Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office carried out compliance checks on March 25, 2026, at nine convenience stores in Winter Haven and Auburndale as part of the ongoing Operation Pop Top campaign. The program aims to stop illegal alcohol and restricted product sales to anyone under 21.
An 18-year-old PCSO Cadet assisted deputies during the checks. Out of the nine stores visited, only one — the 7-Eleven at 4000 Recker Hwy in Winter Haven — sold alcohol to the cadet. The clerk, 58-year-old Regina Speedy, was arrested and charged with Sale of Alcohol to a Person under 21, a misdemeanor…