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Polk State College marked a historic milestone Nov. 22 with the groundbreaking of its eighth location, the Polk State Haines City-Davenport Campus. More than 200 community leaders and supporters gathered to commemorate this new chapter in the College’s growth, which promises to expand educational access and opportunities for students in the heart of Florida.

The approximately $51 million project will result in a 75,000-square-foot facility that will include Central Florida’s first public higher education interdisciplinary simulation hospital. In addition to a focus on health sciences, the campus will include hospitality and tourism management, supply chain and logistics, teacher education, and courses for the Associate in Arts degree. Construction will start in early 2025 with a projected fall 2026 opening, pending funding.

Polk State conducted a needs assessment in 2006 which resulted in the purchase of the 7.8-acre property on U.S. 27 in 2009. Polk State received $13.2 million in public education capital outlay (PECO) funding in 2022 to begin the development of the campus. In 2024, $8.1 million in PECO funding was allocated to the project. Additionally, Barney Barnett and the Barnett family have pledged $3 million, and the Polk State Foundation has raised approximately $130,000 through A Night of Legacy. Polk State continues to advocate for approximately $17.5 million to bring the campus to full fruition.

“Investing in the Polk State Haines City-Davenport Campus is critical as this region is the fastest-growing in Polk County and the State of Florida,” Polk State President Dr. Angela Garcia Falconetti said. “We are grateful to our Governor DeSantis, Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, the Polk County Legislative Delegation, and generous donors who are bringing this longtime dream to fruition for our community.”

“I have to brag on our Florida College System because of the incredible work that is being done, especially here at Polk State with Dr. Falconetti,” Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. said. “They have taken on the mission of understanding that their job is to provide opportunity, not just for those students who are going to go on to get a four-year degree at a larger institution but also for those individuals who are career changers, for those individuals who have left school for something that has happened in their lives and are able to come back. These opportunities are provided by our institutions, especially Polk State.”

“It is an honor to stand here today on the site that we first assessed in 2006 and that was later purchased by our College in 2009, during my first 12-year tenure as a governor-appointed member of the Polk State College District Board of Trustees,” Board Chair Cindy Hartley Ross said. “We remain committed to providing a Polk State College education for all residents of Polk County.”

“Let me tell you how important this is. I am privileged to chair the Health Policy Committee in the Florida Senate. I’ve chaired Health Policy in the Florida House. I spent a lot of years learning about the need for healthcare professionals and affiliated careers in this field,” Senator Colleen Burton said. “The facility that is going to be built here is state-of-the-art. We needed it already.”

“We have the pleasure in the Florida Legislature, and I have the pleasure of bragging on Polk County and specifically District 51 and what we do to make sure we are meeting the demands of our district, the needs of our community and the business leaders,” Representative Josie Tomkow said.

“This is also generational change for Polk County. You are going to have so many wonderful students who will go here and so many opportunities for teaching and learning. But the families who will benefit from this healthcare that will be generated from this institution and this collaboration with medical professionals is unsurpassed,” Florida College System Chancellor Kathy Hebda said. “It’s not only on brand but it is a shining example of exactly what we hope happens every day in our Florida College System and across our great state.”

“There is nothing that can’t be accomplished when education and industry partner together,” Florida Division of Career and Adult Education Dr. Kevin O’Farrell said. “That is what this facility and this building is going to be for this community and for the state.”

“Focusing on the three high schools in this area, approximately 1,800 students will graduate each June. Soon, these students will have a place closer to home to further their education,” Polk County Commissioner Dr. Martha Santiago said. “Not only will their lives be enriched by a stellar education, but they will also contribute to Northeast Polk’s economic development and, hence, the county.”

“Polk State College represents not only bricks and mortar, but a promise to students, to our families, and to future generations, to empower the next generation of leaders, innovators, and changemakers,” City of Haines City Mayor Omar Arroyo said.

“This area is right in the middle of the mecca of potential students. I’m telling you it’s going to be a great facility because we are going to have some of the largest groups of people seeking higher education right here in Northeast Polk County,” City of Davenport Mayor Brynn Summerlin said.“As an alum of the College, I am grateful to be a witness to the amazing growth that brings us here today. Especially the growth and success of our Health Sciences programs, many which, upon completion, will call this campus home,” Polk State Dean of Health Sciences Beth Luckett said. “A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Falconetti, who came to the College with a vision for its future and the passion and drive to not quit until our goals were met.”

“When searching for colleges and radiography programs, Polk State College was at the top of my list. Polk State’s Health Sciences programs are highly reputable in Polk County and beyond,” student Marcia Harvey Scarlett said. “The Radiography Program is very competitive, with a high percentage of students passing licensure and certification exams. I am incredibly proud to be a Polk State Radiography student and am so thankful for all I have learned in this program thus far.”

Luckett surprised Harvey Scarlett with a one-time scholarship worth a semester of tuition, an investment made by Polk State President Falconetti, her husband, and daughter, and matched by the Polk State College Foundation. The scholarship was presented in Barney Barnett’s name in honor of the generous donation by him and the Barnett family.

“Their generosity has inspired others to pay it forward,” Luckett said.

— provided by Polk State College

Chicken dinners and Bo-Berry Biscuits are coming to Polk County.

Bojangles restaurant is expected to break ground in Haines City very soon, thought to be the chain's first store in Polk County.

Haines City planning department received a site plan earlier this year that shows a few preliminary details for a 3,138-square-foot restaurant on a 1.23-acre site along northbound U.S. 27 at Florida Development Road.

The plans show a two-lane drive-thru and room for 43 parking spaces.

Across the highway from the coming Bojangles, there is a shopping plaza that contains the Davenport Dinner and Domino's Pizza, as seen on Google maps. Behind the Bojangles restaurant there is the Carlise Grand subdivision.

The location is also near St. Charles Plaza, another retail center near U.S. 27 and Holly Hill Road. That plaza offers restaurants such as Hardee’s, Philly Steak & Wing of Davenport and Luke’s Legendary Pizza, according to a report in Tampa Now.

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The single-building site is being developed by St. Petersburg-based Optimal Outcomes LLC. The site plan obtained from Haines City was prepared by Landmark Engineering Group. It was dated Feb. 14, with revisions noted in June after input from the city. While the site sits squarely in Haines City, the restaurant has a Davenport mailing address at 40235 U.S. 27.

According to Haines City planning manager April Brown, the Bojangles project team has yet to request a building permit. Attempts to reach Stacey McCray, vice president of communications at Bojangles were unsuccessful via email on Wednesday.

Tampa Now also reported the store will be company owned and part of a nationwide expansion of the chain.

The coming Haines City location would be the sixth or seventh in Florida, according to Google maps. The closest to Polk County is near Clermont. Other locations are in Sanford, Jacksonville and Tallahassee. One other, just over the Polk-Osceola county line in Poinciana, is listed as "coming soon."

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Bojangles is a restaurant chain specializing in Southern style chicken, biscuits and tea made fresh daily using recipes unique to the Carolinas.

“Our guests are at the forefront of everything we do,” the Bojangles website said. “In addition to serving up flavorful food, we’re committed to doing good in the communities we serve. Fans from all over know Bojangles for our catchy tagline – ‘It’s Bo Time!’”

The company was founded in 1977 with a single location in Charlotte, North Carolina, and now has more than 800 locations nationwide.