Lakeland FL

LAKE WALES, Fla. - Lake Wales High School will be implementing a new safety measure this upcoming school year. A pair of metal detectors will be placed at two entrances next school year. However, they're mobile, so they'll be placed strategically around the school and at sporting events. "I don't...

Everyone is preparing for a memorable Fourth of July, with celebrations across the region and here in central Florida.

At 3:26 PM on Monday, June 30, 2025, a traffic collision was reported at 760 Palm Ave. N. in Frostproof. A Polk County Sheriff’s Office public information officer has advised that the collision involved an oil truck. One victim was said to be entrapped. Polk County Fire Rescue public...

The latest results on an annual census of people experiencing homelessness in a region has shown mixed results for the counties of Volusia, Flagler and Polk. The federal process, known as the Point-In-Time Count, provides a snapshot of the total numbers of unhoused persons on a given night. For Polk...

A Lakeland man was arrested Friday by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office after an eagle-eyed Polk County School Board (PCSB) employee spotted a PCSB-owned iPad for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Gerald Lenard Simpson, Jr., 28, of Lakeland, is charged with petit theft, dealing in stolen property, and unlawful use...

LAKELAND, Fla. – A report of a suspicious person at a Wawa convenience store on US 98 in south Lakeland this morning quickly led to the arrest of a man wanted on an outstanding warrant. Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Wawa after receiving a call about...

Polk County, Florida—where the weather is hot, the gators are bold, and apparently, the deputies are running side hustles out of the squad car. Meet Justin Register, a now-former traffic enforcement deputy who decided that law enforcement just wasn’t lucrative enough… so he allegedly started a little freelance...

A few spotty showers are possible Monday morning along the coast with rain chances increasing to a 40% this afternoon. Spotty to scattered storms will develop and drift inland through the day.

At the 2025 State of Polk County event, County Manager Bill Beasley introduced a marketing-caliber video that highlighted many positive aspects of local life. Among them: efforts to encourage more affordable housing. But also in April, Polk County Property Appraiser Neil Combee sent a letter to the County Commission...

LAKELAND, Fla. - An 18-year-old apparently wasn't "lovin' it" when he received his McDonald's order, with Polk County deputies saying he called the fast food restaurant multiple times, threatening to shoot it up. The backstory:. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the manager of a McDonald's in the North...