Facts and Contributions

The main reason our drive to abolish Polk City has been so successful is that there are many worried citizens who have contacted us with their concerns about the future of our debt-ridden city.  It is not a push from disgruntled, former city employees.  Rather, this is a push from everyday Polk City residents and property owners who have been pushed to the breaking point both financially and with their patience with the city to bring much deserved services and repairs for their hard earned tax dollars.  Discontent has been brewing for the last 4 - 5 years, but the recent 62% water/sewer increases, and now a 12% millage rate increase has brought it to a head.  All that was needed was for a group of citizens to offer some leadership and guidance.

We are not just a small group of motivated citizens.......we have a big support group behind us. They consist of ordinary people who are "bleeding" and ready to go on life support. They are with their backs against the wall, working 2 jobs, if they have a job, trying to pay the bills. They love living in Polk City and want to keep it peaceful and serene. They don't want to move just because they can't afford their monthly water bill and sewer bill. One landlord has a group of new apartments, but 6 of them are empty because tenants can't pay the high water and sewer bills. One tenant cried when she was packing her family's belongings to move back in with her parents. Another tenant catches all her waste water in a pan instead of letting it run down the drain and uses that water to flush the toilet. What kind of lifestyle is that in America! This is not some third world country!

We have been amazed with the support that has been pouring in.  Ordinary people stop in and bring us their hard-earned money in forms of $20.00, $30.00, $50.00 donations, books and rolls of stamps, reams of paper for printing the brochures we have been distributing around town. 

We have been in contact with the State and County officials to get clarifications on exactly what we can expect should the dissolution of Polk City become a reality.  Statements made here are based on facts from State Statutes as well as information gathered from phone calls to officials in Florida State and Polk County offices, as well as contacts we have made with people with legal backgrounds. 

Since some situations the people of Polk City face are unique compared to other cities that have dissolved in the past, it is very difficult to get hard answers about how things will happen to hypothetical situations.  Obviously, in the case of the sewer and water systems, the county officials will only make educated guesses, but would not spend resources to investigate in detail to get a hard and fast plan in place unless the need becomes more real and less hypothetical.

This petition will not make the city dissolve on it's own.  It is a required step to get to the next step of allowing the Citizens of Polk City to have a special election and voice their feelings about whether or not they would like to see Polk City continue down the same path, or if they feel the city has not shown that it's benefits do not continue to outweigh it's costs.  We want to let the PEOPLE have their say.