Polking along

Monday, February 27, 2006

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Click on the graphic for a larger image of the sign.

One of Polk County's best attributes is its location -- halfway between Tampa and Orlando.

But the county's prime location can also be its biggest downfall, because some people living in the county work in the greater Tampa Bay or Orlando areas. Each day, more than 30,000 Polk County residents cross county lines to work in Hillsborough, Osceola, or Orange counties.

One Polk County agency is trying to entice residents into staying closer to home. A local job agency, Polk Works, has constructed a huge billboard on busy U.S. 27. The agency hopes the sign catches the eyes of tired commuters.

"I drive on U.S. 27 each day," said Janeice Raiche, who drives almost an hour from her Winter Haven home to the Omni Resort in Osceola County. "There's lots of construction and lots of semi-trucks and I would just as soon not deal with that every day. But I'm willing to do that because of my job and pay and benefits."

Unemployment in Polk County is at a record low of 3.8 percent and Raiche is just the type of worker Polk Works is trying to attract with the billboard.

"It's a really tight labor market, which means we have more businesses looking for workers than we have workers available to take these jobs," said Polk Works Executive Director Nancy Thompson.

Polk Works officials say hundreds of jobs are currently available, but the applicants are slow in coming. The billboard, however, is bringing some calls. Thompson said about 120 people have contacted Polk Works in the 2 1/2 weeks the sign has been up.