Municipal elections are set for April in 4 cities in Polk County

Paul Nutcher, The Ledger
·5 min read

Residents of Bartow, Fort Meade, Haines City and Lake Wales will have the opportunity to cast ballots on April 4 in municipal elections.

Three of the cities have candidates on the ballot. In Fort Meade, there are nine amendments to the city charter but there are no candidates in this special election. Candidates for the Fort Meade posts will be chosen in November.

The deadline to qualify as a candidate was Friday for municipal elections in Polk County.

Residents of these cities who are not yet registered to vote must do so by March 6, said Lori Edwards, Polk County Supervisor of Elections.

Applications to register to vote are available at the Elections Office, banks, libraries and other public service agencies, or online at PolkElections.gov.

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Bartow

Voters in Bartow will elect two city cCommissioners for three-year terms. The following candidates have qualified:

SEAT 4 – At Large District

  • Gerald Jacob Cochran

  • Steve Githens

  • Carver R. Young

SEAT 5 – East District

  • Sal Carter

  • Leo E. Longworth

All precincts will vote at the Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S. Floral Ave., between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on election day.

Fort Meade

In Fort Meade, the city will host a special municipal election to update and make changes to its charter. Voters will be asked to decide yes or no to adopt each charter amendment.

  • The first amendment would reorganize the city charter by creating four articles and renumbering various charter provisions to better organize the document into individual sections.

  • The second updates the precise city boundary description, which currently contains an outdated legal description and incorporates special acts and annexation ordinances.

  • The third updates and restates city home rule powers and deletes obsolete or superseded provisions that are no longer consistent with state law.

  • The fourth charter amendment creates a “decennial districting commission” to review the need for redistricting, as the charter has no formal procedure to update or change municipal district boundaries.

  • The voters can decide to eliminate night meetings only and permit the City Commission to schedule its meetings at a reasonable time even if it’s not dark outside.

  • Amendment six addresses the city’s recall procedure because the current charter recall procedure varies from a statute that does not permit recall sought by an individual commissioner.

  • Charter amendment seven aligns the city’s process for budget-making and appropriation with state law, eliminating the current obsolete language and inconsistent provisions.

  • Amendment eight creates a new transition provision to include a continuation of former charter provisions, preserve non-conflicting existing ordinances, provide for continuation in office, and preserve pending matters.

  • The ninth amendment asks voters to change commissioner compensation from a fixed fee to ordinance adoption.

Haines City

Voters in Haines City will choose from several candidates running for Seat 1 on the City Commission. Qualified candidates are:

  • Maricela Arteaga

  • Jayne Hall

  • Kenneth Kipp

  • Vernel Smith Jr.

Lake Wales

There are two seats up for election in Lake Wales.

Seat 3 is currently held by Terrye Howell. Howell is not running again, but Keith Thompson will face off with Michelle Threatt for the seat.

Seat 5 is held by Robin Gibson. Gibson is running for another term, and will face Danielle Pride Gibson.

These seats are for three-year terms, according to the Lake Wales website, and all eligible Lake Wales voters can vote in both races.

Early voting

Early walk-in Voting is available Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 20 through April 3 (excluding Saturday and Sunday) at the following locations:

  • Election Headquarters: 250 S. Broadway Ave., Bartow

  • Election Operations Center: 70 Florida Citrus Blvd, Winter Haven

Where to vote

Polls will be open Tuesday, April 4th, from 7am to 7pm. Some voters will have a new polling location for this election only.

  • Bartow: Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S. Floral Ave. (Click here for map)

  • Fort Meade: Fort Meade Community Center, 10 SW 3rd St. (Click here for map)

  • Haines City: Residents in precincts 302, 341, 407 and 408 vote at the Oakland Neighborhood Center, 915 Ave E (Click here for map). Residents in precincts 306, 405, 409, 413 and 414 vote at the Haines City Community Center, 555 Ledwith Ave (Click here for map)

  • Lake Wales: Residents in precincts 523, 527, 528, 530, 532, 535, 542, 543 vote at the Lake Wales Administration Building, 201 W Central Ave (Click here for map). Residents in precincts 519, 524, 526 vote at the Lake Ashton Clubhouse, 4141 Ashton Club Drive (Click here for map)

Election workers needed

Election worker information meetings have been scheduled in Polk County for anyone interested in serving as an election worker. One-hour meetings will be held:

  • Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. at James P. Austin Community Center, 315 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. N, Lake Wales;

  • March 1 at 10 a.m. at Polk County Sheriff’s NE District Office, 1100 Dunson Road, Davenport.

Attendees will learn how to apply for temporary paid positions, including working at polling sites.

No reservation is required. Applicants should bring their valid Florida identification and Social Security card for payroll purposes. Voters who have served as election workers in Polk County in recent years are welcome but do not need to attend.

For more information, contact the Elections Office at 863-534-5888, or visit PolkElections.gov.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County releases qualified candidates for municipal election