[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6293658,"mediaKeyId","2522998-a786cc085e59559f5bc922a99a8b7b29","parentId",2522998,"title","Lakeland selects design firm and shortlists builders for Fire Station 8 project","audioSeconds",498,"startMs",2195000,"endMs",2693000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2522998-a786cc085e59559f5bc922a99a8b7b29&start=2195&end=2693","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2522998-a786cc085e59559f5bc922a99a8b7b29/thumbnail_2195000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6293658/Lakeland-City/Polk-County/Florida/Lakeland-selects-design-firm-and-shortlists-builders-for-Fire-Station-8-project","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6293658-7b34c1199ef5a1c3852e6fa43dfcbc76/orig.mp4?Expires=1771222871&Signature=VFfT7gsPVe77cDzveeuKk8Y6nAl39HgquVQUSE3CHHhinHcWUGVdhaERYqk7x3yFnmxo8G96hB-isYNa~p11N-0-zyVZtR73GoeTEqAQT6HuywF6l2bUEkuq7yQ29uVDqgfkL9GrcCKlo4b3T1dOf4Fx~6PIfAf~Vr21gufjTklC-72iW7UvxO11ZHLOjvViFcGe4Cpbpg1bUnh5hcpc5kw3MrIkVdsX53rkJe1APJXux5zykOjGKKg-~c1J5ENUwad0o5wFbAMvEHLnXB8amTESII-pyrAJWTrxKOySiIZZzaeIzL7~0BPn0gi9vcnyfQpy9lQZDH9CfR92AW0y1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Lakeland, FL ","date","2025-02-03T00:00:00Z","article","The Lakeland City Commission approved an agreement with CPZ Architects Inc. for architectural and engineering services for Fire Station 8 and authorized staff to enter negotiations with ranked construction-manager-at-risk firms for the project.

City Attorney's Office staff told commissioners that CPZ's scope includes schematic design, construction documents, permitting and construction administration; the contract amount is $681,425, based on CPZ's January 23 proposal. The commission approved the agreement by voice vote.

Earlier in the meeting the selection committee presented a ranked shortlist of construction managers for the project. For the Fire Station 8 RFQ, the committee ranked Bridal Construction (Lakeland) first, Scorpio (Maitland) second and Henkelman Construction (Lakeland) third; staff will begin negotiations with the first-ranked firm and proceed down the list if negotiations fail.

Commissioners and fire leadership said the new station, to be built on about 2.29 acres at the corner of Sleepy Hill Road and Mahl Hill Drive in north Lakeland, is intended to reduce response times in the area. Commissioner Lalonde cited staff material that the new station is designed to handle more than 5,000 incidents annually; Assistant Chief Matt Brown noted Station 3 currently runs roughly 7,000 to 8,000 calls per year for the area and said the additional station will provide needed relief. \"It's going to greatly reduce our response times,\" Chief Williams said.

The commission approved the shortlist and the architect agreement unanimously.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Lakeland City Commission Meeting - February 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission approved CPZ Architects for design of Fire Station 8 and shortlisted three construction-manager-at-risk firms, with Bridal Construction top-ranked for negotiations.","taxTitle","Lakeland City, Polk County, Florida","taxId",5792,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6293663,"Lakeland OKs FDOT MOU for South Florida Avenue and $1.85 million design contract",2982,1305000,4287000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2522998-a786cc085e59559f5bc922a99a8b7b29&start=1305&end=4287","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2522998-a786cc085e59559f5bc922a99a8b7b29/thumbnail_1305000.jpg","/articles/6293663/Lakeland-City/Polk-County/Florida/Lakeland-OKs-FDOT-MOU-for-South-Florida-Avenue-and-185-million-design-contract","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6293663-08a4de124e130fca9e6b49ebea6ff1a3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771222871&Signature=Z4kiGtTA-381dnzsC42saA-Vy2UoUE5xgRosWXThn3wT1d2iygqrlDeGKy6VRH4FIf0r2hdtMS3nrcuupcw9fooPLjI32CzauAyLplkg5BymbtFP~UlmsLB-DxgWdx2XmEa~~K9TO6PuRy8nRGUN20lKHeRSaltMl0mTa8zU7kFYLU6UAr6YsFimKfmlU3UBQfpXNJ6yhO~rFQvTwh0yc29wuVYHL2hF6SGKyLgkxWiKht3jAPb1RX3MdpUesqthhR7dqGAcd44hQhsndUWUemBFBiImyVFO4PeJ98E9fNlTso5ePQ4so~HEYuGVRB9TyNnCAanb3pd6I-BqYygCaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lakeland City Commission approved a memorandum of understanding with the Florida Department of Transportation for reconstruction of South Florida Avenue (Ariana Street to Lime Street) and separately authorized a professional-services agreement with Patel Green and Associates to complete the city's portion of the project design.

Under the MOU, the city will manage and pay for design work while FDOT will fund construction for the state road project; the city will pay for ornamental upgrades such as landscaping and decorative lighting. The commission approved the FDOT MOU by roll call during the meeting.

City staff negotiated a design contract with Patel Green and Associates for roadway design, initially capped at $1,542,405.44. Lakeland Water Utilities requested additional design services to replace water mains within the project limits; that request increased the not-to-exceed fee by $308,315.62 and set the total design not-to-exceed amount at $1,850,721.06. Funding for the roadway design comes from the Downtown and Dixieland 2025 trust funds, and Lakeland Water Utilities allocated $308,315.62 for its portion of the design.

Public-work staff and commissioners discussed the timetable and utility coordination. Public Works Engineering Manager Ryan Lazenby described the utility-notification process: \"We will do a ticket and notify all utilities ... and they will have an opportunity throughout the design to identify where their facilities are,\" he said, adding that the team uses subsurface utility exploration and develops a conflict matrix to minimize construction impacts.

Staff said DOT tentatively programs construction funding in 2030 but is working to advance construction to 2027; design and right-of-way steps, NEPA requirements and utility relocations make the timeline dependent on multiple approvals. The commission approved the professional-services agreement and related appropriations by voice vote.","The commission approved a memorandum of understanding with FDOT for South Florida Avenue reconstruction and authorized a professional-services agreement with Patel Green and Associates for design work with a not-to-exceed fee of $1,850,721.06.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6293667,"Lakeland approves drone replacement for police with FDLE grant support",557,1411000,1968000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2522998-a786cc085e59559f5bc922a99a8b7b29&start=1411&end=1968","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2522998-a786cc085e59559f5bc922a99a8b7b29/thumbnail_1411000.jpg","/articles/6293667/Lakeland-City/Polk-County/Florida/Lakeland-approves-drone-replacement-for-police-with-FDLE-grant-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6293667-507139af2a00f354eb30a315909e0cac/orig.mp4?Expires=1771222871&Signature=Q9DgsC0E51nFdtBz9vRZyLPw~k-AHv8OIJGFZXGIPk6hmVBt8VtXzYXarsiS7YHgs9ZYMGEDdfc-pKoyJn7sudLqcNbxFCvUivEg5WeJLiHcO7sMWVFpSsdBRgojKmP-Qaii6zWx5laqAEY0XsxmqNNpj50vPMLcTLhhkykvyzEWvLyKPAXgdnfjq8M5l3drFk8GsBmz7Cc3DtNbVKzfYypx8jVqrifZJg-Rgrj24COaR3AC~G5v2koKNtqet30b2FYcc31iO~rzazWzyclKcWBM4BcwvrHD6HH8REKuElXOC-nJeG9uFOSlWo1Z3V1of6qcXtP5Mk8idF0C5qxiQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lakeland City Commission approved a drone replacement program for the Lakeland Police Department and a related FDLE financial-assistance agreement at its Feb. 3 meeting.

City management recommended buying four state-compliant drones from Skydio (integrated with the Axon platform) and one higher-capability \"bridal\" drone for tactical uses. The total program cost is $162,095; FDLE's replacement grant provides $25,000 per relinquished drone (five drones), for a total grant reimbursement of $125,000. Annual software and evidence-hosting costs of about $12,000 will be paid from Lakeland Police Department asset-forfeiture funds, city staff said.

The program restores the department's drone capability after the department's fleet was grounded in February 2022 because of state-level restrictions. Assistant Chief Hans Lehman described operational uses during commissioners' questions, including locating submerged vehicles and supporting missing-persons searches. \"We launched a drone ... and we could get an exact location of where that ... car was so our divers could go straight to the car,\" Lehman said.

Commissioners raised department-wide questions about other municipal drone uses and whether water, electric and airport programs might qualify for replacement funding. City Manager Sean Shirelles and staff said they would survey other departments and check with the airport ACE program about student training that was interrupted by the grounding order.

The commission approved the agreement by voice vote; the motion passed unanimously.","The Lakeland City Commission approved a three-year drone replacement program for the Lakeland Police Department, funded in part by a Florida Department of Law Enforcement grant that will reimburse up to $25,000 per drone.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lakeland selects design firm and shortlists builders for Fire Station 8 project

Lakeland OKs FDOT MOU for South Florida Avenue and $1.85 million design contract

Lakeland approves drone replacement for police with FDLE grant support