​A majority of Polk County’s more than 100 parks and boat ramps are set to reopen Tuesday, Oct. 15. If a Polk County park or boat ramp is not listed below, it will reopen tomorrow, although there may be facilities within the parks that are closed for repairs.
 
The following locations will reopen Wednesday, Oct. 16:
 

• Johnny and Freida Brooks Resource Center
• Mary Norma Campbell Resource Center
• Medulla Resource Center
• Wabash Resource Center
• Wilfred Smith Resource Center

 
The following locations will open on Friday, Oct. 18:
 

• Coleman Landing Campground
• Lake Arbuckle Campground
• Lake Hatchineha Campground
• Lake Rosalie Campground
• Saddle Creek Campground

 
The following locations are closed indefinitely:
 

• Alafia River Reserve
• Bone Valley ATV Park
• Circle B Bar Reserve
• Gator Creek Reserve
• Highland City Senior Field (Strickland Pit)
• Homeland Heritage Park
• Lake Hancock Boat Ramp
• Lakeland Highland Scrub
• Loyce E. Harpe Park
• Panther Point Trail
• Peace River Canoe Launch
• Peace River Hammock
• Rolling Hills Park
• Sherwood L. Stokes Preserve
• Walker Road Park
• All Stormwater Sites

 
Additionally, access to Simmers-Young Park will be from American Spirit Boulevard only.
 
Polk County officials will be in contact with youth and adult leagues to discuss resuming league games and practices. 
 
If you have questions about these closures, contact Polk County Parks and Natural Resources Division at (863) 534-7377.

Tuesday, Oct. 15, will be the last day of operation for the Mulberry food and water distribution site. The site, located at the Mulberry Civic Center at 901 N.E. Fifth St. in Mulberry, will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or until supplies run out.
 
The Reserve Gator Creek food and water distribution site (9725 US Highway 98 N., Lakeland) will cease operations at 6 p.m. today (10/14). The Walker Road food and water distribution site (1035 Walker Rd., Lakeland) will remain open until the need for services subsides. An announcement will be made when the site is preparing to discontinue operations.
 
Additionally, as previously announced, the Frostproof food and water distribution site (139 Bulldog Way, Frostproof) will be open today to 6 p.m. or until supplies run out. The site will not reopen tomorrow, 10/15.
 
Sites that are ceasing operations are doing so because power has been largely restored to those areas and stores have reopened.
 
For more information, please call the Citizens Information Line at (863) 298-7500 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

​An insurance village will be open at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to help Polk County residents who need assistance filing insurance claims. Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 16, the insurance village will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until further notice.
 
The RP Funding Center is located at 701 West Lime St., Lakeland.
 
The village will serve as an opportunity for policyholders to meet with their insurance carriers in person and work together to file insurance claims. Policyholders should bring as much documentation as they can, including:

• A driver’s license or other form of identification (Passport/State issued ID),
• Insurance cards and insurance policy information/documentation,
• Pictures or documentation of the property being claimed as a loss resulting from Hurricane Helene and/or Hurricane Milton.
• Repair estimates.
• Any additional insurance-related information that is readily accessible.

Due to space limitations, the insurance village will exclusively focus on insurance related-issues and staff from other agencies will not be present to assist with other post-storm benefits. For more information visit www.FloridaDisaster.org.
 
For the most up-to-date Polk County emergency management information, please monitor your local news media. Check the county website for updates at www.polk-county.net. You may also obtain further emergency information at www.facebook.com/polkcountyem and www.twitter.com/polkemergency.

​Hurricane Milton debris collection will begin in Polk County on Monday, Oct. 14, and residents are encouraged to clean up storm damage and move debris to the curb for collection. However, it’s important to note that an extra step is required for Polk County residents who live on private roads or in gated communities.
 
Polk County cannot legally collect debris from residents on private roads and gated communities until designated Homeowner’s Association officers or road owners sign and return a “RIGHT OF ENTRY AND HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL” form. This is a Federal Emergency Management Agency mandate.
 
Once Polk County receives the signed “RIGHT OF ENTRY AND HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL,” this gives the county’s contracted debris haulers a right of entry to the roadways for the purpose of removing and clearing hurricane-damaged debris.
 
“How do you know if you live on a private road in Polk County?” said Polk County Real Estate Services Administrator Wade Allen. “Most likely, if your street sign is white rather than green, you live on a private road.”
 
For the Right of Entry form or more information please call (863) 534-2580 or email [email protected].
 
To view a list of private roads in Polk County, visit https://www.polk-county.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Private-Road-List-ADA.pdf.

Due to heavy rainfall from Hurricane Milton, water levels in the Peace River watershed and specifically, Lake Hancock, have risen to emergency levels. In coordination with the County, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) and the City of Bartow are working diligently to reduce the downstream impacts by carefully controlling the release of water from Lake Hancock and monitoring the water levels at various upstream and downstream gauges. 
 
The controlled releases are necessary to protect the structural integrity of the District’s water conservation structure on the south side of the lake.  Without the controlled releases, the rapidly rising water would compromise the ability to prevent large uncontrolled releases of water going over and around the structure into Saddle Creek and the Peace River near Bartow, which is already at flood stage.
Additionally, water is coming into the Peace River from central and eastern areas of the county via the Peace Creek Drainage Canal. The convergence of water coming from both northwest Polk (through Lake Hancock) and central/eastern Polk (through the Peace Creek Canal) has created the need for multi-agency response to address potential flooding.
 
The County, the District and the City, along with various other partners, are working collaboratively to address the potential flooding – including sharing resources and expertise – to ensure public safety and minimize flood risks.
 
Public Information contacts:
Michele Sager, Southwest Florida Water Management
[email protected]
(813) 445-5220
 
Laurie Hayes, City of Bartow
[email protected]
(863) 733-4642

Dear families,
​
Our team continues to work diligently to prepare PCPS schools to reopen for our students and staff.

However, our schools must remain closed on Monday, Oct. 14, and Tuesday, Oct. 15. We expect to reopen our campuses to students on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Three factors are impacting our ability to safely reopen our schools: We must have adequate power, food and staffing.

Our utility partners are doing an amazing job and working around the clock to restore power. But total or partial outages persist at more than 30 school sites.

Our facilities staff have been tirelessly working to prepare our campuses. But we need more time to finish necessary repairs and cleanup work. School kitchens must be fully operational and able to accept delivery of new food items.

We are also learning that some of our school-based staff are unable to return Monday due to their own difficult storm-related circumstances.

Again, students will NOT return to school on Monday and Tuesday. We expect to reopen our campuses to students on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Even though schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday, PCPS staff will be mobilizing and working to reopen campuses.

All available district employees will return on Monday, Oct. 14, to their district offices and work sites. Their offices and work sites have power and been cleared to resume operations.

All available PCPS school-based staff, including teachers, will return to their school sites on Tuesday, Oct. 15, to help complete final preparations for reopening.

Any staff members facing major challenges after the storm should speak with their supervisors regarding their return to work.

When schools reopen, we anticipate being short-staffed on some essential personnel, including bus drivers. We ask for your patience.

We understand that school closures raise concerns regarding the loss of instructional time, and the possibility of makeup days. We remain in contact with the Florida Department of Education on our status and the challenging circumstances facing our community. We will keep you informed on any plans regarding potential makeup days.

Thanks for your understanding as we strive to return to normal operations. We appreciate your support and look forward to our students and staff returning to school.
​
*We will be following the regular calendar when we return. We'll keep you posted about potential make-up days.*