07.11.2023

Today’s Forecast

87º | Scattered thunderstorms | 50% chance of rain | Sunrise 6:39 a.m. | Sunset 8:27 p.m.

What you suggest for Downtown West

Shape the future of the Downtown West redevelopment

A map showing the outline of the Downtown West area in Lakeland, FL and a red marker to show the location of a mixed-use development.

Downtown West will stretch east to west from South Florida Avenue to Lake Beulah Drive, and north to south from Memorial Boulevard to Lime Street. | Map via Google Maps

Our readers and followers are full of ideas for what they’d like to see in the Downtown West area as it’s set for redevelopment. We received plenty of thoughtful responses in our survey, plus even more suggestions from our social media followers.

A pie chart showing what respondents are most excited to see improved in the Downtown West area: Infrastructure (50%), Businesses (35%), or Housing (15%). — Infrastructure improvements are the most important to half of respondents.
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Graphic by LALtoday

Half of the respondents (50%) are most excited about Downtown West’s infrastructure improvements, followed by business updates (35%) and housing improvements (15%). Here’s what you said you’re hoping to see improved:

“A wide well-lit bike/walking/jogging path from Lake Mirror to Bonnet Springs Park along West Main Street that runs parallel to the railroad tracks.” — Terence M.
“Needs to be pedestrian-centric with multi-modal infrastructure — walking, biking, transit. Would love to see more private art galleries, new food cuisines, and a corner store with fresh produce” — Sinjon H.

A pie chart showing what is most important to respondents in the Downtown West Gateway development: Dining (37%), Something else (26%), Shopping (25%), or Housing (18%). — It sounds like our readers are hungry for more dining options.
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Graphic by LALtoday

In the mixed-use Downtown West Gateway, 37% of readers are most interested in new dining options. That’s compared to 25% who want more shopping, 12% who want more housing, and 26% who are hoping for something else entirely. Here are a few suggestions for the project’s retail space:

“A dog bar/brewery” — @spencer.marissa
“Combination boutique/plant shop or florist” — Belinda M.
“What about a large climbing gym?? Maybe a small sports (basketball, pickle ball, maybe a small skate park) complex” — Jack P.

Finally, we asked which local businesses should set up a storefront in the newly revived area. There were several calls for another Born & Bread Bakehouse, LoveBird Almost Famous Chicken, or Black & Brew Coffee House and Bistro. Shoppers are hoping for another bodega Market, and princess party pros are wishing for a new Dreams Come True Entertainment space.

To share your ideas with city decision-makers, attend the final public meeting tonight from 6-8 p.m. in the RP Funding Center’s Lake Hollingsworth Room.

Learn more about the plans

Events

Tuesday, July 11

Summer Movie FunFest: “Minions: The Rise of Gru” | Tuesday, July 11-Thursday, July 13 | 10 a.m. | CMX Lakeside Village 18 & IMAX, 1650 Town Center Dr., Lakeland | $1.99 | See a new discounted family movie every week — tickets are only available at the box office.
B-I-N-G-O | Tuesday, July 11 | 6:30-8 p.m. | The Joinery, 640 E. Main St., Lakeland | Free entry | Join this weekly game to play for prizes while sipping on drinks from the bar at happy hour prices.

Wednesday, July 12

Yoga for Beginners | Wednesday, July 12 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Coleman Bush Building, 1104 Martin L. King Jr. Ave., Lakeland | $5 | Bring your mat and water to this class for yogis 16 or older — class meets in a temporary location from June 12-July 26.
Knit One, Crochet Too! | Wednesday, July 12 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Lakeland Public Library, Larry R. Jackson Branch, 1700 N. Florida Ave., Lakeland | Free | Bring your current knitting or crocheting project to share tips and tricks with other crafters.

Thursday, July 13

Modern Monstera | Thursday, July 13 | 7-9 p.m. | Painting with a Twist, 3670 Harden Blvd., Lakeland | $39 | Bring your friends and refreshments to create this bright foliage painting step by step.
Trivia Thursdays! | Thursday, July 13 | 7:30-10 p.m. | The Back Nine, 124 S. Tennessee Ave., Lakeland | Free entry | Join for food and drink, and play themed or general trivia to win prizes.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Real Estate

New homes with modern designs are under construction on West 13th and 14th streets in northwest Lakeland. Franklin Cruz of True Investors and Elon Wright Construction designed the 1,280-sqft homes with inverted butterfly roofs. He expects to complete the first home in six weeks — it’s priced at $320,000. (The Ledger)

The Word

Phosphogypsum. That’s the radioactive byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production. The Mosaic Company is awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to test using phosphogypsum in road construction. If approved, Mosaic would create a test road at its Mulberry facility. (The Ledger)

Weather

Meteorologists are adjusting their hurricane season outlooks from “below-normal” to “above-average” as Atlantic waters warm up. This season has already seen three named storms — Arlene, Bret, and Cindy — but none have impacted Florida yet. (The Ledger)

Sports

Southeastern University has named David Joyner as its head golf coach. David has previously coached teams at George Jenkins High School and Lakeland Christian School, and he had been an assistant coach at SEU for six years. (The Ledger)

Edu

Keiser University’s latest valedictorian isn’t your typical graduate. Ashley Payne paused her education when she was 18 due to a pulmonary embolism. The mother of seven graduated in Lakeland last week at 35 years old with her degree in nursing. (WFTS)

Lakelander

Jeff Davis first found his passion for collecting vintage toys in 2017, and his company Florida Toy Shows & Expos now holds events all over the state. You can find his collections in Lakeland at the Central Florida Collectorfest, Saturday, Aug. 12-Sunday, Aug. 13 at the RP Funding Center. (Fox 13 News)

Plan Ahead

Honeycomb Bread Bakers will host the 2023 Crystal Cup coffee competition and expo on Sunday, Sept. 3. Learn about specialty coffees in a Q+A with experts, or register to compete for cash and prizes in the craft coffee brewing competition.

Feel Good

Rosey the dog is back home with her Winter Haven owner after being lost in North Carolina for five years. Donna Bourget of the group You Will Be Found (Lost Dogs) caught Rosey, who was found alone in the woods. The group has reunited 385 pets and their owners. (WFTS)

Ranked

No. 1. That’s where Indiana University ranks in majors spanning high-earning career paths, like public health, tech, and business. At IU, students learn alongside professors who care about where they are — and where they’re going. See how IU measures up.*

Eat

Another summer cookout? Switch up your sides with a new recipe from Publix. We’re drooling over the chili-bacon meatballs and creamy pickle dip.*

Trending

It’s Amazon Prime Day. Browse deals including up to 75% off Amazon devices, 60% off Gap apparel, and 40% off appliances from Ninja, Keurig, and Breville.*

History

Try the soup that went to space

We recreated the Polk County soup that went to space

Turn your dining room into Chalet Suzanne with this recipe. | Photo via Florida Memory

Last week, we brought you the history of Chalet Suzanne. Among the inn’s many famous patrons was Col. James B. Irwin, an American astronaut, who would later be part of a 13-day flight to the moon — otherwise known as Apollo 15.

When building out the menu for the Apollo 15 journey, he made a special request to the NASA food specialist for Chalet Suzanne’s Soup Romaine. Since it met the nutritional requirements, NASA agreed and the food specialist recreated it. The creamy broth mixture was such a hit on the mission, that it made it onto two more flights.

We had to try this soup for ourselves. Donning an apron instead of a spacesuit, we attempted to recreate the famous Moon Soup and the results were... interesting, to say the least.

Get the recipe

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Connor

From the editor

While you’re shopping for Amazon Prime Day, don’t forget that you can help out local organizations in need. Check out the Amazon wish lists from Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, SPCA Florida, Talbot House Ministries, or your favorite nonprofit — items purchased here will be delivered directly to the organization.

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