I talk a lot about regionalism in this space. And, make no mistake, I firmly believe in it. I know that if we do a better job working together we can achieve great things as the world’s super region. Unfortunately, the past two weeks have not offered a shining moment of regional cooperation as we witnessed an unfortunate fight surrounding the location of Polk’s High Speed Rail stop.
photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Metro I4 News
I was disappointed that committee meetings held me in Tallahassee last week for the announcement at Cypress Gardens. As we knew, the news coming from the sale to Merlin confirms: this is a big deal. Initial reports in The Ledger boast 1,000 new jobs, although reports from folks who attended the news conference indicate as [...]
I’ll be writing about this one for a while I think. That’s because LandSouth’s sale of Cypress Gardens to Merlin Entertainments Group is a biggie. Merlin is the British owner of Legoland and other attractions, my personal favorite being Madame Tusaaud’s Wax Museum. My Grandfather took me to Madame Tussaud’s in London when I was [...]
Ed: This is the first in a series of articles from Polk is Florida-Friendly Outdoor water use can account for up to 50 percent of water consumed by households, which means it is where water conservation practices can make the biggest impact. April is Water Conservation Month, so here are a few ways to reduce your outdoor water consumption by inspecting your irrigation system and using a rain sensor....
The Fed's latest rate decision should keep Florida mortgage rates low, and from the looks of the February 2009 home sales data, we could be in for a bit of a dust up come the end of March!
In case you missed it, the Orlando Sentinel has a new series on the commuter rail project. Read the full article for the pertinent links...
I've cross posted a piece I did for Lakeland Local. Now, before you skip it because it's "Lakeland" and you're all about Tampa, Orlando, or Winter Haven, rest assured it touches on the failure of your newspapers to keep their audience. Only the names would change if I wrote it about the Sentinel, Tribune, or News Chief. As a matter of fact, I do mention the Winter haven paper. I promised to count the locally written stories in the same manner as I did for the Ledger. However, I found a mere four local bylines in today's News Chief. That's what you get for your quarter. On to what I wrote about the paper of record for Polk County...and by example...your paper.
As you may have noticed, two of the possible freight realignment routes – seemingly the only available routes – for downtown Lakeland involved reactivating the track that became the Van Fleet Trail between Wildwood and Auburndale. At least one of them would then reactivate closed tracks that run through the very heart of downtown Winter [...]
A new map for MetroI4News.com readers. The following is a map of the Winter Haven homes sold last month. An extra special bonus is the write-up from Kevin Sandridge, FloridaMortgageBlogger.com • Full size November 2008 Winter Haven Homes Sold Greetings! Kevin Sandridge, here. I'm starting something new this month - a Winter Haven, Florida Area Monthly Home Sales Market Report. Lord willing, and the creek don't rise... these will be available the first part of every month forward! I first got the idea from our good friend and Lakeland, Florida Realtor Petra Norris, who issues a similar report for the Lakeland, Florida area. Petra has graciously agreed to provide the raw home sales data, and Metro I-4's Own Journalist Extraordinaire and all 'round good "Human" Mr. Chuck Welch will be mapping out the homes sold via his interactive map. Very cool stuff! Some Points of Clarification Homes Sold Defined: For the purposes of this report, the term "homes sold" refers to Single Family Homes and Condominiums. Figures do not include "for sale by owner" homes. Area Covered: The geographic area covered in this report edition is confined to the Winter Haven, Florida area. Zip Codes Covered (Edition Specific): The Zip codes included in this report include: 33880, 33881, and 33884. So without any further adieu, let's get this show on the road! Overall, the November 2008 Homes Sold number for the Winter Haven area is down 15 % from the October 2008 totals from 66 to 56, with an average sales price of $126,969. Of the 56 homes sold, 54 were single family homes and 2 were condominiums. The average price per square foot was $73.11, and the average List Price to Sales Price Ratio was 97.19 %, which means that sellers reduced their asking price by an average of 3 %. The data for this report was obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS and is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. The data for actual homes sold, average list price, sold price, and the LP/SP ratios for Winter Haven, Florida - November 2008 breaks out as follows: For more information on the location of the Winter Haven, Florida homes sold, along with price and size of each home, click on the interactive November 2008 Homes Sold map above, which was created by Chuck Welch of MetroI4News.com
Did the talk about the CSX project help spur rail growth elsewhere? Back On Track The speed limits are going to be flexible on parts of I-4. I-4 signs to show changing speed limits Maybe that's a good idea for the rest of the region? Can you cut back on your gas consumption? Truths and myths about how to save on gas and Hypermilers' save big on gas mpg, but there are dangers Amendment 1 To Save Homeowners $200 to $300, but city managers are finding ways to get back that money you're saving in property fees....and a little extra. Winter Haven Proposes Slate of New Fees And in today's "feel good" story: American Ingenuity Alive And Well
Yes – that headline says April 15. Your tax forms must be in the mail by midnight tonight. Apopka Cops say that the house being used for a reality show was once used to broadcast live sex acts for an adult entertainment Web site. Can’t you imagine the idiots behind this? “Hey, [...]
Bio: Growing up in Detroit, Tom Hagerty dreamed of watching baseball in sunny Lakeland, Florida. That dream came to fruition in 1998 when he moved to Lakeland. Tom has a passion for the Detroit Tigers, the Lakeland Flying Tigers and all things Detroit. His interests include reading, writing and photography. Tom and his wife have two daughters, four cats, one dog and a guinea pig.
