The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-12-15
TAMPA To JAZZ
HIGHWAY MUST
COME THIS WAY
CITIZENS UP IN ARMS OVER THE
PROPOSITION TO
DIVERT IT
Petition to Commissioners Being
Widely Circulated, Looking to
This End

Lakeland will join Auburndale,
Lake Alfred and Haines city, in MAX
ing emphatic protest against an al
legged agreement between the county
| commissioners and certain interests
in the Winter Haven, Florence Villa
and Lucerne Park district under
which the route of the Tampa to-
Jacksonville highway is to be
changed so as to cut out Auburndale
and Lake Alfred and run via Flor
ence Villa and Lucerne Park to
Haines City.
The people Of Winter Haven we're
said to be celebrating Saturday morn
ing over the alleged change in the
county commissioners plans, while
the people of Lake Alfred, Auburn
dale, Haines City and Lakeland are
up in arms and arc hastily circulat-
ing and urging petition which
cites several decidedly interesting
facts in this case and puts it up pref
ty straight to the county commission
crS.
During the October meeting of the
commissioners. delegations from both
Auburndale, Lake Alfred, Winter
Haven and Florence Villa appeared
before the board, the appearance of
the first two named being something
of surprise to the gentlemen from
"the town with hundred lakes +"
During this meeting, Commissioners
Holbrook, Bryant and Mann declared
their permanent allegiance to the
program of trunk line road building
as laid out and agreed to when the
present board organized for business
at the beginning of this year.
After the commissioners through
whose districts each of the routes
now under discussion pass, had made
their position plain, the Winter Hav-
en- Florence Villa delegation with
drew with no further declaration
that that made by DR.. Ross that they
would bond their district, buy their
own bonds and build their roads with
their own money and without the
county's aid.
At the time the commissioners
agreed upon and announced their
road building plan, the Winter Hav-
Florence Villa people had organ
ized special road district and were
preparing to issue bonds and it was
the failure of their bonds to sell that
has caused the people from that part
of the community to attempt to in
nuence the commissioners to change
the route of the Tampa to-Jackson-
Vile highway SO as to benefit Win
ter Haven, Florence Villa and Lu-
cerne Park at the expense of Auburn
dale and Lake Alfred.
Lake Alfred has already built four
miles of clay road along the route as
fixed by the commissioners and will
complete its work by Immediately
bridging the only bad bayhead along
that portion of the route. Auburn
dale has prepared an ordinance un-
der which ii will vote $50, 900 good
roads bonds with which to build ap-
proximately three miles of this road.
Until four days ago the people of
Lake Alfred and Auburndale were
taking Dr. Ross at his word and
were under the impression that the
Winter Haven people would leave
the commissioners undisturbed In
their announced program of trunk
line building. It was not until DR..
Ross was discovered in charge Of the
commissioners short distance south
Of Auburndale indicating the route
which the road should take straight
east from Carriers Station to Florence
Villa that the Auburndale people
awoke to the fact that an attempt
was being made to side track them.
If the road should be diverted so as
to run direct from Carriers to Flor
ence Villa, 1t will have to pass
through nearly two miles of bayhead
and will be several miles longer than
If the original route is followed and
the entire route will have to be built
out OF the county's money-all OF
which will naturally Increase the
county's expense.
It is understood that Commission
ers Swlndell and Bryant are deter