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Did you know? Nearly 30% of Floridians voted by mail in the 2016 and 2018 general elections. If you’re planning to vote by mail this fall, keep reading for more info on how to get your ballot + answers to all your FAQs. |
Is vote-by-mail the same as absentee voting? Yes. Different states have different rules and regulations governing absentee and mail-in ballots. In 2016, the FL legislature changed the terminology from “absentee voting” to “vote-by-mail.”
Will ballots be mailed automatically to all registered voters? No. mail-in ballots will be mailed to voters who request them. According to the Florida Division of Elections, “Unless otherwise specified, a request to receive a vote-by-mail ballot covers all elections through the end of the calendar year for the second ensuing regularly scheduled general election.” FL voters who prefer to vote in person can still participate in early voting October 24-31 + on election day, Tuesday, November 3. |
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This is part of our ongoing election coverage. You can learn more about our Editorial Ethics Policy and how we prioritize information regarding the upcoming elections here.
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Use the links below to share this info with everyone you know, so they can explore all their options for voting this fall.
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Weather
○ 88º | PM Thunderstorms | 50% chance of rain
Edu
○ Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd is retiring in February, according to a report by The Ledger. (The Ledger)
Announced
○ Lkld Live (202N S. Massachusetts Ave.) has announced ticket sales for its Three Nights of Theatre live stage readings from Sept. 25-26 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets run between $7.50 and $35 dollars. Order your tickets here + check out Lkld Live’s website for smaller shows + live streaming this month. 🎭
ComingSoon
○ According to a local Reddit user, The Laundry Project may be coming to Lakeland to help lower-income families have the ability to wash their clothes and linens. Within the project, laundry fees would be paid for and project volunteers would assist families with their laundry services.
TodayIs
○ World Letter Writing Day. Last month, we invited our readers to sign up for our #6AMPenPals program to help you feel more connected during this crazy time. By now, everyone who opted in should have received the contact info for their pen pal. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to take some time today to write to your new friend, introduce yourself, and share some thoughts or goings-on. Then put a stamp on it. 💌
Stat
○ The 2020 Census is happening + now is the time to respond. It’s easy + your responses will directly impact our community. You can participate online, over the phone, or by mail. At this time, Davenport reigns supreme, with a 65.8% self-response rate + Lakeland comes in fifth place with a 63.6% self-response rate. Polk County is 59.7%, for the state of Florida is at 61.4%, and for the nation, the percent is 64.7%. Take the census here.
NowOpen
○ Tomorrow, the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce will host its virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lakeland Regional Health Pediatric Intensive Care Unit from 11-11:30 a.m. on Zoom. The 14-bed unit, located in the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavillion for Women, will allow families to stay inside Polk County and admit patients requiring procedures relating to toxic ingestion, neurological diseases, circulatory failure + more. The site will also bring in new physicians and on-call assistance to the unit. Register for the online event here. 🏥
Drink
○ Sip, sip, hooray. Tactical Brewing Tasting & Tapping – a tapping event that highlights Tactical Brewing Co.’s first draft in Polk County – takes place today from 6-8 p.m. at Craft + Kitchen (3234 S. Florida Ave.). Tactical Brewing is a company owned + operated by veterans, and the owner will speak at the event about the beer while giving away swag. 🍻
Number
○ Gasoline prices in Florida remain stable at an average price of $2.07 per gallon, as the fuel supply chain remains generally undisturbed despite recent tropical storms + damage at two oil refineries in Lake Charles, La. Retail prices may increase in the next few days as wholesale prices have become pricier. ⛽ (Florida Politics)
WaterCooler
○ As Major League Baseball recognizes the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Leagues (founded in 1922 by owners of independent Black baseball teams), Polk County remembers its own representation in Negro League baseball history. In 1939, the Lakeland Red Sox played host to Pittsburgh’s Homestead Grays – the Negro League World Series champions – at League Field in Lakeland (later renamed to Henley field) Additionally, Oscar Walker (a Rochelle High School alumn) + Jimmy “Squab” Hill (a left-handed pitcher from LAL) played in the league. Read more about Polk’s connection here. (The Ledger)
TryThis
○ Itching to go camping + hit the beach? This list of 20 beach camping spots within driving distance of Tampa Bay is sure to help you plan your next trip. #ProTip: Make sure to update yourself on each beach’s public safety rules + restrictions. 🏕️ (Creative Loafing)
Cause
○ Moving Hope Inc. is hosting its Drive-up Food Giveaway at St. Paul Lutheran Church & School (4450 Harden Blvd.) today from 6-7 p.m. Food will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis and organizers request that participants do not come earlier than 5:30 p.m. to maintain the safety of children returning to school. 🥫
Deal
○ Babbel (the #1 selling language learning app in the world) is now offering LALtoday readers up to 50% off subscriptions to learn a new language in just 3 weeks with regular practice. There are 14 languages to choose from, lessons are taught in bite-sized 10-15 min. sessions by real language teachers, and lessons focus on practical, everyday phrases. Me encanta. 🎧 Ⓟ
Gallery
○ ICYMI, The City of Lakeland’s City Hall was illuminated with purple and gold last week in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment – which granted women the right to vote. Check out the snapshots here. 🗳️
Donate
○ On Aug. 6 Manuel "Manny" Dokur took a life-threatening fall from his skateboard hitting his head and causing his brain to bleed. Manny was rushed to Lakeland Regional Health and immediately underwent an emergency craniectomy to repair a subdural hematoma (a severe brain bleed). The surgery was successful, however, the USF student still has a long recovery. Friends have set up a GoFundMe to help support Manuel and his family. Ⓟ
ForKids
○ The Books Bridge Bus has made its return to Polk County Public Schools. The bus is a mobile classroom that works to improve early literacy by giving every child who visits the bus, a book to take home. Check out the bus’s schedule here.
VirtualEvent
○ Hosting a virtual event? Now through 9/30 we're offering 25% off all event listings. Submit your event here and guarantee that it's included in our daily newsletter and website. Use promo code 25VIRTUAL at check out. Ⓟ
Correction
○ In yesterday’s newsletter, we shared information regarding development at Lakeland Regional Health. We incorrectly stated an increase of 86 beds, however, it will be 96 new beds at their new facility. |
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○ The Polk County Commission agreed to allocate $23 million in new spending from the Polk CARES 2020 program + will reach a vote verifying the measure today at 9 a.m. Lakeland Regional Health and BayCare Health System will receive up to $10 million in funding, another $10 million will go to an income support program for seniors and the disabled, and CareerSource Polk will receive $2.5 million towards job training for those unemployed due to the pandemic. The deadline to exhaust all federal CARES funding is Dec. 31. (The Ledger)
○ Publix has now ended its one-way aisle policy in select stores. The policy was initially implemented to enforce social distancing practices as a response to COVID-19. Social distancing signs and reminders + plexiglass barriers in checkout lanes will remain. (Click Orlando)
○ Scientists at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium report that more sea turtles have died from boat strikes this year than all of 2019. According to Mote scientists, social distancing may play a role in the uptick of severely injured sea turtles, as 18 of the 23 recorded boat strike cases began to spike starting in April when social distancing mandates were enforced. Out of all boat strike cases from 2019 and 2020 scientists have only been able to successfully rehabilitate one sea turtle.
○ The Florida Department of Education reported that all 74 brick and mortar school districts are now operational with a form of in-person instruction.
○ The Florida Education Association has published a reopening report, with fact-based information, surrounding the reopening of school campuses across FL. The report will continue to be updated on Tuesdays + Fridays and shows stats on the number of school-aged children who have tested positive for COVID-19, the confirmed number of classroom closings, and the number of FL educators who have died due to the virus. Thank you Reader Jamie J. for sharing this tool with us.
○ Gov. Ron DeSantis is encouraging tourists to visit Florida via commercial flights. In an airline travel meeting, the governor said that he was not aware of any airline passengers that have contracted the virus on an airplane + notes that the industry is essential to the economic stability of the state. Florida’s economy relies heavily on travel + tourism and the state has experienced a decrease of 15 million travelers from March-June, compared to the same period last year. (Click Orlando)
○ Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated that he may extend Florida’s stay-on-evictions – which are currently set to expire Sept. 1. The current order limits protections to single-family homeowners and renters who have lost employment, experienced decreased wages + business income, and other financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Homeowners or renters who no longer become “adversely affected” by the pandemic will immediately lose their protective status from eviction or foreclosure. (Florida Politics)
○ The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DOE) secretary, Ken Lawson, has resigned after nine years of service. Lawson’s resignation has been preceded by months of technical and institutional issues in the department’s unemployment system, as thousands of people applied for + struggled to receive their unemployment benefits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Bay News 9)
○ On Monday, the Florida Department of Health announced 1,885 new cases of COVID-19 and 68 additional deaths in Florida. That brings the total number of cases in FL of COVID-19 to 623,471 + the total deaths to 11,187. You can find more updates on the Florida Department of Health dashboard. See Lakeland numbers here.
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Hey, there. Looking for today’s #MustDo events? In accordance with the
CDC’s recommendations regarding public gatherings, we have decided to postpone public event coverage for the time being. We look forward to bringing you Lakeland’s #MustDo events soon (until then, feel free to submit your virtual events
here).
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Answered: A lot of our readers are asking us how to make sure they’re currently registered to vote. For Polk County residents, you can look up your voter registration status + locate your assigned polling location for Election Day. Click here to do a quick search, or if you need to register for the first time, click here.
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📖 Check out our Editorial Ethics Policy here. |
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