Eagle Lake Rescinds Demolition Bids,Red Brick Schoolhouse Lives On
The Eagle Lake City Commission voted Monday, August 3, to rescind the demolition bids approved on June 1. The historic 1926 Red Brick Schoolhouse will stand for another generation to enjoy.
The room Monday was full of people who went to school in that building. They spoke about going to the same school their grandparents and parents attended. Mayor Cory Coler made the motion. Cheney seconded. The motion included the building at 685 E. Eagle Ave., officially named the Linda E. Weldon Activity Center, along with two other city properties in the same bid package.
Clapping and deep sighs of relief were heard across the commission chambers the moment the motion passed unanimously. All three buildings will stand unless the commission brings back the idea for demolition as a future agenda item. The residents hope not.
Residents Unaware
The effort to save the schoolhouse didn’t begin this summer. The July 20 and August 3 agenda packets contained a document titled “Save The Red Brick Building,” proposed by former Commissioner Kristen Pita in May 2024.
Most residents still found out late.
Eagle Lake posts notices on the city website, the Polk County public notices website, and its Facebook page. All are legal. Neither reaches everyone, since a Facebook post is subject to whatever an algorithm decides to show and a website agenda reaches people who already know where to look. Nothing was posted on the building or grounds themselves.
Community groups like the Girl Scouts met in the schoolhouse until December 2025. The power was cut in April, right after municipal elections were held in the building that same month. The senior center next door lost power at the same time. The demolition bid was not approved until June 1.
Saving a building scheduled for demolition took time and effort from many neighbors and friends, but there was no question during the July 20 and August 3 meetings that residents were showing up to encourage their elected officials to save it. Many spoke during the public hearing, commenting about how the schoolhouse held personal meaning for so many over the last few generations. They talked about friends, family, and neighbors near and far who still love their hometown of Eagle Lake, and still love that red brick building. A petition that began in May gathered hundreds of signatures and so much support.
The Floyds sat down with The Citrus Tea News to share what The Eagle Lake Schoolhouse means to them.
A Retirement that Sounded Easy
Stephanie Floyd retired from State Farm two years ago. Her husband David retired from UPS a year later. Still young, they had big plans to enjoy their retirement learning new hobbies and spending time with their adult daughters, one a teacher in Florida, and their youngest, who lives overseas with her husband, where they serve as missionaries in Budapest, Hungary.
Their plans for a “quiet” retirement all changed the moment they learned about the fate of their beloved neighborhood building, one they had walked to, spent hours inside, and often driven by since they were children. They couldn’t stay quiet and do nothing.
The Floyds were not alone in their sentiment. Concerned residents organized a campaign to save the old building. They made phone calls, posted on the Save the Eagle Lake Schoolhouse Facebook page, and knocked on doors across Eagle Lake, telling neighbors what was scheduled to happen. Most had no idea.
“It’s the nucleus of our town and connects them to generations,” Stephanie Floyd said. “It’s the legacy of Eagle Lake as the only historical building.”
That legacy led the group to form the Eagle Lake Historical Society. It was easy to decide the upstairs of the schoolhouse should be a place for the future Eagle Lake Museum.
A new Historical Society is formed
The Eagle Lake Historical Society registered as a Florida nonprofit organization in June with one unified purpose: to save the Eagle Lake Schoolhouse. Its officers are President Justin Newberry, Vice President Melinda Thomas, Secretary Stephanie Floyd, Treasurer Rhonda Dorman, and directors David Floyd and Diane Allen Shearer. Not a single one of them had ever run a preservation organization before this year, but they do have one thing in common. They love their city and will do anything it takes to keep it alive.
It didn’t take long to know they didn’t have to figure it out on their own. The Polk Historical Society in Bartow helped to create a walk-through video of the property. The Florida Bureau of Historic Resources told the newly formed Eagle Lake Historical Society they would help them in any way they could through this process.
On the society’s petition page on Change.org, one commenter shared fond memories.
“My mother went to school here and so did me, and both my sisters. So many of my childhood memories are focused around this school. I met my best friend in Mrs. Denmark’s 2/3 grade classroom. I remember the smell of the cafeteria. The windows being open and praying for a breeze. It and the people molded me. It’s just a building to those that didn’t go there. For those of us that did get that privilege. It’s part of us.” – Tammi, St. Petersberg
One line was repeated Monday from more than one speaker as they discussed the new growth with hundreds of new homes being built further out from the small downtown area. The Commission Chambers next to City Hall brought many neighbors and friends back to the block where it all started 100 years ago, and they understand the importance of leaving that legacy for others to experience.
“There is no new Eagle Lake without the old Eagle Lake.”
The society brought plans to the Monday meeting. A multi-purpose community space with room for meetings and painting classes, a home for the Girl Scouts who met there as recently as December 2025, and a museum upstairs. The second floor stays closed until the elevator works and the repair areas are safe.
The Building Opens For Students Once More
The commission gave the Eagle Lake Historical Society and inquiring residents permission to hold a back-to-school bash at the schoolhouse on Friday, August 7, just in time for school to start. Volunteers were ready that night to help the city get the building clean and safe. As long as that could happen, Mayor Coler gave them the green light to host the event inside the schoolhouse, on the first floor. Part of that promise meant replacing expired fire extinguishers and blocking off second-floor access.
Getting the roof fixed is the next biggest mission. Storm damage caused a leak that damaged flooring in a closet and part of an upstairs classroom. City Manager Thomas Ernharth said he would turn the air conditioning on the next day to stop further moisture damage, and that the city could begin putting out sealed bid requests for the roof work. The society said it is working to get the materials donated, and already had someone lined up to donate their time and expertise to bring the schoolhouse back to its former glory.
On to repairs and renovations
When curious visitors look inside, they are shocked at what they see. Shocked, but not in the way one would think. The original wood floors are largely in excellent condition. While the walls need some elbow grease and a fresh coat of paint, the schoolhouse appears to be in rather good repair, considering its need for a new roof and water-damage repairs on the second floor.
Closer inspection outside shows years of wear on the plaster between the red bricks, but overall, the hundred-year-old building has held up well through the test of time and hurricanes.
Asbestos abatement, which includes removal of a cancer-causing mineral once common in construction, was already completed on the roof and the inside of the building in 2007, thanks to a grant the city received after it earned historical status. Later testing showed the interior of the building to be asbestos-free. Lead paint tests were a different story, coming back positive throughout classrooms and hallways.
In 2022, the city considered moving the library into the schoolhouse. Tim Knowles, principal architect from Klar and Klar, wrote a summary letter about the project flagging additional issues. It was determined that the floors would need additional footings to support the weight of library shelves with books, additional asbestos removal for areas not tested, ADA restrooms reachable only from outside along an uncovered route, exterior egress stairs needing replacement, and brickwork in need of tuckpointing. Damage from hurricanes in 2022 and 2024 caused additional roof damage, leading to water damage inside.
Tyler J. Smith of the Bureau of Historic Preservation at the Florida Department of State recently wrote to Justin Newberry, President of the Historical Society, that building departments handling historic structures should apply the existing, or old, building codes, which provide exemptions for historic buildings, rather than the new construction codes. He called that a “common problem” for local officials unfamiliar with historic buildings.
The building does have a working elevator, which is good news for future visitors of the planned upper-level museum. It will need to be serviced and certified before it can safely be used for second-floor access.
Architectural Design and a Polk County Legacy
The Eagle Lake Schoolhouse was designed by Edward Columbus Hosford (1883-1939). His name is one that fans of Florida architecture will know as a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright. Hosford also designed many courthouses and schools in Georgia, Texas, and Florida. Most notably, he designed the Old Polk County Courthouse in 1908, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It now holds the Polk County Historical Museum. That rich, shared Polk County history is exactly what brought Natalie Oldencamp, Board President of Historic Lakeland, Inc. to a town of 6,000 people to speak at a commission meeting to city leaders in support of the effort to continue Hosford’s legacy at 685 East Eagle Avenue.
The Money Question Is Not Settled
The actual cost of restoring the building is unknown. Previous figures came in around $6 million to turn the building into a library, but the historical society said that number seemed too high. Residents and volunteers are ready to get to work and save the city and, ultimately, its taxpayers’ money. Because the society does not own the schoolhouse, the city will need to apply for most of the historic preservation grants or loans. A nonprofit organization cannot apply for money to restore a building it does not own.
The society says the Master Site File listing had already made the building eligible for state grants of up to $1 million every other year since 2007. Paperwork nominating the schoolhouse for the National Register of Historic Places was received June 30, which would open an option to apply for additional federal grant programs, if approved.
Mayor Coler shared the idea that the city can be hopeful for grant funding, but awards aren’t guaranteed. The society is prepared to start fundraising, and has set up a bank account to receive donations for repairs. The demolition bid came in just over $125,000 for all three buildings, an amount residents hope can be redirected toward repairs.
The Senior Center Is Still Dark
As community concern grew, the commission voted on July 20 to give the historical society four more months to address building use, funding, and community support. They also voted unanimously to turn the schoolhouse power back on. The lights were back in service after clearing inspections eleven days later on July 31. Even with the city’s decision to save the buildings downtown on Monday, the senior center remains dark. It’s been roughly three and a half months.
For older residents living alone, without family nearby, the senior center is where they go to find friendship and conversation. The Citrus Tea News has reached out to the city manager and city clerk about the reconnection and is awaiting a response.
A Growing Town With Fewer Rooms
Sadly, Eagle Lake has been losing gathering places for years. The women’s league closed, and its building is gone. The schoolhouse sat largely idle for two decades. The senior center has no power. A 2024 city document proposing that the schoolhouse be saved noted that the only historic site Eagle Lake had to offer was a small old jail container on U.S. 17.
Even with fewer community spaces, the town continues to grow.
Eagle Lake has roughly 6,000 residents, up from about 3,000 at the 2020 census, with more than one thousand homes in the development pipeline. The Floyds told The Citrus Tea News that roughly 1,300 students attend Eagle Lake Elementary and Pinewood Elementary, both inside city limits, and that number is expected to grow as new homes are completed.
Yet, as residents came together in a unified mission to save the schoolhouse, they recognized the need for more community groups and involvement like the town had in years past. Saving the schoolhouse was just the beginning.
“We’re not against a new building, and we have space for new buildings,” David Floyd said. “But in the process, we can also preserve the history we have so we know where we come from and where we’re going. I think now the citizens know they need to be more aware of what’s going on.”
Agendas and meeting details for the Eagle Lake City Commission are posted at eaglelakefl.gov.
Stories like this are exactly why we do what we do. Follow The Citrus Tea on Facebook.com/thecitrustea for more local stories from across Polk County, and be sure to subscribe to The Citrus Tea News Weekly at thecitrustea.com/subscribe for special content that’s always free for readers.
Your community. Your news. Your right to know. The Citrus Tea News.
Follow us on Facebook and Subscribe at thecitrustea.com for breaking news and weekly updates from The Citrus Tea News.
Sources: Eagle Lake City Commission meeting, Aug. 3, 2026, reported firsthand; interview with Stephanie Floyd and David Floyd, Eagle Lake Historical Society, July 29, 2026; Regular City Commission Meeting Agenda Packets, City of Eagle Lake, July 20 and Aug. 3, 2026; Regular City Commission Meeting Minutes, City of Eagle Lake, July 6 and July 20, 2026; Asbestos-Containing Material and Lead-Based Paint Survey, Linda Weldon Building, Pennoni, Sept. 16, 2022; Structural Evaluation, Linda Weldon Building, Pennoni, 2022; Summary of Work to Date, Klar and Klar Architects Inc., Nov. 18, 2022; Florida Master Site File, Florida Division of Historical Resources; “Preservationists claim old Eagle Lake schoolhouse slated for demolition qualifies for massive grants,” FOX 13 Tampa Bay, fox13news.com, July 21, 2026; “Eagle Lake residents granted 60 days to find funds to save school slated for demolition,” Tampa Bay 28, tampabay28.com, June 4, 2026; U.S. Census Bureau, census.gov; Lakeland Historical Society. Direct Quote from Tammi on change.org petition to Save the Eagle Lake Schoolhouse.
