Bonnet Springs Park, a 180-acre, $110 million park on the outskirts of downtown Lakeland could be a game-changer, connecting the northwest quadrant of the city with a flourishing downtown. “We are trying to move the footprint of Lakeland west and connect the park to downtown,” said Bill Tinsley, retired parks director for the city of […]
As America continues to age, the need for personal care or home health aides is shifting into high gear, with no signs of slowing down. One big reason: There are 73 million baby boomers, the largest living adult population at about 25 percent, and 10,000 of them turn 65 and retire each day. As Baby […]
Living and playing are just as important as working, and Polk County offers the best of all three. With recreational facilities and parks to hip new restaurants and thriving downtowns, low property tax rates, no state income tax and a low unemployment rate (about 3.4%) it’s easy to see why Polk is attracting a lot […]
Award-winning author and blogger Jeff Goins will be speaking at several events during Southeastern University’s College of Arts & Media annual writers’ conference on January 31. Goins, who has written five bestsellers, is also known as a blogger, speaker and writing coach. He will be the guest speaker at breakfast and the keynote speaker later […]
Senaida Avalos, a freshman at Polk State College, is grateful the Polk County School District develops new programs that keep up with current market demands, such as the Pharmacy Technician Academy at Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School. “I think that one of the things that the school system did well was create programs, such as […]
The Lakeland/Winter Haven MSA, which includes all of Polk County, retained its No. 1 spot as having the most diversified economy in the state, according to a new ranking. The county has a competitive edge being based along the Interstate 4 corridor and in the middle of the state, said Jerry Parish, executive director of […]
When you think of innovative, progressive cities where people are moving to start a business, Austin, Nashville, and Charleston might come to mind. Now add Lakeland to that mix. Polk County’s largest city landed at No. 30 on the 2020 Surge Cities list compiled by Inc. and Startup Genome. The two companies gathered information in […]
As a new decade comes into focus, Polk County’s education, municipal and business leaders are forecasting economic activity, growth and a lot of progress in 2020. Fourteen leaders in the community offered their thoughts on what the new year might bring, covering everything from new restaurants and development to aviation and transportation improvements. City Leaders […]
The new board members represent key enterprises in Polk County, including higher education, government, real estate, citrus, and manufacturing. “We are excited to add these five new members to the board and will harness their energy and enthusiasm to keep pushing economic prosperity,” said CFDC President and CEO Sean Malott. “Each brings valuable insight into […]
Mankind has always had a fascination with space, and as Mars 2020 approaches, Polk County is playing an ever-increasing role in the high-tech aerospace industry. Some of the county’s involvement stems from Florida Polytechnic University, where a 14-member team is working with the Florida Space Institute on a capstone project to build a Mars rover. […]