Industrial growth is booming and residential growth is picking up, all of which means city officials in Auburndale, Florida are busy — and pleased. And they forecast even more development in the next five to 10 years in the city of almost 16,000 people in the north central portion of Polk County. “Expect to see […]
Lakeland Airport Awarded $4.6 Million Grant to Build New Hangar The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) started Lakeland and Polk County officials’ week on a positive note when it announced Monday that it approved a $4,692,176 million grant to build a MRO facility on Lakeland Linder International Airport property. The airport, along with the […]
Polk County Public Schools is pleased to announce that the school district’s graduation rate rose to 80.4 percent in 2017-18, an annual increase of 5.0 percentage points, according to the latest data from the Florida Department of Education. “I’m happy that we are graduating more students each year,” said Jacqueline M. Byrd, Superintendent of Polk […]
A new federal program that’s received little attention is unfolding as an “opportunity” for investors to develop within 19 zones in Polk County, Florida. The new community development program — part of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 — is called Opportunity Zones. The Treasury Department has certified 8,700 such zones — 12 […]
After Hurricane Michael blew the wind out of IRONMAN Florida’s considerable sails in Panama City Beach, Florida, organizers — in Hawaii for IRONMAN’s world championships — called Haines City, Florida to see whether the city could host the event with only three weeks advance notice. Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Ryan Ritchie and Haines […]
What’s your Dream Job? What’s more important to you: Working from home in your pajamas? Making a six-figure salary? Having a flexible schedule? Being able to take as much time off as you want? Those are just some of the areas MidAmerica Nazarene University probed in a survey of 2,000 people as it tried to […]
When Merlin Entertainments waves its magic wand, good things happen, and LEGOLAND Florida Resort in Winter Haven is a shining example of how one company can make a huge impact in Central Florida. Merlin Entertainments is the operator of LEGOLAND Florida Resort who brought the major attraction to Florida in 2011. “What LEGOLAND has done […]
Dr. Nathan Falk recites statistics easily, indicating he’s already done considerable research during his three weeks as the first program director for the Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program at Winter Haven Hospital. For instance, did you know that more people ages 18 to 64 are insured in Polk County than […]
On a recent sunny Wednesday morning, visitors to Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) were greeted by a KF Canadian jet sitting just inside the perimeter fence. It was a plane renting a “parking space” before heading to its new home. Lakeland Linder officials charged a small daily fee. Just one of many examples of airport leaders’ […]
Kyle Story exudes a certain easiness now that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture’s October 2018 forecast for the 2018-19 orange crop predicts a 76 percent increase in the number of boxes compared to the Hurricane Irma-ravaged 2017-18 crop. “I am optimistic about the healthy crop that I see in well-maintained citrus groves,” said Story, vice […]