Lakeland Commissioner Bill Read announced that he intends to resign from office early, putting another seat up for grabs on November’s ballot.
Read announced June 23 that he intends to step down as a city commissioner at the end of the year, effective Dec. 21, 2025 ― two years into his third term representing the city’s Northeast District.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve alongside each of you,” Read said in a statement to his fellow commissioners. “I am confident that each of you will continue to lead with the same dedication and passion that I have witnessed during my time in office.”
The City Commission formally acknowledged Read as having “personal health” issues earlier this year, causing him to miss a number of commission meetings and agenda studies.
The commission unanimously voted to excuse his absences as long as necessary, as Lakeland’s municipal code states no commissioner may miss more than three consecutive meetings without an excused absence.
Bill “Tiger” Read was first elected to the City Commission in November 2015, when he ran for the Northeast District unopposed.
His area of expertise on the commission is real estate, as Read obtained his real estate license at the age of 21 and has been a broker since 1984.
Read won a second term in office in 2019 versus challenger Jiwa Farrell by a landslide, receiving around 70% of the votes. He told The Ledger he saw this as a vote of confidence in his actions.
One of his more controversial positions during his second term was standing as the sole commissioner who voted in 2019 against freezing Lakeland Regional Health’s lease payments to the city for the next five years.
In recent years, Read had expressed concerns about future access to potable water. He was strongly in favor of Lakeland’s decision to stop adding fluoride to the public drinking water.
Open seat for November
With Read’s announcement, the Northeast District seat becomes one of five seats up for election this November.
Other seats that will appear on November’s ballot include:
Individuals interested in running for office must be a registered voter and have resided within the Lakeland city limits — and within their respective district — since at least Jan. 5. Qualifying for prospective candidates begins at noon Sept. 15 and ends noon on Sept. 19. For those interested, more information can be found on the city’s website, lakelandgov.net.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland Commissioner Bill Read will resign from office 2 years early, seat open in November
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
