Cindy Glover

Lakeland and Polk County approve incentives, tax breaks for 200 new tech jobs and capital investment in downtown properties.

To find out how secure elections in Polk County are, LkldNow scoured the Internet for the most plausible-sounding theories about how voting could be hacked — then we spent an afternoon at the Supervisor of Elections Office to see if any might work.

One of the largest networks carrying Lakeland's sewage — the almost 80-year-old Western Trunk Line — needs to be replaced. Doing so will be costly, but city staff found a new route that can save $7.9 million, six months and a lot of traffic woes.

The only facility in Polk County that accepted septic system waste — BS Ranch & Farm — closed six weeks ago.

Hurricane Milton strengthened rapidly Monday, becoming a dangerous Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour. The track at midday showed Lakeland directly in the storm's path, although a wobble could still change its trajectory.

From the moment Hurricane Milton's punishing rains subsided, field crews from Lakeland's wastewater division have been working to get pump stations

Recovering from a hurricane is stressful for everyone. But for those living paycheck to paycheck, there are extra difficulties.

It took about two weeks, but water testing shows that Lakeland's lakes have recovered from the 5,187,000 gallons of wastewater — some partially treated but most raw — that spilled when Hurricane Milton's heavy rains overwhelmed the city's sewer system.

It was largely smooth sailing at polling sites around Lakeland on Tuesday. Most precincts had small groups of voters lined up when they opened at 7 a.m., but wait times were short.

More than one-third of Lakeland households received letters last week notifying them that the city does not know whether their water pipes contain lead.