As of early 2026, residents of this historic community north of Lakeland are actively organizing to halt the construction of a proposed North Lakeland Government Center.
The conflict reached a boiling point during a tense community meeting on February 17, 2026, where over 260 residents voiced their frustrations to County Commissioner Michael Scott.
Key Reasons for Resident Opposition
Residents argue that the rural, “quiet” character of Kathleen is being sacrificed for unnecessary development. Their primary concerns include:
- Transparency & Notice: Many residents feel “deceived” by the county, claiming they received little to no notice about the plan or why the specific site in Kathleen was chosen.
- Infrastructure Stress: Neighbors point to existing issues like ongoing flooding (exacerbated by 2024’s Hurricane Milton), increased traffic, speeding, and a lack of basic street lighting as higher priorities than a new government building.
- Location Utility: Some locals have suggested that the current Searstown government center is rarely at capacity and that any new facility should remain in central Lakeland where it is more accessible.
- Preservation of “Rural” Feel: A recurring sentiment is that residents chose Kathleen specifically to avoid the “convenience” and density of the south side.
The County’s Stance
Commissioner Michael Scott has defended the project by framing it as a “controlled” development option. His arguments include:
- Better than Residential: He pitched the center as a better alternative to a potential 150-home subdivision, noting that government offices aren’t open on nights, weekends, or holidays.
- Public Amenities: The county is considering including a library within the center—a feature not typically found in other Polk government buildings—to provide a community benefit.
- Flood Mitigation: The plan involves expanding an existing pond on the property to manage water for a 100-year storm event, which the county suggests could help local drainage.
Current Status of the Fight
As of March 2026, an online petition to stop the project has gained nearly 1,000 signatures. While the county has purchased the land, the project is still in the design phase, and officials claim resident feedback can still influence the final plan.
We are in need of schools. Notice all the portable classrooms around most schools. Polk county needs controlled growth not how many homes can we put on per acrea. Our roads are so congested now.
We elect persons to protect our way of life and keep us safe
The county needs this building in order to establish a village center. When they add amenities it’s strictly to bring in growth. Once that village center is in place, the buracracy takes hold and none of our voices are Relevant. Our elected officials are our voices, not the lawyers or career employees that hide behind policies that work around our rights. For those of us that flooded more in the past 10 years and that has had to pay more for insurance, and extensive property damages, how many times were you told our voices aren’t credible? How many commissioners have you heard talking about certain guidelines of discussions while they ignore and work around the issues that would prevent development. All of the commissioners hide behind buracracy and are more afraid of being sued by a developer than they are the average person. That should tell you all something.
I have 10 years of specific emails, pictures, and policy that municipalities use to push projects through despite decades of long established precedent preventing the very projects they are pushing through at our expense.
Private property rights are a hindrance so they are working around them. They flood is out and force us to endure financial hardship just to force is away from our ways of life at a cheaper rate.