State budget boosts Polk State College campus, road projects in Polk County

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article contained inaccurate information.

Polk County received much, though certainly not all, that local lawmakers requested in the $117.5 billion budget the Florida Legislature released Tuesday.

Lawmakers are expected to approve the budget legislation for fiscal year 2024-25 on Friday, following a mandatory 72-hour delay. At that point, legislators and potential beneficiaries in Polk County will wait to see which budget items survive Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto pen.

The most prominent local allocation is $8.1 million to Polk State College to promote construction of its Northeast Ridge campus in Haines City. That is half the amount requested by Sen. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, and Rep. Josie Tomkow, R-Polk City.

The Legislature allotted $16.2 million for the project in last year’s budget, but DeSantis deleted the funding with a line-item veto.

Polk State plans to build a 75,000-square-foot facility to house classrooms, laboratories, offices and student support spaces, according to Burton’s funding request. Her proposal anticipates a request of another $20.4 million in future sessions.

The budget also designates $1.5 million to Polk State College for the renovation of the LAC Building on its Lakeland campus. The building, constructed in the 1980s, houses the college’s nursing and respiratory care programs.

Lawmakers dedicated $2.5 million for construction of the North Ridge Trail, a proposed two-lane road connecting Deen Still Road and Sand Mine Road in the Four Corners area as an alternative route to U.S. 27. That is less than one-third of the amount sought by Sen. Ben Albrittton and Tomkow.

Their requests indicate that Polk County would cover the remaining cost of the road, projected to cost $20 million in the next fiscal year.

In another transportation item, the Legislature provided $560,000 for improvements to the North Lake Shipp Corridor in Winter Haven. The money, half the amount sought by Burton and Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven, would help cover the costs of stormwater mitigation, utility relocation and road improvements.

The budget provides $2.5 million for Heartland Biztown and Finance Park, a facility to host Polk County Public Schools’ entrepreneurial education program. Rep. Melony Bell, R-Fort Meade, and Burton each requested $4 million. The Legislature allotted $750,000 for the project in last year’s budget, but DeSantis removed the funding.

The facility would provide agriculture training for students in all grades, with those in grades six through 12 eligible to work on the farm and earn credits, according to Albritton’s request. The site in southwest Polk County would also host adult education workshops and other events.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office would receive $2.1 million for improvements to the jail, if the appropriation survives a potential veto. The Sheriff’s Office is replacing an obsolete intercom and door control security system and an aging chiller for its heating and cooling system, Tomkow’s proposal says. Polk County would cover the remainder of the estimated $8.4 million cost.

The Legislature assigned millions for infrastructure projects in local cities. Bell, a Fort Meade native, is participating in her final session, and lawmakers approved five allocations for the city.

The budget directs $1.5 million to Fort Meade for reconstruction of its fire station, half the amount sought by Bell and Albritton. As the city shifts from a volunteer to a “hybrid” fire department, funds are needed to provide sleeping quarters and other accommodations in the 40-year-old building, Albritton’s request says. The project also requires moving a sewer line and “hardening” the station.

Lawmakers also awarded Fort Meade $250,000 for fire safety equipment and $200,000 for a fire command vehicle.

The budget includes $2.8 million for Fort Meade to cover improvements needed to treat and handle wastewater and effluent and $1 for replacing 143 manholes.

Bartow receives $1.3 million for a wastewater sludge drying bed and $500,000 for lift stations.

I-4 widening Florida DOT sets project to add lanes on I-4 in eastern Polk as high priority

Lawmakers directed $1.2 million to Auburndale for a regional wastewater treatment plant, half the amount sought by Tomkow and Burton. A study last year found that the city needs $24.8 million in improvements to its infrastructure over the next two years, Burton’s request says.

The budget allots $3 million to Davenport for new water and sewer lines needed to accommodate the extension of Power Line Road and the resulting relocation of Lewis Mathews Sports Complex. Another $4 million will cover the cost of constructing the park in a new location.

Barring a veto, Frostproof will receive $818,000 to help cover the cost of a high-service pump station for moving sewage. The city desperately needs the structure, as its one pump at the location is unable to meet demand during peak hours, according Killebrew's request.

An allocation of $1.2 million to Haines City would help offset the costs of a project designed to improve broadband access through fiber-optic lines. The budget also includes $410,000 for Dundee to upgrade its water and wastewater facilities.

The Legislature allotted $600,000 for an extension and improvements to Robinson Road in Haines City, intended to provide an alternative east-west route between 10^th Street and 30^th Street.

The budget provides $562,500 to Polk County for a mobile firefighter rehab apparatus unit.

Warner University in Lake Wales would get $1.1 million for improvements to its wastewater treatment facility, following an allocation of $2.3 million in last year’s budget. The facility handles a daily volume of more than twice its capacity, according to Albritton’s request.

The legislature appropriated about $1.7 million from the Opioid Settlement Trust Fund for Tri-County Human Services to operate community detoxification beds. The nonprofit covers Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties.

Other notable budget items for Polk County include:

• $1 million for expanded parking at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland.

• $625,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Polk County’s George Jenkins Memorial Unit in Winter Haven.

• $900,000 for the Peace River Center’s domestic violence shelter and $425,000 for its community mobile support team.

• $500,000 for expanding primary care access for Medicaid patients at Lakeland Regional Health’s Morrell Clinic.

• $500,000 to offset costs of the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College expansion.

• And a combined $1.3 million for the nonprofit One More Child, based in Lakeland, to cover anti-sex trafficking and single mothers programs.

Among the local funding requests that did not appear in the state budget:

• $12 million sought by Canady and Burton for the widening of County Road 557.

• $3.35 million for Jersey Commons, an affordable housing community in Winter Haven that will also include facilities for primary care, behavioral health and vocational treatment.

• $3.5 million for the Homeland Agribusiness Academy.

• $2.5 million for expansion of Redlands Christian Migrant Association’s Mulberry Community Academy, a charter school that opened last year and serves migrant and low-income families.

• $2.1 million for an expansion of the Peace River Center’s Gilmore outpatient campus; and

• $1.5 million for the replacement of the Lakeland Police Department’s SWAT training tower.

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: Budget boosts Polk State College campus, road projects in Polk County