My post today will be short and sweet. It mainly has to do with something I have been struggling to understand for many years. Twenty plus years to be exact. You would think that in all of these years, with a growth of 35.6% some districts should have been expanded on those "city limit" maps, right?
Well actually nothing has been addressed and for me personally , I feel that if "ALL" of these new residents consume city services (such electrical service) why can't some of these new citizens not have a say in whom they can vote for to serve on the city's commission?
I found out way too late , that where my parents lived , myself and many of our members were situated outside of the city limits. Yet we enjoy life in this beautiful city, but we have no voice what so ever. Why is that? Why hasn't a coalition established itself to get this addressed? Afterall , when we get our mail it says ; City : Lakeland , FL , 33- - - . When we go shopping it's "allover" the city. I didn't think that one of the Hispanic food eateries I go to was outside the "city limits". I'm still in Lakeland right?
So the senior community of Cypress Lakes on US HWY 98 N in Lakeland is outside the "city limits" and that community has one of the voting blocks that comes out to vote , but now I wonder if do or can they? I think not. Yet they consume all of what is around them in the City of Lakeland right?
My suggestion , so that we have options (not better) of representation in the future, the "City of Lakeland" should review their district map and expand their city limits border to areas where their citizens live and consume their services. Why should we not have LKPD and Lakeland Electric come out to those areas. Kathleen and the growth in that area? Why? Same as in the Southside of Lakeland like by 540A?
Come on now......let's sit down and bring it to the table and have those new residents who have decided to move here , invest here and build businesses here, have a say as to whom should be their representatives. I bet you that many of these new residents, don't even know many of those sitting right now in the commission especially those in the Northeast and in the Southern part of the city.
Meant to be brief, but this subject has me very concerned for more than 20 years.
And next on my agenda.....housing for those who "can afford it", enough with the excuses that construction has become expensive. If other cities can deliver their citizens a safe and affordable living , we can do it as well. Afterall , we tend to come out in national news now and then. Instead of just building Industrial and Commercial structures we need to address stable living dwellings that can be afforded by your regular working class. Those structures may bring jobs, but they're not giving our hard working Lakeland-nites dwellings they can call home. So lets jump on that train and deliver for our citizens young and old.(my next blog wink wink)
See y'all around!