The gloves have come off.
Frustrated that polite meetings between CSX and civic leaders have not spared Lakeland from the prospect of increased train traffic, downtown merchants are taking a more militant stance against the railroad company.
Get ready for "Fight the Freight" or "Don't Railroad Us" buttons. Both slogans were suggested during Wednesday's Downtown Lakeland Partnership meeting as a way of derailing CSX's intentions.
Residents from Sundance Ranch Estates, who are fighting to keep CSX out of their backyards, shared their fears that a proposed rail transfer center on 1,000 acres in Winter Haven would destroy their way of life and put more truck traffic on main arteries like State Road 60 and U.S. 98. -- The Lakeland Ledger
