Plus, 12 unwritten Swan City rules.
 
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Today’s Forecast

92º | 23% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. | Sunset 7:28 p.m.

 

🩺 The doctor is in — in three years, anyway
A photo of AdventHealth's Heart of Florida hospital in Davenport. Palm trees are in the foreground of the photo. In the background is a hospital building with the words "AdventHealth" on the side.
AdventHealth currently has one other hospital in Polk County — AdventHealth Heart of Florida in Davenport. | Screenshot via Google Maps
During Monday’s meeting, Lakeland City Commissioners approved zoning changes that will allow AdventHealth to construct a large-scale medical complex on roughly 218 acres of land near the Polk Parkway and Harden Boulevard.

While the development is in early engineering and design stages, proposed plans for the site include:
  • A 400-bed hospital with a maximum size of 720,000 sqft and height of 10 stories
  • Up to 200,000 sqft of medical offices
  • 204,000 sqft of retail commercial space
  • A 250-unit apartment complex
And that’s not all. The complex also plans to include a free-standing ER, rehab center, parking structures, and a helipad for medical transport.

A mock-up of the proposed AdventHealth hospital in south Lakeland.

This mock-up of the proposed AdventHealth hospital and medical offices shows that it would take up nearly 22 acres of the 218 acres of land owned by Drummond Company, Inc.

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Image via City of Lakeland

The land that AdventHealth plans to build on is owned by developer Drummond Company, Inc., which had previously requested to use the land to build a mix of hotels and a restaurant back in 2018. Now that City Commissioners have approved the zoning change for the hospital, medical offices, and apartments, that plan is eliminated.

With these approvals in hand, AdventHealth’s Director of Real Estate shared with The Ledger that the provider will begin engineering work on the free-standing ER portion of the project first — it hopes to have it operational within the next three years.

In the meantime, the city is hoping to conduct further traffic analysis and complete additional roadwork in the surrounding area of Harden Boulevard and Old Road 37 to mitigate traffic congestion concerns raised by Lakelanders who live in the area.

Pro tip: Skip to 31:30 in the City Commission meeting to watch the full discussion of the proposal.
 
 
Events
 
Wednesday, Sept. 18
  • Little Learners of Lakeland Fall Series | Wednesday, Sept. 18-Wednesday, Oct. 23 | 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Tienda Studio | $35+ | Kids ages 2-4 will build their language skills through sensory play + activities — this week is farm-themed.
  • Line Dancing & Bar Night | Wednesday, Sept. 18 | 5-11:45 p.m. | Union Hall | $8 | Cut loose with a line dancing lesson and drink of your choice, then stick around for open floor dancing + drink deals.
Thursday, Sept. 19
  • Muffins with Moms Playdate | Thursday, Sept. 19 | 9 a.m. | Ax-Caliber | $6+ | Mother figures can find community in this group with freshly brewed coffee, muffins, and inflatable axe throwing for the kids.
Friday, Sept. 20
  • Exploration Station | Friday, Sept. 20 | 2-4 p.m. | Bonnet Springs Park | Free | Latino Conservation Week comes to the park with bilingual learning experiences at the Nature Center.
  • Sunset Guided Hike | Friday, Sept. 20 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Se7en Wetlands, Mulberry | Free | Hike three miles as the sun sets over the wetlands.
Saturday, Sept. 21
  • Ready, Set, Conserve: Rain Barrels | Saturday, Sept. 21 | 9-10 a.m. | UF/IFAS Polk County Extension Service, Bartow | $0+ | Get tips for saving water and leave with your own rain barrel.
  • Dog Days | Saturday, Sept. 21 | 9 a.m.-2 p.m. | Munn Park | Free entry | Bring your furry friend to shop from pet-related vendors and support animal rescues during the farmers market.
Click here to have your event featured.
 
 
News Notes
 
Traffic
  • Expect delays if you’re traveling near Lakeland International Airport this week. Starting today, crews will begin constructing a new roundabout where Drane Field and Waring Roads intersect. The project is set to wrap up on Saturday, Sept. 21 — until then, detours will be in place.
Coming Soon
  • Chicken salad lovers, your time has come. Chicken Salad Chick is making plans to come to Lakeland at the site of the former Red Elephant Pizza & Grill on South Florida Avenue. An opening date is TBA. (What Now Tampa)
Number
  • $75,000. That’s how much funding Florida Commerce has granted the City of Lakeland to conduct an economic study of Memorial Boulevard. If approved by commissioners, the first phase of the project will be complete at the end of January. (Bay News 9)
Community
  • Residents who utilize the City of Lakeland’s water and wastewater systems will see around a $3.44 increase in their monthly bill beginning Oct. 1. Lakelanders on the county’s water and wastewater systems will also see a bill increase of around $7 per month. (LkldNow)
Transit
  • Polk Transportation Planning Organization and Citrus Connection are seeking public input to improve Polk County transit. Share your thoughts to help shape future transportation plans and initiatives spanning efficiency, accessibility, and user-friendliness.
Outdoors
  • Beginning next April, the Club at Eaglebrooke will close for six months to renovate all 18 of its greens. The project will mark the first large-scale renovation for the club since it opened in 1996. Need a new place to practice your putt? Check out these other Lakeland courses. (Golfweek)
Stat
  • Polk State College’s fall enrollment has increased by 3.7% so far this year, bringing the total number of students enrolled to more than 11,000. The college also shared that historically, 70% of Polk State students stay in the county after graduation to pursue careers in their chosen fields.
Watch
  • Two Lakeland hurricane experts will be featured in a new, six-part docu-series on PBS. “Weathered: Earth’s Extremes” will premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 2 and focus on the impacts of climate change, as well as community members who serve on the frontlines of extreme weather events.
Ranked
  • The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recently ranked Lakeland as the No. 7 most challenging US city to live in if you have asthma, with September being the most difficult month overall. Good thing we have several suggestions for indoor activities.
Plan Ahead
  • Looking to spread some holiday cheer this year? Lakeland Police’s Cops for Kids program will accept new, unwrapped toy donations from Friday, Nov. 1 to Saturday, Dec. 5. Families in need can apply for the program beginning Monday, Oct. 14.
Edu
  • Studies show that loving what you do and where you work is not overrated — but how do you know you’re in your ideal career? Find out with this quiz that matches you (or your student) to the majors + career paths that best align with your strengths, personality, and interests.*
Number
  • 2.9 billion. That’s the staggering number of personal records stolen in the National Public Data data breach last month. Protect yourself from identity theft with coverage from your Local GEICO Office on South Florida Avenue.*
Coming Soon
  • Did this catch your eye? That’s because locals (like you) are excited about new happenings in our city. Spread the word about your business, services, big news, or upcoming event with our 40,000+ readers.
Listen
 
 
Community
 

🎶 The rest is still unwritten
Add a heading (46)
Grab your notebook — you’re going to want to jot these down. | Photo via @coolhandneal
Whether you’re a tried-and-true Swan City citizen, a long-time snowbird, or new to the flock, here are some unofficial rules of engagement that every Lakelander needs to know.

We asked our readers + followers to share Lakeland’s unwritten rules, from common city knowledge to relatable trends and local lingo.
  • “You must shop local! Coffee shops, the Saturday Market, etc!” — Lakeland South Rotary
  • “Don’t feed the swans or other birds any bread! It’s not good for them!” — @Tonyafayesanchez
  • “Avoid South Florida Avenue if you can between 4-5:30pm” — Reader Peyton B.
  • “You must, and I mean you must, go to @bornandbreadfl.” — @stilleaglesfan
  • “Park a ways away from downtown and walk to the Christmas parade if you want to get out in a reasonable hour.” — @curlsandcrinolines
 
Asked
 

In your opinion, which one of these should be the No. 1 Unwritten Rule?
A. “Shopping + eating local is a must.”
B. “Don’t feed the swans, or other birds, any bread.”
C. “Avoid South Florida Avenue between 4-5:30 p.m.”
D. “Set up your chairs for the Christmas Parade as early as possible.”
E. Something else
 
The Buy
 
Decorate your space with this year’s trendiest fall decor. Here are five items we just added to our cart:

🍂 These velvet pumpkins to add festive flair around the house.
🍂 A hand-crafted wreath boasting beautiful autumn hues.
🍂 This welcome mat complete with seasonal adornments.
🍂 A hand-blown glass cup embellished with candy corns.
🍂 This embroidered table runner to elevate your dining space.
 
 
The Wrap
 
Amelia Herring.jpg

Today’s edition by:
Amelia
From the editor
Last week, we asked you to give your best guess on the median listing price for a Lakeland home in 2014. The correct answer was $134,892, guessed by 14.9% of respondents. Ten years later, the median listing price is $349,900. Talk about growth.
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