Editing Polk County, Florida (section)

===Mid-20th century to present===
In the 20th century, the [[Ku Klux Klan]] revived and was active in Polk County, even after World War II. Klansmen were photographed in hoods and robes in 1958 in a church in Mulberry. During the 1960s, violence related to civil-rights movement was attributed to the Klan. In 1967, a white man shot and severely wounded a popular African-American high-school football player who was integrating Lake Ariana Beach.<ref name="polk"/> A Klan group marched in Lakeland in full regalia in 1979, their last public march by the Confederate monument in Munn Park.<ref name="polk"/>

[[Fred Rochelle]], 16, was burned alive in a public spectacle lynching before thousands in Polk County, Florida, in 1901.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cotter|first=Holland|date=June 1, 2018|title=A Memorial to the Lingering Horror of Lynching|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/arts/design/national-memorial-for-peace-and-justice-montgomery-alabama.html|access-date=June 9, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Since the late 20th century, growth in Polk County has been driven by its proximity to both the [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] and [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] metropolitan areas along the Interstate 4 corridor. Recent growth has been heaviest in Lakeland (closest to Tampa) and the northeast areas near [[Haines City, Florida|Haines City]] (nearest to Orlando). From 1990 to 2000, unincorporated areas grew 25%, while incorporated areas grew only 11%. In addition to cottage communities that have developed for commuters, Haines City has [[suburban sprawl]] into unincorporated areas. Despite the impressive growth rate, the unemployment rate of Polk has typically been higher than that of the entire state.<ref name="Unemployment Rate Polk County, FL">{{cite news|url=http://www.ledgerdata.com/unemployment|title=Unemployment Rate Polk County, FL|access-date=October 8, 2010|newspaper=The Ledger|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310085431/http://www.ledgerdata.com/unemployment| archive-date = March 10, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> For example, in August 2010, the county had an unemployment rate of 13.4%, compared to 11.7% for the entire state.<ref name="Unemployment Rate Polk County, FL"/>

During the [[2004 Atlantic hurricane season]], three hurricanes, [[Hurricane Charley|Charley]], [[Hurricane Frances|Frances]], and [[Hurricane Jeanne|Jeanne]], all tracked over Polk County, intersecting in a triangle that includes the city of Bartow.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2005/04/Bossakarticle.pdf|title="X" Marks the Spot: Florida, the 2004 Hurricane Bull's-Eye|last=Bossak|first=Brian H.|date=April 2005|work=Sound Waves|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref>

[[Winter Haven, Florida|Winter Haven]] was best known as the home of the [[Cypress Gardens]] theme park, which operated from 1936 to September 23, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theledger.com/article/20091227/News/608119197|title=Cypress Gardens Closes Once Again; Its Future Is Uncertain|first=Gary|last=White|website=www.theledger.com|date=December 27, 2009|access-date=July 31, 2021}}</ref> [[Legoland Florida]] has since been built on the site of former Cypress Gardens, and has preserved the botanical garden section. Winter Haven was the location of the first [[Publix|Publix supermarket]] ''circa'' 1930; today, Publix's corporate offices are located in Lakeland.

In 2018, the Lakeland City Commission voted to move the Confederate monument from Munn Park, where it was installed in 1910, to Veterans Memorial Park. What is now Veterans Memorial Park was first settled in 1883 as the community of Moorehead, the original African-American community in the area. Owners were bought out in 1967 by eminent domain for county civic development of a conference center and the later Veterans Memorial Park. Some members of the black community have objected to the Confederate monument being relocated to the site of what had been their historic community in Lakeland, saying it would be more appropriate to be located in the cemetery with numerous Confederate graves.<ref name="monument">[http://www.theledger.com/news/20180505/confederate-vets-former-slaves-form-lakelands-history Kimberly C. Moore, "Confederate vets, former slaves form Lakeland’s history"], ''The Ledger'', May 9, 2018; accessed June 27, 2018.</ref>