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Parks and Recreation

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Mike Callender
Manager

Phone: (863) 534-4340
Toll Free: (800) 780-5346

Email: MikeCallender@polk-county.net

 

Street Address:
4177 Ben Durrance Road
Bartow, FL 33830

Office Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

With more than 60 parks that include athletic facilities, picnic areas, a historical-oriented park, resource centers, five campgrounds and an ATV park, your biggest challenge will be deciding what to do. Parks and Recreation also maintains 40 boat launching sites, produces special events and conducts a summer program. Boat ramp hours are 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Youth athletic leagues and events also are a big draw. Parks and Recreation oversees more than 120 sports fields and is responsible for 27 youth athletic leagues with more than 12,000 participants. You’re at the right place if you are searching to register for leagues, reserve park pavilions, county baseball, soccer and football fields.

Parks and Recreation is divided into three sections:

  • Administration: Works with cities to develop grants and agreements for park development and improvements, along with planning the future of the county’s parks system
  • Parks Maintenance Unit: Constructs and maintains Polk’s parks
  • Recreation Unit: Plans and develops recreation programming and special events, conducts training courses for coaches and operates the summer recreation program

The restrooms and parking lots in Polk’s park areas are ADA-compliant.

Polk County-maintained parks and boat ramps listed below are open from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Reserves/Environmental Lands are usually open dawn to dusk; hours are posted at the entry of each site. For more information on each site, call (863) 534-7377.

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