Polk County Celebrating 150 Years in Existence
The Polk County Commission oversees one of the largest counties in Florida.
Over the past year one of the milestones was former County Manager Mike Herr’s decision to lay off county employees in an attempt to balance the budget in the face of declining property tax and sales tax revenue.
The challenges county officials face in 2011 will mainly involve raising enough revenue to maintain county services without further layoffs and other cuts.
One bright spot this year is the celebration of the county’s sesquicentennial, a year long celebration that was kicked off in February.
Following is a list of county offices and constitutional offices such as tax collector and property appraiser.
Established: Feb. 8, 1861
Size: 2,010.2 square miles
Population: 584,329
Government: Charter, with five county commissioners and an appointed county manager and county attorney. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms in a countywide election, but commissioners must live in the districts they represent. They are elected on a rotating basis and are limited to serving two consecutive terms. The commission chairman is elected annually by the commissioners. The commission meets at 9 a.m. two Tuesdays a month.
County Commission: Bob English, 863-534-6450, District 1, Southwest Lakeland; Melony Bell, 863-534-6434, District 2, South Polk; Ed Smith, 863-534-6050, District 3, Winter Haven and Central Polk; Todd Dantzler, 863-534-6422, District 4, Northeast Polk; and Sam Johnson, 863-534-6049, District 5, Northwest Lakeland.
Budget: $1.3 billion
Property tax rate: $6.87 for every $1,000 of taxable value inside cities; $7.50 cents per $1,000 taxable value in unincorporated areas.
County Administration Building: 330 W. Church St., Bartow, 863-534-6000.
Web site: www.polk-county.net
County manager: Jim Freeman, 863-534-6018
County attorney: Michael Craig 863-534-6482
Auditor: Clerk of Circuit Court Richard Weiss, 863-534-4540
Animal complaints: Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control, 863-499-2600 or 800-275-8941, for cases involving cats and dogs. For nuisance alligator complaints, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission toll-free at 866-392-4286.
Boat registration: Polk County Tax Collector’s Office, 863-534-4700 or go to
www.polktaxes.com.
Building permits: 863-534-6080. Forms and information on many aspects of building permits and inspection are available by going to www.polk-county.net and following the links to Building Inspection.
Burning permits: Burning permits are issued by the Florida Division of Forestry. 863-648-3163.
Code enforcement: Enforces land development codes and other ordinances regarding issues ranging from junk cars to overgrown lots in unincorporated Polk County. 863-534-6054.
Cooperative extension services: Provides research-based education in agriculture, natural resources, human nutrition and the national youth development program 4-H. 863-519-8677 ext. 103.
Deeds: Indexing and records, 863-534-4524, 863-534-4516 and 863-534-4528.
Driver licenses: Three locations: Lakeland, 863-499-2320, 863-499-2323; Haines City, 863-421-3201; and Lake Wales, 863-678-4160.
Elderly services: Provides a variety of services including case management, adult day care and nutrition. 863-534-5320.
Environmental lands: Manages more than 12,000 acres of environmental preserves, 863-534-7377.
Fishing and hunting licenses: Polk County Tax Collector’s Office, 863-534-4700 or go to www.polktaxes.com.
Flooding and flood maps: To get a copy of the latest flood maps, contact Federal Emergency Management Agency at 800-358-9616. For drainage issues, call Polk County Roadway Maintenance at 863-534-7361 or Polk County Natural Resources at 863-534-7377. For pre-development flood determinations call Land Development Division, Floodplain Management Section at 863-534-6449. Have your 18-digit property identification number available.
Growth management: Processes development applications and long-term planning projects, 863-534-6467. Planner on call 863-534-6084 or planneroncall@polk-county.net for land-use and zoning questions.
Hazardous waste: Polk County Solid Waste. 863-284-4319 or go to www.polk-county.net and follow the links.
Lakes: Polk County Natural Resources. 863-534-7377 or go to www.polk-county.net and follow the links to Natural Resources, where you can find the Polk County Lake Atlas.
Marriage licenses: Clerk of the Court, 863-534-4547.
Maps: Depending on the type of map you need, contact Polk County GIS, 863-534-7500; Polk County Land Development, 863-534-6467; or Polk County Property Appraiser, 863-534-4777 or go to www.polk-county.net and follow the links to the Polk County Map Viewer.
Minority business procurement: Office of Supplier Diversity, 863-534-5979.
Mosquito control: Polk County Natural Resources, 863-534-7377.
Local business tax receipts (formerly called occupational licenses): Polk County Tax Collector’s Office, 863-534-4700 or go to www.polktaxes.com.
PGTV: Broadcasts government access television, 863-534-5997.
Parks and recreation: Polk County Parks & Natural Resources, 863-534-4341.
Property appraiser: Polk County Property Appraiser’s Office. Call 863-534-4777 or go to www.polkpa.org, which provides information on appraised values, ownership and most recent sales.
Recycling: Polk County Waste Resources Management. 863-284-4319 or go to www.polk-county.net and follow the links.
Soil maps: Maps are available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service in Bartow, 863-533-7121.
Tax collector: Polk County Tax Collector’s Office, 863-534-4700 or go to www.polktaxes.com.
Transit services: Schedules door-to-door transportation for qualified riders and coordinates countywide bus system. 863-534-5500.
Utilities: Polk County Utilities, 863-298-4100 or 800-301-6039 or go to www.polk-county.net and follow the links.
Vehicle registration: Polk County Tax Collector’s Office, 863-534-4700 or go to www.polktaxes.com.
Volunteer services: Coordinates volunteer effort for events and emergency responses, 863-534-6089.
Voter registration: Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office, 863-534-5888 or go to www.polkelections.com.
