Polk County Public School grad and first generation college student inspired by mothers’ enjoyment of numbers and favorite high school class – Algebra. “When my mother was younger, her dream job in Mexico was to be an accountant for a big company,” said Jacquelin Flores, 19. “Although my mother could not continue her education, I […]
As Haines City continues to grow, the city is drafting a master plan for park space while working with developers and entrepreneurs to build more housing units and revitalize downtown. Haines City’s population has grown from 20,000 in the 2010 Census to more than 25,000 today. With the increasing growth in the northeast quadrant of […]
East Polk is growing fast, further diversifying the amenities, restaurants and residential opportunities within Polk County. Living and playing is an important part of our daily lives. This blog post is one in a five-part series about quality of life in Polk County — beyond jobs. Winter Haven Winter Haven’s 42,000 residents can do everything […]
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 […]