Smart Communities Polk Team
Broadband is high speed internet access that facilitates many critical activities, from online classes and research for students to managing household finances. It allows for small businesses to compete in a global marketplace and supports research and training opportunities at our schools, colleges and universities. Broadband means better, faster, and more effective healthcare and safer streets and communities.
A Broadband Advisory Team, convened by Polk Vision and the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, produced a comprehensive Broadband Plan in 2013 that identified current areas of need and projected areas of broadband demand up to the year 2020. The Broadband Team, recently renamed Smart Communities Polk, continues its work in educating and building community consensus around the vital importance of a robust broadband network to support Polk County’s economic growth and prosperity.
Click Image to View The Smart Communities 2016 Brochure
Click on image to view the Polk County Broadband Plan
The Polk Vision Smart Communities LEAD Team met on September 16th to review the feedback recieved from Alignment USA and to revise their rebranding marketing material.
Smart Communities Team
Eric Labbe – Co-Chair, City of Winter Haven
Terry Brigman – Co-Chair, City of Lakeland
Tina Barrios - Polk County Board
Cliff Bennett – Polk State College
Stacy Bolton - Lakeland Regional Health
Naomi Boyer – Polk State College
Frank Canovaca – City of Bartow
Terri - Anne Crawford - Polk County Tax Collector
William DeWitt – Polk State College
Erean Elibol - Florida Polytechnic University
Tom Hull - Florida Polytechnic University
Shauna Jones – Polk County Sheriff's Office
Elizabeth Kerns - Lakeland Regional Health
Doug Lewis - Polk County Board of County Commissioners
Matt Mucci - AT&T
Hiep Nguyen - City of Winter Haven
Nick Nicholas - DSM
Gladys Roberts - Polk County Library Cooperative
David Robinson - DSM
Brian Ross - City of Haines City
Chris Rudolph - Polk County Tax Collector
Don Selvage - City of Lakeland
Chris Shelton - City of Auburndale
Tiana Sheppard - Frontier Communications
Marybeth Soderstrom - Central Florida Regional Planning Council
Steve Sowards - Inland Fiber & Data
Pat Steed - Central Florida Regional Planning Council
Abdu Taguri - NAP of Central Florida
Mark Thomas - Warner University
Bill Ward - Polk County Sheriff's Office
Jason Wiley - City of Lakeland
Ed Wolf - Polk County Board of County Commissioners
