Polk County Board of County Commissioners  
Meeting Minutes - Final  
July 07, 2026 Regular BoCC meeting  
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Rollcall  
Commissioner Becky Troutman  
Commissioner Rick Wilson  
Commissioner Bill Braswell  
Commissioner Martha Santiago  
Commissioner Michael Scott  
Present:  
CALL TO ORDER - 9:00 a.m. (MARTHA SANTIAGO, CHAIR)  
INVOCATION  
Murphy Hanley, Polk County Fire Rescue Chaplain  
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (MARTHA SANTIAGO, CHAIR)  
B.  
PUBLIC COMMENTS CONCERNING AGENDA ITEMS  
B.1. Comments.  
Minutes: There was no one from the public wishing to speak concerning Agenda  
Items.  
C.  
COUNTY COMPTROLLER (STACY M. BUTTERFIELD, CPA)  
C.1. Disbursements.  
RESULT:  
APPROVED  
Rick Wilson  
Bill Braswell  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
C.2. Minutes of Regular Board meeting held on June 16, 2026.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Michael Scott  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
D.  
APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA  
D.1. Approve Consent Agenda.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Rick Wilson  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
G.  
COUNTY MANAGER (BILL BEASLEY)  
G.1. Confirm Appointment of Ms. Allison Victoria “Tori” Bateman to serve as the  
Director of the Human Resources Division.  
Minutes: County Manager Bill Beasley recommended the Board confirm the  
appointment of Ms. Allison Victoria "Tori" Bateman serving as the Director of the  
Human Resources Division effective July 7, 2026. He reviewed her qualifications.  
Ms. Bateman thanked the Commissioners, Mr. Beasley and Ryan Taylor. She said she  
is very excited to come in and serve Polk County and the community starting today.  
Commissioner Scott said he appreciates the ambition coming into this position. He said  
it is a large position to fill with a lot of employees that are great stewards. He said there  
is a lot of talent and a lot to manage. He said he looks forward to her maintaining that  
and he congratulated her.  
Chair Santiago welcomed Ms. Bateman. She said we are glad to see her and if there is  
anything the Board can do she will be taken care of. She said she is coming to work  
with a wonderful staff.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Bill Braswell  
Becky Troutman  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
G.2. Approve Amendment Six to the Master Purchase Agreement with Motorola  
Solutions, Inc. ($5,135,075.74 expense over 6 years).  
Minutes: County Manager Bill Beasley discussed Amendment Six to the Master  
Purchase Agreement with Motorola Solutions, Inc. He recommended approval.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Michael Scott  
Becky Troutman  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
G.3. Approve Consultant Services Authorization (CSA) No. 22-089-05 with Jacobs  
Engineering Group, Inc., (Consultant) for engineering services for the design of  
improvements to Kathleen Road at West Campbell Road Intersection.  
($273,004.60 one-time expense)  
Minutes: County Manager Bill Beasley discussed Consultant Services Authorization  
No. 22-089-05 with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., for engineering services for the  
design of improvements to Kathleen Road at West Campbell Road intersection. He  
recommended approval.  
Commissioner Scott said from a safety aspect this intersection needs signalization. He  
said this is an interim measure and it is something better than the current stop sign  
setup that has led to several issues there. He said he is glad to see this moving forward  
and he hopes this will be an expeditious project.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Bill Braswell  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
G.4. Approve the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) 2026-013-01, Guaranteed  
Maximum Price (GMP) Addendum with Strickland Construction, Inc., for the  
Eagle Lake Roads & Drainage Maintenance Facility ($6,381,337.57 one-time  
expense)  
Minutes: County Manager Bill Beasley discussed Construction Manager at Risk  
2026-013-01, Guaranteed Maximum Price Addendum with Strickland Construction,  
Inc., for the Eagle Lake Roads and Drainage Maintenance Facility. He recommended  
approval.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Rick Wilson  
Michael Scott  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
H.  
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 1 (BECKY TROUTMAN)  
H.1. Reappoint Mike Hickman as a Member (Seat 2) of the Polk County Planning  
Commission, for the three-year term, September 1, 2026 through August 31,  
2029. (District 1 Appointment)  
Minutes: Commissioner Troutman said both of her appointments are for the Planning  
Commission. She said having served on this for six years she thinks this is the second  
most important board in this county. She stated she is thankful for the people who  
volunteer their time to serve on this board.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Bill Braswell  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
H.2. Appoint Tracy Mouncey as an Alternate Member (Seat B) of the Polk County  
Planning Commission, for the remainder of the three-year term ending  
September 18, 2027.  
Minutes: Commissioner Troutman thanked Ms. Mouncey for coming to this meeting.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Bill Braswell  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
H.3. Commissioner Troutman Comments.  
Minutes: Commissioner Troutman had no comments.  
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 2 (RICK WILSON)  
I.  
I.1.  
Appoint Kevin Updike as a Member (Seat 3) of the Polk County Planning  
Commission, for the three-year term, September 1, 2026 through August 31,  
2029. (District 2 Appointment)  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED  
Rick Wilson  
Bill Braswell  
SECONDER:  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
AYE:  
I.2.  
Commissioner Wilson Comments.  
Minutes: Commissioner Wilson had no comments.  
J.  
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 3 (BILL BRASWELL)  
J.1. Appoint Chad Barron as an Alternate Member (Seat A) on the Polk County  
Planning Commission, for the three-year term, July 2, 2026 through July 1,  
2029.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Bill Braswell  
Rick Wilson  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
J.2. Commissioner Braswell Comments.  
Minutes: Commissioner Braswell had no comments.  
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 5 (MICHAEL SCOTT)  
K.  
K.1. Appoint Shane E. Bevilacqua as a Member of the Polk County Planning  
Commission for the three-year term, September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2029.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Michael Scott  
Bill Braswell  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
K.2. Commissioner Scott Comments.  
Minutes: Commissioner Scott said he has completed his field visits to Hillsborough  
and Pasco counties' animal control shelters. He said he took some notes and made  
some interesting observations. He said as far a comparing them to Polk County there  
are some notes for us to leverage but all counties are faced with a similar challenge.  
He said all of us have to approach it in a way that is responsible for the community and  
there are more things to come.  
L.  
COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 4 (MARTHA SANTIAGO, CHAIR)  
L.1. Chair Santiago Comments.  
Minutes: Chair Santiago had no comments.  
N.  
EXPEDITED HEARINGS PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO. 2022-089  
Minutes: County Attorney Randy Mink reminded the audience of the procedures for  
public hearings and the expedited public hearings. He swore in those who plan to  
speak.  
N.1. Public Hearing: (LDCT-2026-14 Polk City SPA LCCX Text Amendment)  
(Adoption Hearing) to consider the adoption of an ordinance amending the Land  
Development Code, Chapter 5, Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern  
regarding Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map amendments to the Linear  
Commercial Corridor-X (LCCX) district in the Polk City Special Protection Area  
of the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern. (No Fiscal Impact)  
Minutes: Ben Ziskal, Land Development Director, reviewed the proposed text  
amendment. He said that the Planning Commission and staff recommends approval.  
The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Michael Scott  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
N.2. Public Hearing: (LDCT-2026-5 Shimmering Drive LDC LCCX Text Amendment)  
(First Reading) to consider the adoption of an ordinance amending Ordinance  
No. 00-09, as amended, the Polk County Land Development Code, amending  
Appendix E adding for an activity center plan, related to a Small Scale  
Comprehensive Plan map amendment (LDCPAS-2025-24) from Residential Low  
(RL) to Community Activity Center-X (CAC). (No Fiscal Impact)  
Minutes: Ben Ziskal, Land Development Director, reviewed the proposed text  
amendment. He said that this is the first reading and no action is required.  
The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke.  
N.3. Public Hearing: (LDCT-2026-7 GrayLineX LDC Text Amendment) (First  
Reading) to consider the adoption of an ordinance amending the Land  
Development Code to Appendix E, Section E105, Parcel Specific  
Comprehensive Plan Amendments with Conditions, Parcel Specific  
Comprehensive Plan Amendments with Conditions, to limit the intensity of the  
proposed Industrial (IND) activity on the site. This case is related to  
LDCPAS-2026-10. (No Fiscal Impact)  
Minutes: Ben Ziskal, Land Development Director, reviewed the proposed text  
amendment. He said that this is the first reading and no action is required.  
Upon question, Mr. Ziskal said there are existing non-residential uses in the area but it  
is not feasible to develop under the RS standards. He said it is a three-acre site and  
does not meet the site requirements for RS. He stated the current regulations require  
single-family residential to be built on State Road 60 and there is no market or interest  
to build that.  
The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke.  
O.  
PUBLIC HEARINGS  
O.1. Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of a Resolution to vacate a portion of  
platted, unopened, and unmaintained right-of-way shown as Roosevelt Street on  
the plat of Bevington Manor, Lakeland, Florida. (No fiscal impact)  
Minutes: Scott Lowery, Real Estate Services, showed slides and reviewed the  
proposed vacation request. He said there are no objections to the proposed request.  
He said that staff recommends approval.  
The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Bill Braswell  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
O.2. Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of a Resolution Allowing for the Installation  
of One Traffic Calming Device (Speed Hump) on Bay Boulevard North (West),  
Near Lake Wales. (Estimated $5,000.00 one-time expense)  
Minutes: Amy Gregory, Traffic Manager, reviewed the proposed resolution allowing for  
the installation of one traffic calming device on Bay Boulevard North (West), near Lake  
Wales. She said this meets the traffic calming policy. She recommended approval.  
The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Rick Wilson  
Michael Scott  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
O.3. Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of a Resolution Allowing for the Installation  
of Three Traffic Calming Devices (Speed Humps) on Eastside Drive South, Near  
Lakeland. (Estimated $15,000.00 one-time expense)  
Minutes: Amy Gregory, Traffic Manager, reviewed the proposed resolution allowing for  
the installation of three traffic calming devices on Eastside Drive South, near Lakeland.  
She said this meets the traffic calming policy. She said that staff recommends  
approval.  
The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Bill Braswell  
Michael Scott  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
O.4. Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of a Resolution Allowing for the Installation  
of Five Traffic Calming Devices (Speed Humps) on Pryor Road, Near Haines  
City. (Estimated $25,000.00 one-time expense)  
Minutes: Amy Gregory, Traffic Manager, reviewed the proposed resolution allowing for  
the installation of five traffic calming devices on Pryor Road, near Haines City. She said  
this meets the traffic calming policy. She said that staff recommends approval.  
The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Michael Scott  
Rick Wilson  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
O.5. Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of a Resolution Allowing for the Installation  
of Three Traffic Calming Devices (Speed Humps) on Sixth Street East  
(Wahneta), Near Winter Haven. (estimated $15,000.00 one-time expense)  
Minutes: Amy Gregory, Traffic Manager, reviewed the proposed resolution allowing for  
the installation of three traffic calming devices on Sixth Street East, near Winter Haven.  
She said that this meets the traffic calming policy. She said that staff recommends  
approval.  
The Chair opened a public hearing.  
Rosa Cabrera said she supports the speed humps and requested that there are also  
speed humps on Avenue A. She said traffic is fast and children are next to the school.  
Rosalinda Santillan said she supports the speed humps. She said there are children  
playing and there is speeding. She asked for speed humps on Avenue A.  
Ms. Gregory said they did look at Avenue A and it did not meet the criteria. She will  
speak to Ms. Cabrera and Ms. Santillan.  
Earnest Oldaker said more of the humps should be on Avenue A instead of Sixth  
Street. He said they do not slow down with the speeding. He said it is the same  
constant vehicles speeding.  
Brittny Miller said she opposes this. She said there are a lot of trailers and said all  
speed humps will be in front of her house. She said there is speeding and people park  
on sidewalks. She said she had to walk her son in a wheelchair to school and she said  
to address the main issue on Avenue A.  
The Chair closed the public hearing.  
Commissioner Scott said once the speed humps are installed Avenue A should be  
reevaluated. He said for staff to get with the Sheriff's office to do speed enforcement  
along Avenue A.  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
AYE:  
APPROVED  
Becky Troutman  
Michael Scott  
Troutman, Wilson, Braswell, Santiago, and Scott  
P.  
REQUEST FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC/AUDIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY TO BE  
HEARD  
P.1. Comments.  
Minutes: Sue Nelson said she is here to set the record straight. She said that the  
Board approved the case for Highland Club. She said it was approved based on that  
the roadway was to be widened to twelve foot lanes. She said she presented the  
Federal Highway Administration letter. She said the final scope of the project does not  
reflect the 12-foot lane widening to address roadway departure issues. She discussed  
an email between Bart Allen and Jay Jarvis. She said the funding was removed  
because the county was supposed to widen the lanes to twelve feet and they did not.  
She said not only did Mr. Jarvis misrepresent the letter, he signed off of the changes  
and he knows full-well why the funding was rescinded. She said Crews Lake Drive was  
in the CIP and would be approved as soon as Lakeland Electric relocated the utility  
poles. She said the land use was approved but never happened. She asked how does  
the county defend this.  
Kay Bourque showed slides and discussed animal control. She said shelter leadership  
drives the initiatives and it is the community that extends the safety net of care. She  
showed a model of the programs and gave an update. She asked for ordinances,  
support programs, and for an animal welfare advisory committee.  
Debbie Hicks said her thing today is vision. She said her vision is much brighter  
because the county has stepped up with animal control. She said the foundation of the  
facility is from 1988 and she discussed the population increase. She said she sees  
them opening new properties and building new facilities. She asked if some of those  
facilities are older than 1988. She said she sees a lot of money going into the facilities.  
She said we need a committee to let the community help.  
James Abercrombie said he has been in this building for 26 years. He discussed public  
records and said he does not understand these people. He said the text messages and  
anything to do with money is public record. He said he wants to see the contract that  
George Lindsey was involved in. He said they are responsible for him with their oath  
and said they are supposed to stand up for them and he needs some responses.  
County Attorney Randy Mink said we follow the public records law. He said his  
paralegal spoke to him and he said he was there for a public records request and if he  
had he made a specific request they would be happy to fulfill that. He said we fulfill  
them as much as we have the records and we did not refuse them. He said they will  
meet with Mr. Abercrombie to see what records he is needing.  
Meeting adjourned at 9:59 a.m.