City of Lake Wales City Commission: August 18, 2026

Meeting Overview

Type: Regular Meeting Quorum: Yes (5 of 5 members present) Duration: Approximately 50 minutes (called to order at approximately 6:00 p.m., adjourned at 6:50 p.m.)

The minutes are marked "(APPROVED)" and carry the staff memo for each item. Actions and votes below are from the minutes; the published agenda (https://www.lakewalesfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08182026-1736) gives the item order.

Attendance

Present: Mayor Jack Hilligoss, Deputy Mayor Keith Thompson, Commissioners Terri Miller, Carol Gillespie, Daniel Williams
Absent: None recorded
Staff Present: James Slaton (City Manager), Jennifer Nanek (City Clerk), Albert C. Galloway, Jr. (City Attorney)

Agenda Items

Item 8.I: Ordinance 2026-24, Repeal of Section 23-781 (Annual Adjustment of Impact Fees), First Reading

Type: Land development code amendment
Case Number: Ordinance 2026-24
Location: Citywide
Applicant: City staff
Request: "Request to repeal Section 23-781 Annual adjustment of impact fees."
Staff Recommendation: The memo reports that the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval on July 23, 2026.
Action: Approved after first reading and public hearing
Vote: 5-0 roll call (Williams moved, Miller seconded)
Notable Discussion: The memo quotes the City Attorney: §163.31801(6)(e), Florida Statutes, "provides that impact fees may not be increased more than once every 4 years," so Section 23-781 "must be repealed at or before adoption of the current impact fee study being performed by Raftelis." The section being repealed adjusts impact fees automatically each October 1 by a construction cost index. The City's newest impact fee study "is scheduled to be adopted later this year, which may result in an increase in certain fees."

Item 8.II: Ordinance 2026-27, Amendment to Section 23-205 (Planning Board), First Reading

Type: Land development code amendment
Case Number: Ordinance 2026-27
Location: Citywide
Applicant: City staff
Request: "Request to amend Section 23-205 Planning Board." The memo states that Ordinance 2026-27 "reinstates the provision for Board alternates who may serve a 3-year fixed term, and could potentially move into a regular spot should a member resign their spot early."
Staff Recommendation: The memo reports that the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval on July 23, 2026.
Action: Approved after first reading and public hearing
Vote: 5-0 roll call (Gillespie moved, Williams seconded)
Notable Discussion: Per the memo, the code allowed two alternates before 2008, when the then-Planning Director asked to eliminate them; current Planning Staff "finds that alternate Board members would be valuable to have."

Item 8.III: Ordinance 2026-28, New Section 23-406 Parcel Specific Land Use Conditions, First Reading

Type: Land development code amendment (with site-specific application)
Case Number: Ordinance 2026-28
Location: Applied to "193 +/- acres of land south of State Road 60 at the western edge of the City" (ordinance title)
Applicant: City staff; associated with the SR 60 Industrial request
Request: "Request to create Section 23-406 Parcel Specific Land Use Conditions (PSLUC) and apply conditions to parcels of land."
Staff Recommendation: The memo reports that the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval on July 23, 2026.
Action: Approved after first reading and public hearing
Vote: 5-0 roll call (Thompson moved, Williams seconded)
Conditions: The memo lists the site standards: industrial buildings set back "not less than 200'" from the adjacent residential parcels on the east side of West Lake Wales Road; a 20-foot buffer along the southwestern boundary with 4 canopy and 5 understory trees per 100 linear feet and a minimum 6-foot fence, wall or shrub; a 20-foot buffer along SR 60 to the same planting standard, except where buffering would fall in floodplain or wetland areas. Two standards were "included per the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Board": stormwater retention designed for "the 100-yr/24-hr storm event stage (volume)" and to the allowable discharge rates of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Notable Discussion: Under this item, Representative Shelton Rice presented the annexation request for approximately 193 acres along State Road 60 and West Lake Wales Road. The minutes record that "because specific end-uses are not yet determined, the request was intentionally not structured as a Planned Unit Development (PUD)," binding the site instead to site-specific text amendments and buffering standards, and that traffic impact methodology "has been coordinated with the city."

Item 8.IV: Ordinance 2026-29, SR 60 Industrial Annexation, First Reading

Type: Annexation
Case Number: Ordinance 2026-29
Location: "Approximately 193+/- acres of land south of State Road 60 and east of West Lake Wales Road" (ordinance title); the memo places the site on the western edge of town, west of the Stoneridge MDP and Industrial and of the Lake Wales Municipal Airport, with the Florida Midland Railroad along its southeast portion
Applicant: Represented by Shelton Rice (see Item 8.III)
Request: "Request for approval by City Commission to annex 193 +/- acres of land, and to amend the Future Land Use Map and Zoning Map to assign industrial land use and zoning designations."
Acreage: 193.52± acres (applicant's impact analysis); 193 +/- acres (ordinance title)
Staff Recommendation: The memo reports the Planning and Zoning Board recommendation of July 23, 2026, contingent on adoption of the annexation ordinance and of Ordinance 2026-28.
Action: Approved after first reading and public hearing
Vote: 5-0 roll call (Miller moved, Williams seconded)
Notable Discussion: The memo states: "No development plans have been submitted to accompany this request; therefore, the City is proposing Ordinance 2026-28." It gives "particular consideration" to "the existing residential to the west within unincorporated Polk County along the CSX Railroad and accessed by West Lake Wales Alturas Road." The applicant's impact analysis estimates "Industrial - 1,004,400 square feet" at a proposed floor area ratio of about 12% (the I-1 maximum of 50% equals about 4,214,865 square feet), and states that an existing 6-inch force main and 12-inch water main on the north side of State Highway 60 are "currently dry with no existing demands." A traffic impact statement "will be provided as a part of the development process when specific uses are identified." The memo cites Lake Wales Envisioned Action Step 1, "Identify new sites for industry," and describes the site as "just a few miles east of Winter Haven's Intermodal Logistics Center."

Item 8.V: Ordinance 2026-25, SR 60 Industrial Future Land Use Map Amendment, First Reading

Type: Comprehensive plan / future land use map amendment
Case Number: Ordinance 2026-25
Location: Same 193 +/- acres south of State Road 60 and east of West Lake Wales Road
Request: Change the land use "from County designation A/RR Agriculture/Residential Rural, to City of Lake Wales designation IND Industrial" (ordinance title)
Acreage: 193 +/- acres
Action: Approved after first reading and public hearing
Vote: 5-0 roll call (Miller moved, Williams seconded)

Item 8.VI: Ordinance 2026-26, SR 60 Industrial Zoning Map Amendment, First Reading

Type: Rezoning
Case Number: Ordinance 2026-26
Location: Same 193 +/- acres south of State Road 60 and east of West Lake Wales Road
Request: Assign zoning "from County designation A/RR Agriculture/Residential Rural, to City of Lake Wales designation I 1 Industrial Park" (ordinance title; the memo names the proposed zoning "I-1 Industrial")
Current Zoning: Polk County A/RR Agriculture/Residential Rural
Proposed Zoning: I-1
Acreage: 193 +/- acres
Action: Approved after first reading and public hearing
Vote: 5-0 roll call (Williams moved, Thompson seconded)

Item 9: Iron Mountain, Amendment of Approved Preliminary Subdivision Plat and Special Exception Use Permit for a Residential Planned Development Project (PDP)

Type: Plat and planned development amendment (special exception use permit)
Location: "Approximately 76.95 acres of land north of Burns Avenue, and west of Buck Moore Road and Mammoth Grove Road"; the memo places it at the northwest corner of Burns Avenue and Buck Moore Road/Mammoth Grove Road, north of Lake Bonnie and west of the Florida Rock Industries sand mine
Applicant: David Waronker, owner
Request: Amend the approved Iron Mountain Preliminary Subdivision Plat and Special Exception Use Permit for a Residential PDP, pursuant to Sec. 23-224.7.c.
Current Zoning: R-3 (future land use MDR Medium Density Residential)
Acreage: 76.95 acres
Staff Recommendation: The memo reports that the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval on July 23, 2026. Staff findings: the amended plan "is less dense and intense than the approved plan, making it more compatible with the surrounding area and less impactful," and "should the amended plan not be approved by City Commission, the original plan still has standing."
Action: Approved after a public hearing
Vote: 5-0 roll call (Williams moved, Thompson seconded)
Conditions: As listed in the memo: a detailed landscape plan at Site Development Plan submittal; decorative, dark-sky-friendly street lighting maintained by the HOA; mechanical equipment at the rear of homes; and a developer's agreement, capacity queue agreement and/or utilities agreement with the City as applicable.
Notable Discussion: The memo compares the plans. Approved on December 19, 2023: 42 single-family detached homes, 250 townhomes, 228 multi-family units and a commercial outparcel, "Total Units: 520." Amended: 232 single-family detached lots, 50 twin villas (duplexes) and a commercial outparcel, "Total Units: 282." Waivers include single-family lots of 6,000 and 7,200 square feet where 7,500 is required, and twin villa lots of 3,300 square feet where 12,000 is required.

Public Hearings Summary

Number of speakers: Zero public speakers at the land-use hearings; the minutes record each as opened and closed with no speaker between. Representative Shelton Rice presented the SR 60 Industrial request under the Ordinance 2026-28 item.
General sentiment: Public comment came under Comments and Petitions: three residents spoke (one introduced herself, one opposed Ordinance 2026-30 on candidate residency verification, one spoke against data centers). A fourth resident asked that two consent items be pulled and raised questions about them.
Key concerns:
- Data centers (one speaker, under Comments and Petitions)
- Ordinance 2026-30 candidate residency verification (one speaker)

Key Signals

All four SR 60 Industrial ordinances passed first reading 5-0. Annexation (2026-29), future land use to IND Industrial (2026-25), zoning to I-1 (2026-26) and the new Parcel Specific Land Use Conditions (2026-28) cover about 193 acres south of State Road 60 and east of West Lake Wales Road. The applicant's impact analysis estimates 1,004,400 square feet of industrial floor area; the memo states no development plans accompany the request.
The site's conditions arrive as a new code section. Section 23-406 attaches a 200-foot industrial building setback from the residential parcels east of West Lake Wales Road, 20-foot planted buffers, and two stormwater standards the Planning and Zoning Board added.
Iron Mountain's amended plan carries 282 units where the 2023 approval carried 520. The Commission approved the amendment 5-0 for the 76.95 acres north of Burns Avenue; single-family detached lots rise from 42 to 232 and the townhome and multi-family units leave the plan.
Impact fee indexing and Planning Board alternates both cleared first reading. Ordinance 2026-24 repeals the annual automatic adjustment of impact fees ahead of a new impact fee study; Ordinance 2026-27 restores alternate seats on the Planning and Zoning Board.

Raw Notes

Routine items: consent agenda approved 5-0 (minutes of August 4 and 12; 2027 Lake Wales Art Show and Paint and Sip event permits; Kimley-Horn WWTP operating permit renewal, not to exceed $40,000); fleet maintenance operations and a police vehicle lease purchase, pulled at a resident's request, approved 5-0 after discussion; Ordinance 2026-30 (candidate residency verification, Chapter 8 Elections) approved 5-0 on first reading.
City Attorney: reported a judgment regarding 351 Lincoln Avenue, "with total claims near $400,000," and "expects no outside bidders, allowing the city to take title and transfer the parcel to the CRA."
City Manager: said staff updates impact fees every five years; next meeting September 2, a special CRA meeting followed by the regular work session.
The annexation, future land use and zoning memos each report the Planning and Zoning Board recommendation of July 23, 2026, contingent on the annexation ordinance and Ordinance 2026-28.

Lake Wales City Commission, August 18, 2026 minutes