Board of County Commissioners · Feb. 17, 2026
Meeting date: Feb. 17, 2026Summarized 2026-09-01 17:19
## Polk County BoCC — Regular Meeting, February 17, 2026
**Attendance/outcome overview:** All five commissioners present (Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, Scott). Every item voted on passed unanimously (5-0). No split votes, no withdrawals, no failed motions. Meeting adjourned at 9:38 a.m.
### Votes taken (all unanimous)
| Item | Mover / Seconder |
|---|---|
| C.1 Disbursements | Wilson / Braswell |
| C.2 Minutes of Feb. 3, 2026 meeting | Troutman / Braswell |
| D.1 Consent Agenda (27 items) | Braswell / Wilson |
| G.1 Wright-Pierce CSA — Lift Station 302 Replacement, **$593,097.00 not-to-exceed, one-time** | Braswell / Wilson |
| G.2 Ninth Amendment, Encroachment Management Agreement (U.S. / Conservation Florida / Polk County) — **$1,300,000** in Air Force REPI funds for Sentinel Landscape acquisition | Wilson / Scott |
| I.1 Appoint T. Chad Barron to Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (replacing Rob Harper) | Wilson / Braswell |
| N.1 North Ridge SAP PIX comp plan text amendment (adoption) | Braswell / Troutman |
| N.2 North Ridge SAP PIX LDC text amendment (adoption) | Wilson / Braswell |
| N.3 CR 546 map correction, ±9.7 acres A/RR → Residential Suburban | Troutman / Wilson |
| N.4 Kathleen & Duff, 1.13± acres RS → Neighborhood Activity Center | Braswell / Wilson |
No members of the public spoke at any of the four public hearings.
### Notable dollar figures on the consent agenda (approved without separate discussion)
- **R.8** — Piggyback agreement with CDW Government LLC for technology products/services: **estimated $4,000,000–$4,500,000 annual recurring expense** (largest recurring item).
- **R.9** — Cooperative agreement with AVI-SPL LLC for audio-visual equipment and services: **$2,000,000 estimated annual expense**.
- **R.21** — Dewberry Engineers CSA, NERUSA Alternative Water Supply Receiving Facility: **$898,223.15 not-to-exceed, one-time**.
- **R.12** — Right-of-Way Agreement with Lake Wales Property Holdings, LLC (Thompson Nursery Road Phase 2): **$688,000 one-time**.
- **R.11** — Land Purchase Agreement with Ryan Russell, Environmental Lands Program (CLASAC EL-109-23): **$340,000**.
- **R.10** — Construction contract with Robert Binns Roofing, Inc. for copper roof repairs to the existing Bartow Courthouse roof: **$285,600 one-time**.
- **R.15** — Burgess & Niple CSA, US 27 at Holly Hill Road intersection design: **not-to-exceed $276,580.42**.
- **R.7** — SHIP rehabilitation/replacement agreements, Lakeland property (Case #RC25-SHIP-011): **$195,185 one-time**.
- **R.23** — Carollo Engineers CSA, Pressure Monitoring Planning Support: **$165,451.48 not-to-exceed**.
- **R.16** — RS&H CSA, Frontier Communications Fiber Upgrade inspection: **$155,001**.
- **R.17** — AECOM CSA Mod. No. 4, temporary staff for Roads & Drainage: **$99,960**.
- **R.18** — WSP USA Amendment No. 1, North Rifle Range Road drainage/sidewalk: **$66,588.17**.
- **R.13** — Stipulated final judgment, Parcel 101, *Polk County v. SLG-SR LLC* eminent domain (Spirit Lake Road/Sheffield Rd intersection): **$60,781**.
- **R.19** — Patel Green & Associates CSA Mod. No. 3, extends CSA 395 days, Lake Lowery Outfall Study changes: **$15,067.46**.
- **R.14** — Land Purchase Agreement, Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Project – Crooked Lake West, Williams parcel: **$6,000**.
- **R.20** — Resolution setting speed limits on CR 580 (Johnson Ave. E and Cypress Pkwy) near Haines City: **$776.70**.
Also on consent, with no fiscal impact: performance sureties accepted for Palanti Retail ($21,488.50 bond) and Sand and Silica Offsite Utilities ($5,201,869.20 bond); an interlocal agreement transferring the Crooked Lake Park Wastewater Utility System to the City of Lake Wales; two new non-exclusive commercial solid waste franchises; equipment removal from inventory (Blanket Removal Form 2235); and four hearings set — LDC text amendments on communication towers, car washes, and drive-thru facilities (first readings March 3, adoption March 17), plus a Right-of-Way Sign Enforcement Ordinance hearing set for March 3.
### Commissioner comments
- **Troutman:** Announced Moffitt Cancer Center is coming to Polk County; thanked Ashley and Wesley Barnett and the Rogers family for a land donation, calling it "a significant game changer for health care in Polk County."
- **Wilson:** Promoted the Feb. 24 Ag Center town hall at the Stuart Center in Bartow.
- **Scott:** Noted the same-evening (6–8 p.m.) Kathleen Baptist Church community meeting on the North Lakeland Government Center property purchase, to "seek community input and offer clarification on some of the social topics that have been out there that probably are not accurate."
- **Braswell** and **Chair Santiago:** No comments.
### Public comment (general audience)
- **David Butler** criticized the 15-speaker-per-meeting limit, rising taxes, and use of the county plane to Tallahassee ("roughly $1,000 an hour to fly"), and objected that "we are rationing water but they approved a data center that will be using millions of gallons of water a day."
- **Debbie Hicks** thanked Commissioner Troutman regarding steps taken to keep animals warm and requested a new animal control facility. Troutman responded that there have never been 15 general-public speakers during her tenure and the limit "is something they can always address." Scott credited Hicks' input on incremental improvements, including a larger dog run for bigger breeds.
- **James Abercrombie** spoke on constitutional/limited-government themes, HOAs and jurisdictions, and criticized the county attorney and county manager.
County Manager Bill Beasley asked that Deputy County Manager Ryan Taylor and his family be kept in prayers.
**Bottom line:** A routine meeting — no contested votes. The most significant financial commitments were the CDW Government technology agreement ($4–4.5M annually) and the AVI-SPL audio-visual agreement ($2M annually), both approved as part of the unanimous consent agenda without separate discussion in the minutes, along with the separately-discussed $593,097 lift station consultant authorization and $1.3M in federal REPI conservation funds.