District 5 County Race Tactics Gets Personal
The District 5 County Commission race is getting stranger and more persona and more mysterious.… Read More »
View ArticleIs Polk Tax Break Idea Heading For Another Defeat?
“I am predicting victory,” County Commissioner Bob English announced at this morning’s agenda study session. He was referring to the third attempt to pass a a proposal that would allow the County...
View ArticlePolk Commissioners Won’t Take Stand On Amendment 4
Don’t add the Polk County Commission to the list of local elected bodies who are taking a position on Amendment 4, the proposed constitution amendment pushed by the real estate industry to further cut...
View ArticleReal And Phony Issues In District 5 Race
Normally County Commission races are about qualifications and experience, as they should be, but the main news out of the District 5 County Commission race between John Hall and Ricky Shirah appears...
View ArticleMoney Edge Not Always Deciding Factor In Polk Elections
I was looking through the final campaign treasurer reports for the August primary and non-partisan elections. Although there were cases where an incumbent was able to leave a challenger in the dust...
View ArticleElection’s History; Signs Should Be, Too
Sign Along U.S. 27 Near Lake Wales Today There has been more than enough time for candidates to remove their signs, but some are still up. Those little wire-frame signs may be with us for awhile...
View ArticleCounty Government Had Mixed Year
Polk County officials managed to keep themselves in the news in 2012, whether they wanted to be there or not. MONEY FOR NOTHING The year didn’t begin well for Polk officials after The Ledger looked...
View ArticleBusiness Tax Break Rules In Progress
Polk County voters finally agreed in November to allow the County Commission to offer tax incentives on a case-by-case basis to new or expanding businesses. If you haven’t heard anything about this...
View ArticleBusiness Tax Break Panel Starts Work
The Central Florida Development Council has appointed a six-member committee to come up with an ordinance to implement the business tax-abatement plan that was approved in November by Polk County...
View ArticleElection Finance Totals For Nov. 6 Contests Dwarf Others
There was some serious fund-raising going on this year for some of the local races on the Nov. 6 ballot, according to the final reports filed by the campaigns. The winning candidates were three of the...
View ArticleTransportation Tax Debate Begins
If the County Commission decides to put the proposed sales tax referendum for transit and road maintenance on the ballot, expect a healthy debate. Tom Phillips, Polk’s transit director, told...
View ArticlePoinciana Incorporation Info Meeting April 15
One of the recurring issues regarding a proposal to turn Poinciana into a city is whether becoming a city would be better or worse than the current arrangement in which municipal services are taken...
View ArticleCommissioners Cautious On Tax Refererndum Decision
Polk County commissioners are taking their time to decide whether to give staff the green light to put a sales tax referendum on the November 2014 ballot. The reason the discussion is occurring now is...
View ArticleTraffic Lights And Tourism
It was notable that in today’s story in The Ledger about tourism, that the proliferation of traffic lights on U.S. 27 was one of the perceived challenges facing local tourist attractions, particularly...
View ArticleGoing Around The Charter Commission
The news that a group of citizens is mounting an initiative to change the Polk County charter is not surprising in a way. This issue was raised during the last Charter Review Commission, but the...
View ArticleCharter Change Effort Advancing
Polk Citizens for Single-Member Districts, the group that wants to get a ballot referendum to institute single-member County Commission districts, is slowly getting organized. The group has submitted...
View ArticleCharter Group’s Language Approved; Petitions Next
Polk Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards has approved the language proposed by Polk Citizens for Single-Member Districts for a 2014 ballot initiative. The group wants to amend the Polk County charter...
View ArticleCommissioners: Without Education, Tax Measures May Be Doomed
Tuesday the County Commission is scheduled to consider putting a 1-cent sales t ax increase on a referendum for November 2014 and setting up a special taxing district to deal with stormwater issues in...
View ArticlePoinciana Incorporation Move Advances
The renewed effort to turn Poinciana into a city is taking its next step this week, according to supporters. They say they are going to send an updated feasibility study to local legislators Friday as...
View ArticleManatee Sales Tax Defeat Is Instructive
Now that the Polk County Commission has agreed to put a sales tax referendum for transit and road projects on the November 2014 ballot, coupled with a promise to reduce property taxes, the debate has...
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