgiving, so more on this subject in two weeks!

Paula Dockery's Fun Feast Wild Game Dinner

2007-11-19T11:11:00.000-05:00

I have been slow at getting the new posts up. Too busy! But I'll try to catch up today.

Nov. 9th at Tigertown in Lakeland, Paula Dockery held her fundraiser/wild game night.

It's called wild game because of the menu and they ain't kidding. Venison, bar-b-q pork, gator tail, quail, fried catfish, frog legs and more. For those asking, yes I tried frog legs. And no they do not taste like chicken, more like catfish.

Paula has been very vocal about the CSX Intemodal site and the affects on Lakeland. She's currently working on getting a meeting with Gov. Crist to discuss the impacts. Way to go Paula!

If you weren't there you missed it. Great gathering, lots of food, music and festivities. Can't wait to do it again.

Pam did let everyone know of her intention to run for county commissioner when Randy Wilkenson vacates, with positive responses. Randy is term limited. We'll be looking for everyone's vote in a few years.

Pancakes and Politics With Adam Putnam

2007-10-29T10:23:00.000-04:00

Bartow's Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100 hosted a Pancakes and Politics Breakfast this morning at the Bartow Civic Center. The event was sponsored by the Polk Democrat.

Adam Putnam was the guest speaker and there were very few open seats. He spoke on a variety of topics affecting the nation from oversees trade and growing nations to health care and the working poor in America.

All in all a good meeting. Pam and I did have a chance to speak to him about the CSX ILC briefly and he knew of the local concerns and had a few concerns himself.

(The picture is a bit dark, but you get the idea.)

Trick or Treating in Ft. Meade

2007-10-28T21:31:00.000-04:00

The tradition of trick or treating is still alive and well in the city of Ft. Meade. Annually the city has trick or treating the Sat. night before Halloween. I've heard a couple reasons why, but mostly so kids won't be out late and hopped up on sugar on a school night.

Sat. the 27th was the annual event and hundreds of children turned out. It's the way you remember it from being a kid. No going to the mall or to a school fest, but honest to goodness walking door to door and yelling "Trick or Treat" at the top of your lungs for two hours.

Some folks even set up their own haunted houses year after year, just for the fun of it. One family who usually does, but due to illness scaled it back this year is Don and Willenne Pawley. They live on 6th Street, the mecca of candy seekers in town. But they still put on a great house, strobe lights, decorations and lots of candy. I know they spend at least $50 a year in candy, and usually give it all out and need more.

A ritual my best friends and family have had for the last 10 years is to gather at a friend's house, have a potluck dinner, let the kids scramble to get dressed, then load everyone up on a flat bed trailer hooked to a pick up truck with bales of hay to sit on, and take off.

Last night was no different. A neat thing about small towns is that you can still do this and have a great time. The Ft. Meade police were out in force, watching over everything and handing out candy to the kids from their cars! Way to go!

Tampa Port Authority at EPC 100 Luncheon

2007-10-27T10:28:00.002-04:00

Pam and I were at the luncheon on Friday. It was hosted at Lake Ashton's Club. Two thumbs up on service and location.
The ledger article below doesn't do justice to the meeting. Tampa Port Authority's CEO spoke in length on the growth in Florida, how Tampa would like to quadruple it's capacity within the next couple years. He wasn't sure exactly how the CSX ILC would impact his business, but he was sure it was a positive change and would be examining how to maximize this opportunity. He also said that he knew there were people who opposed the ILC because they may not realize that CSX is committed to doing all necessary studies and requirements.
That made me smile.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20071027/NEWS/710270347

DRI Meeting #2

2007-10-25T20:15:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, 10/24/07 at 9am was the second meeting for the CSX DRI application process. It was at the SE Complex in Winter Haven.
If you went to the first meeting in hopes of speaking and couldn't, you would find the same at this one. Public not allowed to speak.
This was a more indepth meeting about transportation and methodoligy. Basically, the transportation numbers for trains, trucks and cars and how everyone comes up with them. These numbers, once agreed upon will be the standard numbers used throughout the process to determine things like how crowded a road is and will be in the future.
At the table were people representing CSX, Evansville(who presently owns the rail site), FDOT, Central Fl. Regional Planning, and Polk County. If I left someone out, let me know.
I have to give Pat Steed of CFRPC credit. A couple times it was almost like the rail consultants weren't giving her the answers she had asked for and were side stepping the question. She kept them on the straight and narrow and in the end got what she asked for. You go Pat!
A few facts I found interesting. When CSX or the City of Winter Haven quote numbers, it's always like it's benefiting them. The number of employees started out all those months ago to be 8500 jobs to the area and went to 200. At the meeting they couldn't justify more than 150 on site tops! Then truck numbers which were at 300, then 700 a day were up to almost 900 a day at the meeting.
Maybe DRI process will flesh out the truth.
The consultants did say on a couple occassions that they would ask that questions come back to them within two weeks because this DRI was on a fast track. What exactly do you have to do to have your DRI put on the fast track? I don't know, but will try to find out!

Parkways, DRIs and Realtors, Oh My!

2007-10-25T19:53:00.000-04:00

Wednesday was a busy day in the Winter Haven area. If you were lacking for a meeting to attend, you weren't trying very hard.

The commercial realtors of Winter Haven had their monthly breakfast with guest speaker Rick Dantzler. Rick started by saying that recently he and the group of investors with the project had stopped speaking about the Heartland Parkway, but this breakfast was scheduled months out and he didn't want to disappoint the commercial group.
It was a very informative speech about the parkway project. Rick stressed the conflict of the parkway, even for himself. He said he knew that region would eventually open up and with proper planning it could be done the right way. He had hunted on that very property in the area and it bothered even him to develop it.
The plan calls to develop condensed "pods" with fewer exits off the parkway, leaving untouched areas along the way like a string of pearls. Even Rick admitted that as much thought and planning were being put into this project, not everyone was happy, but the developers were trying to do their best to look into the next 25-50 years.
I hope they can accomplish their goal and keep Florida's natural areas as pristine as possible.

At 9am was the CSX DRI meeting at the SE Complex. I'll go over that meeting in my next blog.

11:30am on to the East Polk County Association of Realtors luncheon. The guest speaker was Lori Edwards, Supervisor of Elections. I had never heard Lori speak before, boy is she a dynamo for a very petite woman! I was impressed with the issues she covered and her enthusiasum. A realtor asked about volunteering at the polls for elections and she said it was paid part time work on election day as a poll worker! A fact I didn't know. Or your organization could have a group work and donate the procedes to a non-profit organization! I thought it was an excellent idea!

Now, on to the next blog!

America's Got Talent Star in Lakeland

2007-10-22T15:40:00.000-04:00

Terry Fator was at the Lakeland Center for one appearence Sunday night. He's the winner of the America's Got Talent Show, and my kids were addicted to it.

I have to say it was the funniest two hours I've ever had. Terry can impersonate almost anyone and to perfection and all the while never moving his lips. He is truly the best ventriliquist in the world.

Some of his voices are Ella Fitzgerald, Maroon 5, Garth Brooks, Elvis, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Kermit the Frog, Louie Armstrong, Nat King Cole, & Natalie Cole. He did the funniest and best impersonation of Micheal Jackson I've ever seen! And puppets, who I didn't get their names.

He came out after the show, signed autographs and took pictures with everyone who asked. Very nice down to earth guy. I'd encourage everyone to go see him if he's ever in the area again. It is well worth your time and money!

He's heading back to Las Vegas next, so if you're lucky enough to be taking a trip there, stop and see him, you won't regret it.