WUFT-TV/FM | WJUF-FM
1200 Weimer Hall | P.O. Box 118405
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 392-5551

A service of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida.

© 2024 WUFT / Division of Media Properties
News and Public Media for North Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Jokes Aside, Renaming Florida's Lake Horney Getting Thorny

LAKELAND, Fla. — Residents who live near Lake Horney in Lakeland, Florida, will be polled on whether they want to rename the lake to keep others from snickering.

The Lakeland Ledger reports that resident Barry Zimmerman, frustrated with salacious jokes connecting Lake Horney with its unfortunate homophone, petitioned the U.S Board of Geographic Names to rename it in honor of Alfred Lodwick. Lodwick was an aviation pioneer who built a military pilot training program in Lakeland during World War II.

Despite their affinity for Lodwick, most city commissioners didn't want to touch the thorny issue, concerned it would arouse other requests to rename civic monuments, landmarks and roads.

The city doesn't have authority to rename the lake. That's up to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, which only asked the city's opinion.

The Associated Press is a wire service to which WUFT News subscribes.