Polk County, Florida
From Sunshine Review
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Polk County is one of 67 counties in Florida. As of 2000, the population was 483,924. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates of 2006 put the county population at 561,606.[1]
Polk County is sometimes called Imperial Polk County. This name stems from 1914, when the county issued a $1.5 million bond to pave a number of roads. That bond issue was considerable for those days, and allowed for 9 foot-wide roads to start from Bartow to Mulberry, Lake Wales, Fort Meade, Winter Haven, Lakeland and Auburndale. According to historical reports, then-county commission clerk W.S. Wev had the idea of erecting an arch over every paved road at its entrance to Polk County, proclaiming that the motorist was about to enter "Imperial Polk County." The name stuck.
Polk's county seat is Bartow, and the largest city in the county is Lakeland.
The Polk County School District is the public school district of the county.
Polk County's population as of 2007 was 581,058. It is one of 20 charter counties in the state. It became a charter county in 1998.[2]
[edit] History
Polk County became Florida's 39th county on February 8, 1861, when the State of Florida divided Hillsborough County into eastern and western halves. The eastern half was named Polk, in honor of the 11th President of the United States, James Knox Polk.
Following the Civil War, the county commission established the county seat in Bartow, in the central part of the county. Bartow was named after Francis S. Bartow, a confederate Colonel from Georgia who was the first confederate officer to die in battle during the first battle of the Civil War. Fort Blount, as Bartow was then known, in a move to honor one of the first fallen heroes of the Confederacy, was one of several towns and counties in the South that changed their name to Bartow.
[edit] Evaluation of website
- Main article: Evaluation of Florida county websites
[edit] The good
- Budget is published.[3]
- County commissioners are listed with contact information.[4]
- Board meeting schedule, agendas and minutes are posted.[5]
- Local tax information is available.[6]
- Zoning information is available.[7]
- Active contracts are posted.[8]
- Information on making public records requests is available. [9]
[edit] The bad
- Includes information on permits, but not the permits themselves.[10]
- Had info on internal audits, but not the audits themselves.[11]
[edit] Municipalities in Polk County
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[edit] Lobbying
- Main article: Florida taxpayer-funded lobbying
Polk County has reported $750,000 spent on lobbying since 2001 (see table).
| Year | Amount spent on lobbying |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $60,000 |
| 2008 | $90,000 |
| 2007 | $100,000 |
| 2006 | $100,000 |
| 2005 | $80,000 |
| 2004 | $80,000 |
| 2003 | $80,000 |
| 2002 | $80,000 |
| 2001 | $80,000 |
[edit] Audits
For Polk County, the clerk or comptroller performs the internal audits.[13]
[edit] External links
- Official Polk County Website
- Polk County Clerk of Courts
- Polk County Property Appraiser
- Polk County Democrat local newspaper for Polk County, Florida fully and openly available in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- Polk Forums free online community messageboard for all Polk county Florida.
- Polk County on E-Reference
- Polk County Guide
- Polk County Sheriff's Office
- Polk County Public Schools
[edit] References
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