CCTV Installation Company in Bartow, FL

WWE ran the Bartow Armory in Bartow, Florida for a non-televised WWE NXT live event on Saturday night, March 22, 2025.

Featured below, courtesy of @DarkMikeRises, @ChoopPoop, as well as our friend David Roberson of Wrestling Bodyslam are complete results.

WWE NXT BARTOW RESULTS (3/22/2025)

* Main Event: Ridge Holland / Ethan Page / Eddy Thorpe defeat Trick Williams / Oro Mensah / Je’Von Evans* Promo with NXT General Manager Ava, Cora Jade and Guilia* NXT North American Champion Shawn Spears defeats Gallus’ Joe Coffey* Izzi Dame defeats Adriana Rizzo* The Family: Tony D’Angelo / Channing (Stacks) Lorenzo defeat The Culling: Brooks Jensen / Niko Vance* Karmen Petrovic defeats Brinley Reece* Meta-Four: Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend defeat Nikkita Lyons and Arianna Grace* Jasper Troy defeats Javier Bernal* Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura defeat Gallus: Mark Coffey and Wolfgang* Lola Vice defeats Lainey Reid

#NXTbartow welcome to the #SHINGSHINGSQUAD ????️???? pic.twitter.com/6FWYUMgl0c

— karmen petrovic ???? (@karmen_wwe) March 23, 2025

So…can we go ahead and please get Giulia vs Cora Jade ASAP #NXTBARTOW pic.twitter.com/oWHuS3u1x0

— Michael M (@DarthMikeRises) March 23, 2025

#NXTBartow You don't mess with the Beautiful Madness! pic.twitter.com/WzaHvbI3wV

— Jeff Reid (@JeffReidUP) March 23, 2025

A completely innocent @CoraJadeWWE is attacked by Giulia for no reason at #NXTBartow

I hope this relates to TV booking ???? https://t.co/qjbim5MGR3 pic.twitter.com/oKaq19inSG

— Jenna Beta Normie (@JennaCrb) March 23, 2025

#NXTBARTOW #winner pic.twitter.com/P3xVVQhJob

— Doctor Darrell (@MovementReport) March 23, 2025

#NXTBartow @AriannaGraceWWE can't escape even after the match is over! pic.twitter.com/yy4Na4nJXs

— Jeff Reid (@JeffReidUP) March 23, 2025

Fluoride to stay in Bartow drinking water

FOX 13's Evyn Moon reports on Bartow commissioners voting 3-2 to keep fluoride in their public water systems.

The Brief

BARTOW, Fla. - Cities across Florida are divided over whether fluoride should remain in public drinking water, as Bartow commissioners voted 3-2 Monday to keep it.

This decision followed a heated debate between officials and the public on the health impacts of fluoride.

Mayor Trish Pfeiffer, who believes fluoride is harmful, expressed her disappointment after the vote, saying, "I'm sad for our community that different opinions really split it. It's about health."

The backstory:

The CDC supports fluoride in public water, citing its benefits for dental health and cavity prevention. Bartow Commissioner Laura Simpson, who voted for keeping fluoride, said she spoke with dentists about the benefits.

RELATED: City of Lakeland votes to remove fluoride from drinking water

"We had to make a judgment call, even though we weren’t unified in our vote tonight," said Simpson. "To ingest the amount of fluoride, these studies are indicating, would require people to eat tubes of toothpaste to reach the levels of fluoride they are talking about."

The other side:

Opponents of fluoride in water argue it could have adverse effects, claiming it may contribute to conditions like autism and ADHD or affect IQ in children.

RELATED: Hillsborough commissioners decline motion that would remove fluoride from water supply

One concerned resident said, "You guys are taking away my choice. You are adding fluoride to my body, and I choose not to. If somebody wants it, there are fluoride supplements."

What's next:

With the vote to keep fluoride, Pfeiffer hopes the state legislature will pass a bill to remove fluoride from water statewide.

"We’re going to look to the governor and hope that bill passes to get this toxin out of the water," Pfeiffer said.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

Bucking the trend to eliminate fluoride from city water systems across Polk County, the Bartow city commissioners voted 3-2 to keep the additive in the city's water system.

Commissioners Gary Ball, Laura Simpson and Leo Longworth all voted in favor of continuing the practice. Mayor Trish Pfeiffer and Vice Mayor Tanya Tucker voted to remove it.

The decision comes amid controversy surrounding potential health risks associated with fluoride, despite its benefits for dental health.

And despite the status quo in Bartow, there is a pending Florida bill to prevent local governments from adding fluoride to water that could pass this year, making the Bartow decision moot.

The practice has become a hot topic after a federal court ruling in California in September called on the EPA to strengthen its regulation of fluoride in drinking water as it poses "unreasonable risk of injury to health or environment."

Opponents of the practice also point to a federal report from the U.S. Department of Health's National Toxicology Program analyzing other medical studies on how fluoride affects children's developing brains and IQs. The federal report linked high levels of fluoride in drinking water above 1.5 mg/L and total exposure in foreign countries with lower IQs in children, as USA Today reported.

The report studied fluoridation in foreign countries with much higher exposure levels.

Majority offer reasons

In their statements before the vote, Ball, who has a history of working in healthcare, debunked several of the popular positions held by fluoride’s detractors. Simpson spoke at length about her research on the topic. And Longworth wanted to keep fluoride to help kids from low-income areas.

Ball said at no point in the California case did it say to remove fluoride from the public water supply. The case recommended the Environmental Protection Agency look into appropriate levels.

While the California case did say high levels of fluoride could be toxic, that was based on studies in Canada and Mexico and those results of have not been fully vetted, Ball said. The suggested level of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is 0.7 mg/L, and Ball said Bartow’s water comes out of the ground with a fluoride content of 0.25 to 0.30.

“The study left fluoride on the table,” Ball said.

Simpson said she had read all the articles and studies and listened intently to people’s input on the topic.

“I truly have come into this topic unpersuaded,” she said. "I have lived in Bartow my entire life and I like the water here, so I did not think there was a problem.”

Addressing the California case, she said of the judge’s ruling, “This was to get more data, more information. This was not a mandate to remove fluoride.”

Longworth, addressing opponents’ argument for giving residents a choice, said, “What has always been my pet peeve is related to the issue of children. They don’t get to choose what family they are born into. Those who were born into low-income families, it was not their choice. So why should we choose to deprive them of a cavity fighting mineral, fluoride.”

He also said children don’t vote, and adults are depriving them of the choice to potentially remove fluoride from the city’s drinking water and expect them to brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste.

As a foster parent, Longworth said he knows of children too poor to afford toothbrushes, let alone toothpaste containing fluoride.

“That’s what my community is,” he said. “That’s what I came from. I am not going to give up on them.”

Fluoride opposition

Pfeiffer said she was disappointed to hear a majority of the commissioners’ stance was to keep the additive in the water, especially as she is someone with health issues.

Tucker said her job as a commissioner was to listen to residents and vote in favor of what they want.

During a half hour of public comment, at least a couple of speakers were from Lakeland or Orlando and had previously spoken at Lakeland’s commission meeting when the board voted March 3 to stop adding fluoride.

They said adding fluoride to one's drinking water supply should be a choice and the government was taking that decision away. They also said city water utility workers were terrified of the chemical.

But the majority of commissioners each said no one had been injured from handling hyrdrofluorosilicic acid at Bartow’s utility during the current director’s 18-year career with the department.

In Bartow, the city has added hyrdrofluorosilicic acid to reach the recommended level of 0.7 mg/L since 2004.

After Monday's vote, the only communities in Polk County that still fluoridate their drinking water are Bartow, Haines City and Auburndale, according to previous Ledger reporting. Polk County has never added fluoride. Lake Alfred stopped the practice in a unanimous city commission vote on Dec. 2, and Lakeland ended the practice on March 3.

Winter Haven abruptly ended the practice at a City Commission meeting in November. A week later, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo visited that city and issued the first state guidelines to stop fluoridation, calling it a "public health malpractice."

Bartow, amid its own debate about whether to continue fluoridation, held a widely followed public forum on Feb. 18, which included Ladapo, American Fluoridation Society Johnny Johnson and dentists and medical professionals.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral in the soil. It can be found in groundwater and many foods, according to the National Institutes of Health. The mineral can inhibit or reverse the initiation and progress of tooth decay and stimulate new bone formation.

The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics point to research that found fluoridated water reduces tooth decay by 25% in children and adults.

Still, some have begun questioning the continued need for fluoridated water, given the prevalence of fluoride in toothpaste and other dental products and its natural occurrence in water and food.

Fluoride can be found in many foods, including shrimp, raisins, potatoes and oatmeal. Higher levels of the mineral are found in brewed tea and coffees, according to the National Institutes of Health, ranging from 0.07 to .22 milligrams per serving.

Information from previous reporting by The Ledger's Sara-Megan Walsh was used in this report.

Other cities in Polk County like Lakeland and Winter Haven recently voted to remove fluoride from the water supply.

BARTOW, Fla. — The debate over fluoride in local drinking water supplies continues amid efforts to ban it statewide.

The Bartow City Commission voted 3-2 Monday to keep fluoridation despite pushback from the community. It comes one month after Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo held a town hall at the city civic center on the issue.

“Children don’t have a say,” Commissioner Leo L. Longworth said. “By removing their choice, we are placing our desires over the greater good of the community.”

The majority of people in attendance urged the commission to remove it. Critics argue there are concerns over brain development in children, among others.

Ladapo issued guidance in November to stop adding fluoride to drinking water systems in Florida.

The mayor of Bartow also voted in support of removing fluoride from the water.

“I believe a person has a fundamental right to choose for themselves,” Mayor Trish Pfeiffer said.

The debate over fluoride comes after a federal judge in September ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate fluoride citing that high levels of the mineral could pose a risk.

The judge cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be.

“The fact that they think they can force the medication on the public is ridiculous, so that needs to be taken out of the water at the state level,” Justin Harvey said.

Those in favor of keeping fluoridation mentioned the potential concerns of removing fluoride like increased cavities and other dental health issues.

“To take it away… would be a disservice to citizens,” one public commenter said.

Pediatric dentists have warned about the impact on low-income communities as well.

Other cities in Polk County like Lakeland and Winter Haven recently voted to remove fluoride.

Despite Monday’s vote, a wide-ranging bill that includes the prevention of local governments statewide to add fluoride to water supplies is making its way through the Florida Legislature. A Senate committee approved it within the last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Marie Carvajal has lived in Bartow since age 4 and is fond of its small-town feel.

But if a 2,245-home development is approved by Bartow, she fears her idyllic upbringing will be lost for her kids as well as the city’s existing population of about 20,000 people.

The massive proposed community called Emilie Springs would be built in phases over the next five to 10 years.

Hearings on the developer’s plans could start as soon as April 28; the city has yet to confirm the exact date. But residents such as Carvajal are not waiting for a hearing to begin voicing opposition to the developer's plans.

Carvajal decided to start a Change.org petition in opposition to the development. So far, nearly 1,300 people have signed.

The developer has submitted a land-use map and applied for a zoning change and annexation for Emilie Springs East and West, north of State Road 60 and the Peace Creek canal.

Carvajal worries that roads, including the two-lane SR 60 where the developer plans to put one of the subdivision entrances, are already over capacity.

“I don’t know where they want all these people to go,” Carvajal said.

According to her math, adding 2,445 homes adds roughly 5,000 more cars to Bartow's streets ― at an average of two cars per dwelling ― and 10,000 more people to its population.

She also said the city told her about 27,000 commuters come and go each day to jobs in Bartow, which contains a courthouse, school district headquarters and federal, state, county and city government facilities.

She was concerned about statements that the children who move into Emilie Springs would attend existing schools in the area.

“It just brought up a lot of issues, and I decided to start the petition because I felt like that was a good place to start,” Carvajal said.

“I've never done anything like this before,” she said. “I'm not a politician; I'm not anything really. I'm just a regular resident, and I just feel like enough is enough. And where's our tax dollars going?”

Her concerns were amplified by other residents on the City of Bartow’s Facebook page, as comments about the development rose exponentially this week. Many were upset that the project’s land development engineer hosted a community meeting, but few residents were aware of the meeting.

Approvals for portions of the Emilie Springs land to be developed have been denied twice at the county level. The Clear Springs Emile East and West Project would require Bartow to approve a voluntary annexation request, a comprehensive plan amendment and an application to rezone land. The latest application and site plan were submitted by CBD Real Estate Investment, owned by David Waronker of Celebration.

And while the proposal has yet to be heard at an advertised public meeting, it has raised the ire of residents, who say the city did not publicize the development team’s meeting on Tuesday with land engineering firm Stantec.

While many Facebook posts found fault with the lack of communications, others sounded off about existing traffic congestion and the potential for additional flooding along the low lying Peace Creek watershed.

The outrage came to a boil by the weekend and by Monday the city had responded with a post of its own − about 24 hours before the developer's meeting.

In a statement Monday on Facebook, City Manager Mike Herr said, “Some of you who own property within 500 feet of the project site received a letter from Stantec Consulting Services, who represent the developer, notifying you about a community meeting being held tomorrow night (March 4) from 6 - 7:30 pm. The location of this neighborhood workshop will be Polk State College, 310 Technology Drive, Bartow.

“Please note this is not a required public meeting by the City of Bartow as part of the entitlement process that governs these types of private sector projects,” he said. “It is a public meeting the developer is holding on their own to better communicate with area residents about the nature of the project and to address questions from our citizens.

"I did not ask our staff to put a notice out on behalf of the City because it was not a sponsored City meeting that was required by the City regulatory process,” Herr said. “After reading many of your comments today, I should have acted more proactively about this meeting so please accept my apologies for not having done so.”

Herr added that the project will go before the Planning Commission and City Commission within the next 90 days. “There will be plenty of time for citizens to express their point of view either in favor of the project or against the project.”

By Friday, the post had gained 263 comments, and 106 shares, as residents took to the city’s webpage to air their grievances.

One Facebook friend of the city's page posted a link to all of Bartow's elected officials' emails and a sample email to send off in opposition to the housing development.

Others called to vote out current commissioners if they vote in favor of the development.

"If they (city commission) let this happen (annexation/development indicated above), what can we do to recall all of those who vote for this and hold elections to replace them?" one commenter wrote.

" I'm sure there's a protocol for that. We have waaaay too many subdivisions popping up now and roads are getting worse and infrastructure just isn't there," she added.