Assistant to the City Manager, David S. Johnson

David S. Johnson, MPA

It is my esteemed honor to introduce Mr. David Johnson, the Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Haines City.  Mr. Johnson fills a critical position in the organization, one that has been vacant since May 16, 2013.  

Mr. Johnson possesses a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a Master's degree of Public Administration for the University of Utah.  Mr. Johnson joins the City's management team after successfully completing an executive fellowship at Bountiful City Utah, where he served in various capacities within the City Manager's Office. Mr. Johnson has experience in municipal budgeting, marketing, policy facilitation and implementation, as well as grant writing.  He has also served as District Executive Director for the American Cancer Society in Salt Lake City Utah, and Communications Manager for the Utah Food Bank.  

Mr. Johnson will assist the City Manager in the day-to-day operations of the City, as well as special project administration and community and public outreach. Mr. Johnson is the consummate professional and brings a new dynamic to the team, we are excited to add Mr. Johnson to our team, and we know he will bring a strong work ethic and enthusiasm to our community.  So if you happen to be around City Hall, please stop by and meet David Shane Johnson. 

Leisure Services Department Director Auburn Taylor is pleased to report that the City of Haines City and Central Florida Polk County Sports Marketing are the proud hosts of the Ironman 70.3 and IronKids competition again this year.  The event will be held on April 11th - April 12th, 2015, at Lake Eva Park. 

"The 70.3 race starts with a fresh water lake swim with a beach start and finish is right next to the transition in the Park.   The 56-mile bike course goes through rural Polk County past Orange Groves and cattle farms. The course does have a few rolling hills to challenge athletes. A three loop run course around Lake Eva provides a great place for fans to cheer on their athletes during the race." - Insert from Ironman

There will be road closures and minor delays throughout the day on April 11th - April 12th, 2015.   Please see the attached notices to view the impacted areas. 

Downloads:

Impact Notice (road closures)

Impact Notice (road closures) Espaņol

Do you have an overdue Polk County traffic or criminal fine that has been sent to an outside collection agency?

If so, Polk County Clerk of Courts is offering a ONE TIME chance to pay the fine without having to pay the collection fee during Operation Green Light. 

This is a savings of up to 40%! Customers can also have their driver's license re-instated on-site www.polkcountyclerk.net/operationgreenlight. 

Downloads:

Operation Green Light

Haines City Police Officer Ricardo Pacheco, who has been deployed to Afghanistan, shows his Haines City spirit while training in Ft. Bliss Texas.

Officer Ricardo Pacheco

Development Services Director Richard Greenwood is pleased to report that on Thursday, March 26th, Development Services Staff attended the Polk Transportation Planning Organization's (TPO) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting to hear a presentation regarding SunRail.  The consultant hired by the TPO presented a draft Technical Report evaluating SunRail extensions into Polk County.  Key components of the Report as they apply to Haines City were that the City should be included as a stop for an express bus service from selected park and ride locations in Polk County to the Phase II SunRail Poinciana station. Given that a bus terminal that services three routes currently exists at Hinson Plaza, this would be a logical location.  The other significant finding of the Report is that Haines City should have two SunRail stops, not just one as originally envisioned.    In addition to a stop at the downtown (located at the old train depot), the second stop is proposed at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Way/Lee-Jackson Highway/12th Street area.

Other components of the Report included a Ridership Propensity Analysis, Scenario Analysis, and Institutional Considerations (addressing items such as funding, interlocal agreements, etc.)

During the meeting, Staff pointed out to the consultant that the City owns the spur (and not CSX as presumed), plus the approximately 10 acres at the intersection of the spur and the railroad.  Also, the consultant mentioned that no freight rail is now moving east of Auburndale, and that may have a factor in the extension of SunRail. Staff made all aware that the purpose of the spur was to promote economic development opportunities within our industrial park. We have also requested a meeting with the consultant to discuss these issues and the Report further.  Below is a copy of the Report.

Downloads:

SunRail Extension Report