The three-way race for Polk County Commission District 1 to replace outgoing Commissioner George Lindsey includes a Republican nominee, a Democrat and a write-in candidate.
Former Planning Commission member and Republican Becky Troutman beat two other Republican candidates in the Aug. 20 primary. Judi New, also a Republican, did not qualify to be on the primary ballot because she not meet the requirement for a candidate to be registered with their party for one year before an election. She qualified as a write-in candidate instead. Troutman and New face Democrat Kay Klymko in the Nov. 5 general election. They all reside in Lakeland.
District 1 includes Lakeland and borders Hillsborough County. It is the smallest but most densely populated district in the county. Lindsey is barred from running again because of term limits.
One of the campaign stops by the candidates was at Florida Southern College in Lakeland for a student-run forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. They gave the following biographical details before answering questions.
They all said growth and development within the county was among their top priorities. For brevity, just the questions covering that topic are answered below following the candidate bios.
Kay Klymko
Klymko has more than 40 years of experience in health care administration, education, clinical practice and research, she said. She still works part time as a nurse practitioner.
The key issues for Klymko are community and public health, social justice, environmental protection and balanced growth.
“I have no vested interest,” she said. “I will bring a unique perspective to the table with academic preparation a PhD and professional experience spanning more than 40 years as a university professor, an administrator, a scientist, educator, a nurse practitioner and a small-business owner.”
Klymko said a revision of the county’s comprehensive land use plan is the most important task awaiting the incoming County Commission. She said an update to the plan is “overdue” and a “major focus” for the incoming commission and wanted the plan to guide and control development as well as preserve and protect county resources.
She noted a recent consultant’s survey citing 250 respondents said the three priorities for the plan were: “infrastructure, traffic congestion and impact on the natural environment.”
She also cited affordable housing, senior health services and pre-arrest diversion as important issues.
Judi New
New is a United Methodist pastor and a fourth generation Polk County native raised in Lakeland.
She is campaigning for smart growth, New said. She has driven about 20,000 miles across the county to listen to people’s concerns to develop her priorities as a public servant.
“I just know how precious our county is and how much we’re growing and the ways that I think we can do better with smart growth, with manageable growth,” New said. “So, I’m here to be the people’s candidate.”
She also cited a proverb that encapsulates why she is running: Society is made greater when people decide to plant trees whose shade they know they will not sit in.
Becky Troutman
Troutman is the most recognizable name on the ballot, having served on the Polk County Planning Commission before entering the District 1 race. She is a conservative Republican and her platform includes balanced growth, improved roadways and safe communities.
“I am a mother and a small-business owner I have lived in this community and served this community for decades,” Troutman said. “I’ve chosen to call Polk County home.”
She grew up in Highlands County but when she moved to Polk, she served on boards at the United Way of Central Florida and the Learning Resource Center. “That means I understand the issues from day one,” she said.
Troutman also holds master’s degrees in educational leadership, counseling and school psychology. She served for six years on the Planning Commission and also worked for many years as a classroom teacher.
Candidate forum
Student moderators asked the candidates questions submitted by students. The following is a summary of their responses:
Q. Do you have any plans to change existing taxes?
Troutman: “No doubt we have a major shortfall when it comes to funding our infrastructure needs at this time,” Troutman said.
She talked about gas tax revenues declining as transportation maintenance and infrastructure costs have risen while fuel-efficient and electric vehicles have reduced demand for gasoline on a per vehicle basis, yet more cars create more wear and tear on roads and bridges.
“So do we need to look and make sure we are using those dollars wisely? Absolutely,” she said.
“If we really want to attack our infrastructure needs, we may have to look at what services and how we want to reduce services for our county so that we’re able to tackle those infrastructure needs that we all know we’re experiencing frustration with.”
Klymko: She said Polk County property owners are already paying more taxes because of rising property values.
“I think the major support for the infrastructure is our impact fees and that’s currently going to be settled as well in the next year,” Klymko said.
She criticized the passing of five years since an impact fee study was conducted, resulting in a sudden increase to cover roads, sewers and other infrastructure needs.
“Where has the County Commission been?” she said. “And all of a sudden now, we’re talking about what? The 8% increase in impact fees for other than transportation.”
New: She said the half-penny sales tax for transportation would have been a good means to raise money for infrastructure and such a measure could have been placed on the ballot, even though a push by Lindsey for a referendum was not successful.
She recalled hearing from city managers across the county about letting the voters decide on such a tax through a referendum.
“Let the voters decide because then this would allow more money for our roads,” New said of the managers’ input, which ultimately did not sway a consensus of the commission. She added that some of the tax would be paid by visitors to Polk.
“But we do need to keep moving forward as commissioners with ways that we can help with our infrastructure needs and our road system,” she said. “Right now. I’ve heard there’s a $2 billion wish list for our roads here in Polk County.”
New said perhaps municipal bonds could be used to fund road building in Polk County.
Q. Because of the large increase in the population in Lakeland, do you have any plans to combat the issue of traffic congestion?
New: She recalled growing up in Lakeland when the roads were mostly two lanes.
“We’re not going to stop the growth in Lakeland, but I do think traffic is something that we are going to have to watch,” New said.
She also said the timing of traffic signals could improve traffic flow. She said another way to alleviate frustration is to rethink how drivers use the roads and for drivers to be patient.
She quoted another proverb: Do unto others as you would want them to do to you.
“This is a big issue that we’re going to have to tackle over many years,” New added.
Troutman: In a recent visit to Lakeland by Florida’s Agriculture Secretary Wilton Simpson, Troutman said those in attendance spoke in part about traffic.
Troutman said artificial intelligence could be part of the solution to alleviate traffic issues.
“When you do have more autonomous vehicles, your auto accidents from us human beings are lessened,” she said. “But again, in Polk County, we’ve got to start thinking differently when we talk about mass transit. We have a wonderful Citrus Connection here.
“It’s a really foreign concept to most people that live in Polk County, but we have to start thinking about transportation differently.”
Troutman said there are many people who think roads are failing in Polk County but based on state Transportation Department standards, most are not. Growth has brought significant changes to what residents may have known growing up and it is not what people had historically been accustomed to.
Klymko: “I think population growth results in the congestion that we’re seeing, and I think the Polk County Commission believes that the impact fees over the next years is going to resolve that,” Klymko said.
But building permits are expected to return to normal levels in the next year or so and with less new construction there could be nearly half as many impact fee assessments moving forward.
And the current commission believes its plan to raise impact fees to nearly $20,000 per dwelling is going to take care of the congestion, she said.
“Now there’s really no evidence to support that impact fees make a difference in population growth and congestion,” she said. “But intuitively, it would seem that would be true.”
There are some things that can be done now regarding road congestion, Klymko said. Among her ideas are to change traffic light patterns, add speed bumps and alter stop signs.
“But I think we have a very big problem that has multiple variables involved and interacting, so it’s going to be difficult,” she said.
Q. What can the County Commission do to help housing demand keep up with the predicted population growth?
Troutman: Polk County is starting to see a variety of housing that is different from the past, she said. Apartments and homes on 40-foot lots are among the important changes needed.
“I believe that it’s vital that as a community we have a variety of housing options for all of our people. We have to get outside of the thought that everybody here in Polk County should have half acre to an acre lot and that’s the way we need to live.
Klymko: “In the housing for the future, I think maybe we can start to look at some different ideas on how we view housing,” she said.
For example, communities that are environmentally friendly or that have tiny homes are potential directions to explore.
“Perhaps they could have incentives; the developers can have incentives to build these types of houses,” Klymko said.
People who need such housing in possibly the $100,000 price range could have support for financing it.
“I think that we have to really think about what we want to do with some of our denser areas like Lakeland, and do we really want to build up? Do we want to have skyscrapers in Lakeland 30 and 40 years down the line?”
New: “I love what Lakeland has done with our downtown area,” New said. “A lot of apartments have been put up. So it’s made it very walkable and you can walk to Munn Park and then there are restaurants around there.”
New wanted to balance the urban cores where people can work, live and play with traditional neighborhoods throughout the rest of the county.
“So as we develop as a county generationally people are going to want different things,” she said. “We need to think through that.”
Housing could also help with traffic congestion if residents in urban areas can walk to work and then go grocery shopping on foot or to a restaurant for dinner.
Q. How would the candidates balance the unique environmental protections in the county with the pressures to continue building?
New: As stewards in charge of natural resources, new construction needs to be intentionally positioned so animals can move around neighborhoods throughout the county, New said.
“The county is aware of our animals and how they can still survive through all of this,” she said. “But as we grow, I believe that we’re just going to have to be intentional about how we manage all the pieces, the environment, our resources.”
That way at the end of the day, the quality of life, which is achievable through balancing the environment with growth, will be available to everything and everyone, New said.
Klymko: After what happened in coastal areas during Hurricane Helene, she called the devastation “mindboggling.”
And Klymko expects residents from coastal areas to migrant to inland counties such as Polk County to escape future hurricanes.
“I see that as time goes by these intercostal residents are going to want to move into different areas,” she said. “Polk County offers an amazing place for them to move. It’s high ground.”
Klymko said her concern was having enough water along the Ridge “Those are prime building sites, that people want to build over. And I think we need to protect those areas.
She added the people’s concerns over the future of water is one of the biggest concerns she hears around the county.
“We have to consider that in our growth.”
Troutman: Polk County is very unique because it has a voter-approved 1.2 mills as a dedicated funding source for the conservation and preservation of environmental lands, she said.
The commission needs to make sure all the stakeholders are at the table for decisions about the use of those funds, including representatives of state agencies that also have funding for conservation.
“The other piece of that is to think of land preservation differently,” Troutman said.
In the past, the county purchased land outright. But currently the development rights are purchased to stop future development from happening and the farm or ranch owner can continue to operate the land for agricultural purposes saving land maintenance costs to the county. This program saves taxpayers’ dollars.
And the candidate forum continued for more than an hour, the candidates provided the mostly student audience with their stance on several other topics including homelessness, housing demands, resolutions in support of widespread voter irregulates and their thoughts on the use of social media during their campaigns.
Campaign Finance reports 2023-present
Klymko: Total contributions $12,199, in kind contributions $2,761 and expenses of $11,186.
New: As of October, her total campaign contributions totaled $22,015, her in-kind contributions were $1,014. and expenditures $19,538.68. Among New’s notable donors are former Publix Vice President Hoyt Barnett with a $1,000 donation, and Paula Dockery at $500.
Troutman: Troutman had received campaign donations as early as April 2023. Overall, Troutman has raised $194,642 in campaign contributions and spent $145,755, according to records as of Friday at the Polk County Election Supervisor’s Office.
Her largest expenditure of the election cycle went to SIMWINS LLC on Aug. 15 in the amount of $97,005. The marketing firm is run by Anthony Pedicini, considered one of Florida’s top political consultants.
According to TransparancyUSA.org, members of Polk County’s legislative delegation have also paid for the firm’s services, including Sen. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, and Rep. Josie Tomkow, R-Polk City.
As the Ledger previously reported prior to the primary, Troutman received many contributions from land developers and home builders, including many that have gained approvals or recommendations from the Planning Commission while Troutman served on the panel.
Winter Haven-based Cassidy corporations sent checks of $1,000 each for entities including GLK Real Estate, Cassidy Land Development, CH Dev, VMAR Dev and Lakeville Partners – for a total of $5,000.
Other developers include CBD Land Investors LLC of Celebration and Center State Development Group, the developer behind the Creek Ranch proposal, with Commissioner George Lindsey, Bob Adams and Reggie Baxter among its managing members.
Home builders Hickman Homes and Hulbert Homes, the electric utility TECO (which operates a solar farm in Polk), and J. Greg Ruthven of The Ruthvens warehousing family also sent over a check.
So did attorney Keaton Alexander, a Tallahassee lobbyist and the daughter of J.D. Alexander. J.D. Alexander was behind the Scenic Terrace school project and has submitted a bid that is pending to build a new high school in northeastern Polk County.
Elected officials donating include School Board member William Allen, County Commission Chairman Bill Braswell, Commissioner Martha Santiago and Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz and his wife, who each added funds.
Donors also included relatives of Publix Super Markets Inc. founder George Jenkins, including Hoyt “Barney” Barnett, Ashley Bell Barnett and Gregory Fancelli.
Organizations included the Northeast Polk PAC. Realtors Political Activity Committee and Realtors Political Advocacy Committee each added another $1,000, as did commercial real estate brokers Dean Saunders and Todd Dantzler.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County Commission candidates agreed growth is the top issue
