Polk’s High Speed Rail Stop Should Be USF Poly

Posted on February 7, 2011 by bwmerritt

My mind has been spinning the past 48 hours as I have tried to really settle my opinion of high speed rail in general and, more specifically, which location in Lakeland would be best for a potential stop on the proposed Tampa-Orlando line.

Friday’s Lakeland City Commission agenda meeting, which was marvelously tweeted by Lakeland Local and the City of Lakeland, resulted in a proposed resolution in which the city will stand behind a Clark Road rail stop where the west side of the Polk Parkway meets I-4. The rest of the county has come out in support of a stop where USF Poly will be built, on the east connection of the Polk Parkway and I-4.

While I still have some reservations about high speed rail in general, I’ll save that discussion for later. For now, here are my thoughts on where Polk County’s stop should be located.

Continue reading →

Posted in Government | 2 Comments

Lakeland, Orlando, Kissimmee Bid to Host FHSAA Basketball Finals

Posted on February 2, 2011 by bwmerritt

About this time last year, FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing told me during the state basketball finals that he planned to open up for bid many of the state championship events that the FHSAA oversees.

Included in that were the four events that The Lakeland Center hosts: volleyball, wrestling, girls basketball, and boys basketball.

“We’re kind of flattered, I guess, as we’ve got a number of people that have contacted us,” Dearing told me while I was with The Ledger last March.

Over the summer, the FHSAA officially opened the process and accepted bids for the events currently held at The Lakeland Center, as well as many others including football and soccer. The bids have since all been received, and it’s now clearer what Lakeland and Polk County Sports Marketing – which officially entered the bids – are up against. Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | 1 Comment

Polk County Has Long Way to Go With Transit Tax

Posted on January 31, 2011 by bwmerritt

The Polk County Commission has been asked to look, once again, at the prospect of a countywide transit tax to expand public transportation.

The Ledger’s Tom Palmer had all the details in Sunday’s paper, including the fact that the commissioners decided to appease the Polk Transit Authority by holding a meeting with elected officials from around the county to discuss the idea.

As I’m sure you remember, county residents overwhelmingly shot down the proposed half-cent sales tax in November by a vote of 93,789 against to 58,112 in favor. The revenue would have supported an expansion of the bus system currently in place in much of the county, including Citrus Connection in Lakeland.

That recent setback alone should give commissioners reason to tell the PTA, “Sorry, but this needs to go away for a while.” Add to that the fact that any new tax, anywhere, is going to get horrible support in this economy, and I’m surprised the commission is even moving forward with this at all. Continue reading →

Posted in Government | 2 Comments

Lakeland Dreadnaughts Find New Quarterback

Posted on January 29, 2011 by bwmerritt

So I know I said I wouldn’t do much breaking news, but this will kind of fall into that category and I just couldn’t ignore it.

All indications are the Lakeland Dreadnaughts have a new quarterback, and the move is sure to ruffle a few feathers around town.

Jadrian Clark, who threw for 290 yards and three scores in the Eagles’ near upset of Lakeland last season, has transferred to Lakeland. I first saw the news in the comments section of PolkPreps, but knowing how off-base some things can be on there I wanted to double check. Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | 8 Comments

School Board Should Relent, Drop McKinzie School Naming Idea

Posted on January 28, 2011 by bwmerritt

First, let me say I have a lot of respect for Gail McKinzie, Polk County’s former superintendent of schools.

She did an admirable job as the first appointed superintendent in the county’s history, and was gracious with me in my limited dealings with her when I was at The Ledger. So this post is in no way meant as a slight to her or the job she did with Polk’s schools.

That being said, the School Board’s decision to name a new elementary school in Mulberry after McKinzie has rightfully caused citizens to question the Board’s judgment. Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Leave a comment

What This Site Is (And Isn’t) All About

Posted on January 28, 2011 by bwmerritt

Welcome to Polk Perspectives!

I’m Brandt Merritt, a former reporter and copy editor at The Ledger and now a writer at Southeastern University in Lakeland. This is an exciting new project for me, and something that I honestly don’t know exactly where it’s going to go. Basically, I wanted to maintain a voice in Polk County after leaving the newspaper, and this seemed like a decent way to do it.

If you’re not familiar with me from my day at The Ledger, you can check out some more background info by clicking on the “About” link on the menu. I don’t want to elaborate on myself, but rather on what this site is going to deal with.

Actually, the best way to approach that topic is to reverse it. What won’t I address on Polk Perspectives?

The fact that Polk is in the name should be a little bit of a hint. I plan to focus my attention on things that go on here in Polk County. Or at the very least, I’ll address topics that significantly affect Polk County.

So don’t expect to see much commentary on the World Series if there isn’t some connection to this area, or on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions or the State of the Union. I’m also not a big celebrity guy, so you won’t find any tabloid thoughts or red carpet criticism here.

Mayoral races in Orlando or Miami aren’t very interesting to me, and neither are snow storms in Atlanta. But the area’s professional and college sports teams are, as well as Polk’s high schools, and important state issues like taxes and off-shore drilling matter to this county, too.

So I plan to keep it local, with a little bit of creative license.

I don’t plan on breaking news or burying peoples’ reputations or spouting off things just to get attention. That’s why Perspective is in the title. I want to take a big-picture look at things.

I also expect to share what I hope will be broad perspectives on faith and life as I come across things I find enlightening and want to share. For full disclosure purposes, I am a Christian, and that foundation will impact my thoughts on everything I write here.

Finally, I want to engage with you. Share your comments, pass along ideas, start a dialogue. I love hearing your stories, and I hope this site can enhance the sense of community we feel here in Polk County.

I’m excited, so let’s get started!

Posted in General | Leave a comment