The state budget came in later and leaner than last year.
Yet there is plenty of funding for Polk County in the $115.1 billion spending plan adopted by the Florida Legislature late on June 16. The money will bolster cities’ public works projects, add judges, support expansions in higher education and assist nonprofit organizations.
Passage of the budget by the state House and Senate came 45 days past the scheduled end of the session and two weeks before a state government shutdown would have occurred without a budget. The budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year is about $3 billion smaller than that approved in 2024 for the current fiscal year.
Now lawmakers must wait to see which individual funding items Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis might veto. DeSantis will need to sign the budget before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
All of the requests for Polk County projects were made by legislators representing parts of the county: Sen. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula; Sen. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland; Rep. Jon Albert, R-Frostproof; Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland; Rep. Jennifer Kincart Jonsson, R-Lakeland; and Rep. Josie Tomkow, R-Polk City.
Here is a look at non-recurring budget allocations for Polk County:
Higher education
Polk State College again benefits from significant funding items.
The budget includes $10 million for the college’s planned Haines City-Davenport campus. The Legislature designated $8.1 million for the project in the 2024, a year after DeSantis vetoed an allocation of $16.2 million. Site work on phase one of contruction began in February.
The budget also directs $6.1 million to Polk State for the Lakeland Academic Center, adding to the same amount provided in 2023 for the restoration project.
Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland will receive $12 million for the construction of a Student Achievement Center. That follows $5.7 million provided in 2024.
The budget also includes a $10 million allocation labeled Rising to 3,000 Expanding Florida Poly’s Impact. That refers to the university’s goal of expanding to 3,000 students.
Legislators bestowed $2.5 million upon Florida Southern College in Lakeland for a horticultural sciences learning laboratory and greenhouses. Florida Southern also receives $500,000 for planetarium equipment for educational programming In 2024, the school opened the renovated planetarium, designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Lawmakers directed $265,000 to Warner University in Lake Wales for its agriculture education expansion.
Polk County
The county will receive $3 million for a segment of the right-of-way acquisition for the Power Line Road extension in the Haines City area. The budget also provides $700,000 for an electrical upgrade at the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow.
Lawmakers devoted $2 million for the headwaters of the Peace River floodplain protection and restoration. The budget provides nearly $1.6 million for Polk Regional Water Cooperative’s Heartland Headwaters project.
The PRWC is an association of Polk County and its municipalities, dedicated to creating alternative future sources of water.
The spending deal dedicates $700,000 for a replacement of Polk County Public Schools’ leased health clinic in Haines City.
The Legislature earmarked about $2.3 million to fund 200 new slots in the Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly in Polk County, effective April 1, 2026.
Cities
Lakeland will receive $1 million for phase one of the western trunk gravity sewer project. The budget also includes $900,000 for Lakeland Fire Rescue Station 8, planned for Sleepy Hill Road and Mall Hill Drive.
The budget offers multiple allocations for Bartow. The largest is $5 million for resiliency improvements to sewer lines.
Bartow will also receive $1.35 million for a fire rescue station and training facility feasibility study and just over $1 million for a front-line fire rescue truck. Finally, the city gets $750,000 for a wastewater master plan.
Auburndale will receive $750,000 for improvements to Lake Ariana Park. Legislators approved $750,000 to Davenport for a flooding stormwater project.
Fort Meade will gain $175,000 for an electrical substation.
The budget provides two allocations to Frostproof: just over $5 million for the septic-to-sewer conversion on West Ninth Street and $2.6 million for the same conversion on Wood and Palmetto avenues.
Lawmakers allocated $3 million to Haines City for an emergency operations center and fire facility and $1 million for its Andrew R. Reilly City Hall Annex.
The budget provides Lake Wales with $3 million for Fire Station 3. Mulberry will receive $600,000 for replacement of its lead service lines.
Courts and offices
Lawmakers allotted funding to add two circuit judge positions in the 10th Judicial Circuit, which includes Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties.
The budget designates funding to create a new county judge position for Polk County within the 10th Judicial Circuit. Polk is one of 11 counties receiving money to add judges.
The twin allocations will increase the judge population in the circuit from 40 to 43.
The budget devotes $3 million for the expansion and renovation of the 10th Judicial Circuit Medical Examiner’s facility in Winter Haven.
Nonprofits
One More Child, a Lakeland-based Christian nonprofit, again receives funding in the new budget for continuing programs. Lawmakers allotted $825,000 for the anti-sex-trafficking program and $500,000 for a family prevention support program. The nonprofit will also receive $475,000 for a single mothers program.
The budget includes $500,000 for Heartland for Children for repairs and renovations to support children in foster care. The nonprofit, based in Bartow, covers Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties.
Peace River Center, a behavioral health nonprofit based in Bartow, receives just over $1 million for expansion of its Gilmore outpatient program. The budget provides $850,000 for Peace River’s Community Mobile Support Team.
Legislators allotted $1.5 million for a parking expansion at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland.
Turkey Watch list
Florida Tax Watch, an independent, conservative-leaning organization that assesses each year’s budget, released its “Turkey Watch List” on June 17.
The list, citing allocations the organization says are fiscally irresponsible or did not receive the proper budgetary approval, included only one Polk County project by name: Auburndale’s Lake Ariana Park improvements.
But the report says that Florida Tax Watch has traditionally rated all local transportation projects as turkeys. The report also criticizes water projects in the budget, urging DeSantis to “review each project closely in his veto deliberations.”
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: What does the state’s $115B budget bring to Polk County? Millions for wide range of projects
Reporting by Gary White, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
