CCTV Installation Company in Haines City, FL

Lakeland based-Publix Super Markets Inc. has updated the opening date for its latest Polk County grocery store along Johnson Avenue at Power Line Road in Haines City.

The Publix, to open March 13, will anchor the Shops at the Grove retail development. The Publix store will be 48,387 square feet and have a pharmacy inside and an adjacent liquor store.

In a marketing piece obtained from Haines City, the shopping center outparcels show a Mavis Tires and Brakes, Circle K gas station on the corner lot of the plaza, a multi-story climate controlled self-storage and a McDonald’s restaurant.

Next to the Publix liquor store, the strip mall tenants include 5^th Nail Lounge, Wakame Sushi and Hibachi, and Crispy Cones, Haines City said.

The retail development team includes leasing agent Forness Properties of Winter Park and Blackfin Partners of Palm Beach Gardens. They have created drone video of the shopping center.

In its marketing literature, the team said the Shops at the Grove in Polk County is located in one of Florida’s fastest growing counties. And there are more than 15,000 new homes under construction within a three-mile radius of the retail development.

The massive Crosswinds master planned community – where about 5,500 new homes are to be built – is located just north of the shopping center.

The population growth within three miles of the plaza is expected to grow by more than 47,000 people. The closest grocery stores are Winn-Dixie and Aldi, which are about three miles to the west.

The shopping center has more than 1,930 feet of frontage along Johnson Avenue and 575 feet on Power Line Road with multiple access driveways.

Plans are in place to increase both Johnson Avenue and Power Line Road to four lanes to accommodate the expected growth, the development team said.

Power Line Road is in the process of being extended southward from Hinson Avenue to State Road 17 in Dundee as well and to the north from South Boulevard connecting into U.S. 17/92, it said.

Further to the south, new industrial centers include Aldi’s 694,430-square-foot distribution center and Carvana, which has a 200,000-square-foot warehouse. The industrial park tenants have added about 950 new jobs to the area, the development team said.

Throughout an eight-state operating region in the Southeastern United States, Publix has 1,390 store locations, including 872 stores in Florida. Other states and store counts include Alabama, 94, Georgia, 217, Kentucky, 1, North Carolina, 55, South Carolina, 69, Tennessee, 59, and Virginia, 23.

Publix is one of the 10 largest-volume supermarket chains in the country with retail sales in 2022 of $54.5 billion.

Founded in 1930 in Winter Haven by George W. Jenkins, Publix is controlled by his heirs who have carried on the practice of offering employees stock options. The grocer employs 255,000 people throughout its operating area.

It’s a brand-new year, but that’s not stopping Florida’s ever-popular grocery chain from expanding with even more store openings.

Publix officials have announced four new openings that range across the state — including one here in Central Florida.

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Those openings are slated as follows:

According to Forness Properties, the upcoming Publix store in Haines City will serve as an anchor for the Shops at The Grove, being flanked by a Circle K gas station, a McDonald’s restaurant, and a Mavis Tires & Brakes.

Other stores in the shopping center are set to include a nail lounge, a sushi bar, and an ice cream store, a release from the company shows.

“Plans are in place to increase both Johnson Ave & Power Line Rd to 4-lanes to accommodate the expected growth,” the release reads. “The closest grocery stores are Winn-Dixie and Aldi approximately 3 miles to the west.”

Publix lists the Haines City grocery store as being over 48,000 square feet, much in line with its other standard locations. The new store will also feature a pharmacy and liquor store, the company’s website says.

This marks another step in the company’s continued expansion across the Sunshine State, with some new stores last year featuring parking garages, upstairs dining, and even a three-story location with a boat dock.

However, these new stores will be missing out on a key element of many original Publix grocery shops: the chain’s signature scales.

The scales date back to 1930, when the first-ever Publix store was opened in Florida. As part of a business tactic, the scales were made free for customers to use, as they typically required money during this time because they weren’t often found in homes.

But customers won’t find any scales in Publix stores outside of Florida and Georgia. And that’s because there are only a few left. Publix officials told News 6 that the scales’ manufacturer — Mettler Toledo — stopped making them a few years ago.

“The manufacturer ceased production in 2015, meaning that one day — although our wonderful repair shop keeps our remaining machines in great shape — the last Publix scale will retire,” Publix wrote. “When scales are taken out of a store, they go for a spruce-up in our repair shop. They could wind up going to another store, or they may be held for parts to utilize in other scales.”

As a result, these scales won’t be coming to new Florida stores, the company explained.

Publix bought up as many of these scales as it could before Mettler Toledo stopped production, and the remaining scales are kept in stores or at a warehouse in Lakeland.

According to Publix, the scales will stay in the Florida stores as long as the technicians can keep them operational.

Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below:

Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

Upcoming location to have expanded offerings compared to other stores

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A “prototype” Publix store is coming to Central Florida, bringing some new features for customers in the area, according to a company spokesperson.

Publix spokeswoman Hannah Herring told News 6 that the store will be based on the prototype format introduced in Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

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“In this particular format, customers enjoy expanded offerings in the deli, like burrito bowls and a pizza oven,” she explained. “There is also a Pours area where customers can order smoothies and acai bowls or grab a drink and sip while they shop.”

According to Herring, the majority of these store formats are being built in the chain’s new Kentucky market, though the company has plans to introduce one of these stores to Polk County.

“We do have a Lakeland, Florida store under construction that will have the expanded offerings in the deli, as well as the Pours area,” she added.

That store is located at 4730 S. Florida Ave., though the company has yet to release details about when exactly it will reopen.

Meanwhile, another Publix store is set to hold its grand opening later this month on March 13. While it won’t have the same format as the prototype stores, it’s also located in Polk County — more specifically, Haines City.

According to Forness Properties, the upcoming Publix store in Haines City will serve as an anchor for the Shops at The Grove, being flanked by a Circle K gas station, a McDonald’s restaurant, and a Mavis Tires & Brakes.

Other stores in the shopping center are set to include a nail lounge, a sushi bar, and an ice cream store, a release from the company shows.

“Plans are in place to increase both Johnson Ave & Power Line Rd to 4-lanes to accommodate the expected growth,” the release reads. “The closest grocery stores are Winn-Dixie and Aldi approximately 3 miles to the west.”

Publix lists the Haines City grocery store as being over 48,000 square feet, much in line with its other standard locations. The new store will also feature a pharmacy and liquor store, the company’s website says.

This marks another step in the company’s continued expansion across the Sunshine State, with some new stores last year featuring parking garages, upstairs dining, and even a three-story location with a boat dock.

Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below:

Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

It’s a brand-new year, but that’s not stopping Florida’s ever-popular grocery chain from expanding with even more store openings.

Publix officials have announced four new openings that range across the state — including one here in Central Florida.

Those openings are slated as follows:

According to Forness Properties, the upcoming Publix store in Haines City will serve as an anchor for the Shops at The Grove, being flanked by a Circle K gas station, a McDonald’s restaurant, and a Mavis Tires & Brakes.

Other stores in the shopping center are set to include a nail lounge, a sushi bar, and an ice cream store, a release from the company shows.

“Plans are in place to increase both Johnson Ave & Power Line Rd to 4-lanes to accommodate the expected growth,” the release reads. “The closest grocery stores are Winn-Dixie and Aldi approximately 3 miles to the west.”

Publix lists the Haines City grocery store as being over 48,000 square feet, much in line with its other standard locations. The new store will also feature a pharmacy and liquor store, the company’s website says.

This marks another step in the company’s continued expansion across the Sunshine State, with some new stores last year featuring parking garages, upstairs dining, and even a three-story location with a boat dock.

However, these new stores will be missing out on a key element of many original Publix grocery shops: the chain’s signature scales.

The scales date back to 1930, when the first-ever Publix store was opened in Florida. As part of a business tactic, the scales were made free for customers to use, as they typically required money during this time because they weren’t often found in homes.

But customers won’t find any scales in Publix stores outside of Florida and Georgia. And that’s because there are only a few left. Publix officials told News 6 that the scales’ manufacturer — Mettler Toledo — stopped making them a few years ago.

“The manufacturer ceased production in 2015, meaning that one day — although our wonderful repair shop keeps our remaining machines in great shape — the last Publix scale will retire,” Publix wrote. “When scales are taken out of a store, they go for a spruce-up in our repair shop. They could wind up going to another store, or they may be held for parts to utilize in other scales.”

As a result, these scales won’t be coming to new Florida stores, the company explained.

Publix bought up as many of these scales as it could before Mettler Toledo stopped production, and the remaining scales are kept in stores or at a warehouse in Lakeland.

According to Publix, the scales will stay in the Florida stores as long as the technicians can keep them operational.

Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below:

An Illinois hotelier has filed construction plans for a new hotel on the U.S. 27 corridor across from AdventHealth Heart of Florida Hospital.

Haines City approved the development of a four-story hotel by Bask Development last September, and AVID Group applied for an environmental resource permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District last week.

The developers weren’t available to comment on this article at the time.

The hotel is projected to be an extended-stay style establishment, given its proximity to the hospital. The hotel will be a four-story building with 124 rooms situated on 2.2 acres of land. There will be a 1,265-square-foot patio attached to the hotel but no pool — another indicator that it’s an extended-stay brand. Alameda Architecture designed the 55,860-square-foot hotel.

Paul Sexton, Vice President of HREC Investment Advisors, believes this is the ideal location for a hotel because of the number of subdivisions in the area and the presence of the hospital. It’s likely to be the first branded hotel on U.S. 27 between I-4 and U.S. 17.

“This property is a terrific place to locate because there are amenities close by, with a Walgreens, Miller’s Ale House and more,” Sexton added. “I expect this to be an economy-level or mid-scale extended-stay hotel. Because people buying homes in the area, come down to visit the area two or three times. Also, lots of families will be visiting for the holidays.”

The hotel is situated on U.S. 27, a busy highway that offers excellent visibility. However, Sexton believes that this aspect is less significant nowadays.

“Everybody has GPS and all the search engines to find a hotel wherever they are or going,” Sexton said. “Brand matters. People are brand loyal these days. So Hilton loyal customers don’t care if there is a giant Marriott sign, they are going to find the Hilton. You don’t have to be on the corner any longer.”

Sexton also believes this hotel will be important for traveling nurses working at the hospital across the street.

“There has to be a lot of development in the area, for these types of hotels to work,” he said. “Hospitals are generators of customers. They have all kinds of people coming in for many reasons. It is not a deep market, but a wide one.”

Construction for Polk State College’s new Haines City-Davenport campus next to AdventHealth Heart of Florida Hospital began last year. The school is set to open in Fall 2026, pending funding, with an anticipated enrollment of 1,500 based on the Fall 2024 semester enrollment in targeted programs.

Saxon Partners plans to build a 240-apartment community and a 16,000-foot medical building between the new college and the hospital. They expect to break ground this year.

Pulte Homes is developing over 500 homes in a community called Hartford Terrace on U.S. 27. Just north of the site on Holly Hill Fruit Road, Alliance Residential is building one of its Prose-branded workforce housing apartment communities.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Originally Published: February 6, 2025 at 4:45 PM EST