If you think the roads are too crowded, the forests are disappearing too fast and the quality of life is suffering, you have a chance to give county planners some ideas for better alternatives at a series of meetings scheduled now through October.
The format of the meetings is a brief presentation on the history of planning and zoning in unincorporated Polk County–that’s the part outside the cities where most of county’s residents live–followed by an opportunity to write down your suggestions for improving how to go about decision-making to avoid aggravating the county’s growth problems.
These comments will be included in a plan update of the county’s growth plan as it looks ahead to 2050. The proposed changes will go before the County Commission next year.
However, a little bit of reality awareness will be helpful going into this exercise.
No one is going to stop issuing building permits and all of the existing regulations that were written in many cases to enable developers are not going away.
But the exercise could provide an opportunity to quiz the county planners and the consultants who are assisting them on just what are the options for improving growth management in unincorporated Polk County.
The schedule for the meetings, all of which will occur from 6 to 8 p.m. is:
SEPT. 24 Coleman-Bush Building, 1104 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., Lakeland.
OCT 3 – Tom Fellows Community Center, 207 North Boulevard W, Davenport.
OCT 15 -| James W. Sikes Elementary School, 2727 Shepherd Road, Lakeland.
OCT 22 – American Legion Post 95, 225 E Wall Street, Frostproof.
You can also participate online at
https://www.inspire-engagement.com/polk-county-comp-plan :