Board of County Commissioners · May 5, 2026
Meeting date: May 5, 2026Summarized 2026-09-01 17:26
# Polk County BoCC — Regular Meeting Summary
**May 5, 2026 | Adjourned 10:44 a.m. | All five commissioners present (Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago–Chair, Scott)**
## Votes and Outcomes
All items brought to a vote passed. Every recorded vote was unanimous among those voting.
**Comptroller / Consent**
- **C.1 Disbursements** — Approved (Wilson/Braswell), 5-0.
- **C.2 Minutes of April 21, 2026** — Approved (Troutman/Wilson), 5-0.
- **D.1 Consent Agenda** — Approved (Braswell/Troutman), 5-0.
**County Attorney**
- **F.1** — Authorized the County Manager, May 1 to June 1 annually, to adjust landfill rates as necessary to address yard waste ahead of hurricane season. Approved (Wilson/Braswell), 5-0.
**County Manager items**
- **G.1 — $70,000,000 one-time revenue.** Commerce Agreement No. MS024 with the Florida Department of Commerce for the federally funded CDBG-DR Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Program subrecipient agreement. **Commissioner Wilson recused from voting.** Approved (Troutman/Braswell), 4-0 with Wilson recused. Beasley credited Parks and Natural Resources Director Tabitha Biehl with securing the award; Biehl described it as a four-year regional watershed project.
- **G.2 — $7,500,000 one-time money.** State-funded grant agreement with FDOT for the Power Line Road Phase 2 Project. Approved (Wilson/Braswell), 5-0.
- **G.3 — $3,000,000 one-time transfer.** CIP amendment and budget transfer from the Polk County Sheriff's Office Central County Jail (CCJ) expansion CIP project to the Kathleen Government Center CIP project. Approved (Wilson/Troutman), 5-0.
- **G.4** — LAP Agreement No. 452132-1-58-01 with FDOT and resolution making Polk County the LAP manager on behalf of the City of Lake Wales for the Ridge Scenic Highway Connector Trail. Approved (Troutman/Wilson), 5-0.
**Expedited land-use hearings**
- **N.1 (LDCPAS-2025-19)** — Small-scale comp plan amendment, RL to Institutional on ±9.91 acres for a future county potable water storage/interconnect facility. Approved (Braswell/Troutman), 5-0.
- **N.2 (LDCD-2025-4)** — LDC subdistrict map change INST-1X to INST-2X on the same ±9.91 acres. Approved (Troutman/Scott), 5-0.
- **N.3 (LDCT-2026-1 Wahneta Main Street Corridor Overlay)** and **N.4 (LDCT-2026-4 Poinciana Commercial Activity Center Plan)** — First readings; **no Board action required**. Staff noted the Laurel Avenue extension in N.4 would be at developer expense.
**Public hearings**
- **O.1 — estimated $20,000 one-time expense.** Resolution for four speed humps on Woodview Drive near Polk City. Approved (Scott/Wilson), 5-0.
- **O.2** — Amending Ord. 21-006, Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption for Agro-Iron, LLC; exemption period pushed back two years to begin in 2028, citing changes in the citrus industry; company agreed to increase salary to today's standard. Approved (Braswell/Troutman), 5-0.
- **O.3** — Amending Ord. 22-018, exemption for Publix Super Markets, Inc. (Project HORIZON – IT Headquarters); pushed back one year, wage requirement raised to today's rate. Approved (Troutman/Wilson), 5-0.
- **O.4** — Amending Ord. 2024-015, exemption for D.R. Horton, Inc.; pushed back one year. Approved (Braswell/Wilson), 5-0.
## Notable Consent Agenda Dollar Amounts (approved without separate discussion)
- R.18: CSA No. 2025-055-02 with WSB for CEI services, North Rifle Range Road Drainage Improvement — **$377,619.66**
- R.19: CSA No. 2022-093-05 with NV5, Inc., design services, Old Haines City Lake Alfred Road Box Culvert — **$248,703.67**
- R.12: SHIP rehabilitation/replacement, Dundee (Case #RC25-SHIP-009) — **$194,361.00**
- R.13: SHIP rehabilitation/replacement, unincorporated Lakeland (Case #RC25-SHIP-012) — **$187,706.00**
- R.6: Accept performance surety, Dundee & Buckeye Loop — **$379,808.54**
- R.7: Release of surety, Fulton Meadows — **$1,885,386.98**
- R.9: Accept one-year warranty/surety, Fulton Meadows — **$208,156.64**
- R.30: Release of lien upon payment — **$9,274 one-time revenue**
- Also included: four resolutions/first amendments extending exemption periods for Publix projects POMELO, RETRO, RISE, and Harvest (no fiscal impact each).
## Non-Voted Administrative Action
County Manager Beasley and Fire Chief Shawn Smith announced reinstatement of a **countywide burn ban effective the following morning**, to be codified by the Board within two weeks. Smith reported the KBDI index has risen from 386 (when the prior ban was rescinded) to 525, with 70% of the county at or above 500, and said 50 Florida counties currently have burn bans.
## Unusual / Noteworthy
- **Recusal:** Commissioner Wilson recused himself from the $70 million CDBG-DR vote (G.1). No reason is stated in the minutes.
- **Repeated public-records objections:** Resident James Abercrombie requested public records and objected on procedural grounds at N.1, N.2, N.3, N.4, and all three tax-exemption hearings; staff and the County Attorney responded that agendas were published Friday and covered at agenda review.
- **Contentious exchange during general public comment:** Speaker David Butler criticized the Sheriff's aircraft purchase and said "a portion of the $3 million could have gone to Animal Control." Commissioner Braswell responded at length, calling Butler "the most negligent animal owner in Polk County's history," stating Butler's negligence "killed a county canine with the Sheriff's office" at a cost he put at "over $100,000," and defending the aircraft as used in "the largest fentanyl bust." Speakers Becky Bywater and Debbie Hicks took issue with Braswell's prior comments about animal-welfare advocates.
- **Organized public request (no action taken):** Multiple PEACE-affiliated speakers (Rev. Lois Ann Sorensen, Terry Bucher, Doretha Tillman, Novella Johnson) asked the County Manager to secure funding for basic in-home care for at least 100 seniors on a waiting list; Sorensen cited ~900 seniors served through Senior Connection Center versus 2,773 pre-qualified and waiting, and submitted postcards into the record. Beasley said it would be part of the Polk Health Care Plan / indigent healthcare funding and that he would follow up with staff.
- **Commissioner Braswell** reported on TLC Petsnips reviving a sterilization voucher program targeting **$50,000 raised annually for roughly 1,000 sterilizations**, stating "it will not involve any county money or the county in any way."
- Speaker Praxis Rogers spoke against an unnamed "AI data center," citing water and electricity costs and stating it would bring 500 jobs.