by James Coulter
The City of Lake Wales will be improving its city streets, water department, and police fleet now that it has approved the purchase of new equipment.
At their regular meeting on Tues. Feb. 17, Lake Wales city commissioners voted unanimously to approve their consent agenda., with three agenda items pertaining to the purchase of new equipment.
Street Sweeper with Vacuum Capabilities
A new street sweeper will be purchased from Container Systems & Equipment Co., Inc. through a piggyback contract with the Florida Sheriffs Association, allowing the city to secure the equipment at competitively bid pricing without conducting its own procurement process.
Lake Wales currently relies on a contracted vendor for routine street sweeping. While the current arrangement is adequate for routine daily surface cleaning, the equipment is “limited in their ability to respond immediately during storm events, emergency flooding conditions, or situations requiring subsurface storm drain cleaning,” wrote Nancy C Hernandez, Public Works Operations Manager Hernandez explained that the new street sweeper with vacuum-assisted storm cleaning capabilities will be used “for emergency response, post-storm cleanup, and targeted drainage maintenance where immediate action is required.”
“Staff has identified this equipment as a strategic asset that would allow Public Works to respond more quickly during storm events, support emergency operations, and reduce reliance on delayed or unavailable contracted services during critical periods,” she further elaborated.
City officials say the purchase aligns with broader efforts to improve stormwater management and protect neighborhoods from flooding. As Lake Wales continues to experience heavy seasonal storms, the new sweeper is expected to play a key role in keeping drainage systems clear and functioning when residents need them most.
Mini-Excavator
The City has been authorized to spend $54,334.06 to purchase an excavator from Bobcat. The City’s current budget has $80,000.00 allocated within its Capital Improvement Plan for such a purchase.
The excavator will be planned to be used to help dig trenches for new water and sewer lines, as well as perform precision digging to locate existing utilities” and “handle repairs with minimal disruption,” wrote Holly Britt, Utilities Operations Manager.
“This piece of equipment is essential for installing and maintaining underground infrastructure where large machines are unable to fit,” Britt further elaborated.
“Their compact size reduces ground damage, speeds up work, and allows for easier transport between diverse job sites.”
Police Vehicles
The city police department has been authorized to purchase five fully-equipped 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicles and two 2026 Ford Mustang vehicles.
The five Chevrolet vehicles would have cost $378,150.10 to purchase outright, while the Tahoe vehicles would have cost $123,664.08.
However, the City has agreed to a monthly lease agreement for 60 months, with a total cost of $436,455 for the Chevrolet vehicles and $142,731.60 for the Tahoe vehicles.
Through this vehicle lease agreement, the City will be committed to a yearly lease payment of $115,837.32 for the sixty-month lease.
“If revenues are insufficient in future years, the city has the option to return the vehicles under the non-appropriation of funds clause,” wrote Lieutenant Figueroa. “If it becomes necessary to exercise this option, the police department would suffer the loss of the vehicles.”
Furthermore, ten old police vehicles will be classified as surplus and properly disposed of, as they “no longer serve any useful purpose to the city,” wrote Lieutenant Emmanuel Figueroa, Special Operations Commande.
These vehicles include four Chevrolet Impalas, five Ford Interceptors (two marked K9, two unmarked Gray, and one unmarked Silver), and one Ford F150.
