Polk County is in the midst of the first major overhaul of its growth plan since it was first adopted in 1991,
Ben Ziskal, Polk’s land development director, laid out the process at Thursday’s Ancient Islands Sierra meeting.
The big picture is that this in an effort to deal with the explosive growth that has occurred in Polk County in recent decades and is forecast to continue.
The county’s population, which was slightly over 400,000 with the first plan was adopted, is projected to reach 1.2 million by 2050, he said.
The proposed plan update tentatively will include some environmental provisions, based on public comments so far and direction from the County Commission.
That includes the creation of a new Conservation land-use category that will allow less intense uses than the current categories that allow ballfields and campgrounds.
It also envisions the long-discussed but never-implemented Habitat Conservation Plan, which will mesh with the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
There also will be provisions to check on whether any of the goals, objectives and policies in the plan are actually being met by establishing metrics that can be used to measure this.
This is significant because in the past plans would include lofty goals, but no follow-up.
But one of the keys to making this all work is public involvement, especially from the environmental community.
The first opportunity will occur during a series of what county planners are calling
“listening sessions” that are scheduled for next month at various dates and locations from 6 to 8 p.m.
The schedule is: April 15, Tom Fellows Community Center, 207 North Blvd. West, Davenport; April 17, Advent Health Fieldhouse, 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven: April 22, Magnolia Building, 702 E. Orange St. , Lakeland.
That will be followed by a series of public meetings by a 15-member committee appointed by the County Commission, which will meet every two weeks between spring and fall of this year.
Zinkal said the public will be free to attend these meetings, but will not be allowed to participate in the discussions. He said it has not been determined whether the meetings will be aired on Polk TV.
The public will have a chance to get involved during a series of public hearings in 2026 when the committee’s recommendations come before the County Commission. The dates for those hearings will be announced later.
Meanwhile, anyone who wants to become involved in the process and to find out what is being proposed can go to: Inspire-engagement.com/polk-county-comp-plan