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Winter Haven commission reviews routine operations: police vehicles, bus lease, pumps and library repairs
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Summary
Commissioners reviewed routine operational items including a proposed purchase of four police vehicles from Coco Ford Inc., an annual lease of four school buses for Parks & Recreation to transport roughly 340 summer campers, lift-station pump replacements, a library carpet replacement, and a temporary road closure for a March 14 5K.
Staff briefed the Winter Haven City Commission on several routine operations and maintenance items during the meeting.
A staff member said the city was seeking approval to purchase four police vehicles from Coco Ford Inc. to address fleet shortages: one marked replacement for a totaled vehicle; one unmarked replacement for an Impala that is no longer serviceable; and two additional unmarked units to assign to captains who previously used leased cars. The presenter said one of the marked units is already badged for the City of Winter Haven.
Parks and Recreation staff proposed leasing four school buses from the Polk County School Board to transport an estimated 340 campers for activity trips June 1–Aug. 7. The lease would be billed at $1.50 per mile, the presenter said, and is the department's routine annual arrangement.
Staff also presented a temporary road-closure request for the Winter Haven Police Department 5K on March 14, with start and finish lines at Virginia Miller Park and a route that uses Unity Way, South Lake Silver Drive and 1st Street NE with a turnaround at the TECO building.
Operations items included a budgeted replacement of carpet in sections of the aging public library, with installation scheduled for a weekend later this spring to limit disruption, and a FY26 request to replace pumps at multiple lift stations to reduce the risk of sewer overflows. Gary Hubbard, who presented the lift-station item, said pumps generally last about 15–20 years and described larger units used in the system.
A routine authorization for travel and training was listed for Commissioner Birdsong to attend the Central Florida Regional Planning Council meetings in 2026 (May in Arcadia; June in Hardee County; August in Highlands County; October in Okeechobee; December location pending).
The commission did not record roll-call votes on these consent and operations items in the transcript provided; several were presented as routine agenda items and moved forward without extended debate.
