Editorial
The Lakeland Gazette asked to see any permit between the City of Lakeland and the Junior League of Greater Lakeland to do the Christmas parade to the communication department of the City of Lakeland.
According to Kevin Cook Director of Communications City of Lakeland stated by email, “document does not exist.”
So the Junior League has NO written agreement or event permit to do the Christmas Parade. WHY?
Handshakes do not work in the real world, today.
The city of Lakeland uses YOUR tax dollars to pay for fire/police and sanitation services for the parade, according to Kevin Cook. That’s right your tax dollars paid for it.
Junior League gets the FDOT permit to close the roads needed for the parade but last year’s permit did NOT indemnify the City of Lakeland it was assigned to Polk County (See the 2021 document below).
The Junior League and the City of Lakeland are discriminating against small businesses and not allowing single vehicles in the parade. Why? Who made the rule?
Most small businesses can NOT afford a float and a non-signed tow vehicle.
We believe times have changed the city’s policies are archaic. The city promotes they are small business friendly but they choose to show their colors in pathetic ways.
When we questioned this policy, Nicole Minot emailed us back and said, “I did reach out to the City and all vehicles must have a float.” Minott call us and said the “city makes the policies.”
I called Bob Donahay with Lakeland Parks and Rec and showed Bob photos of a single vehicle in last year’s parade. We listed other issues also and he just wanted to apologize for the issues.
Junior League and the City of Lakeland both agree that they have violated their own policies dozens of times during last year’s parade.
So we reached out to the City Manager Shawn Sherrouse, who stated by email “The JLGL is the primary host of the event and, although the City does participate in the planning and execution, the City will continue to defer to the JLGL regarding participants in the parade.”
We contacted Nicole Minot again. “She stated that the city sets the rules.”
Why are we kicking can back and forth? We did this for 10 days kicking that can back and forth.
Then Maggie Briggs the President of the Junior League of Greater Lakeland gets involved and calls me and try’s to lecture us on the phone and again she said, “The city sets the rules.”
Bob Donahay accidentally calls us a day later and we talk again. In 15 minutes he calls back and states Maggie is sending us an email.
EMAIL–
I am reaching out on behalf of The City and The Junior League of Greater Lakeland.
The Junior League works with the City to review the parade applications annually. Per our conversation and upon reviewing the float requirements, we are not able to accept the application as it does not comply with the official rules as outlined below (specifically 1.E):
If the Gazette wishes to resubmit its application so that it may comply with the rules set forth, we would be happy to review the application at that time.
Thank you,
Maggie
Maggie Briggs
President and CEO
First Maggie Briggs DOES NOT have the authority to speak for the City of Lakeland as she tries in her email.
It’s time that the Junior League of Greater Lakeland and the City of Lakeland wake up, this is 2022 and things changed. The Parade needs to and more inclusive to all businesses in Lakeland.
They continue to break their so-called policies, but we still do not know whose policies they are. And if the city is setting policy the city legally cannot discriminate and if the JLGL is discriminating they could lose their non-for-profit status.