City of Oaks & Azaleas Bartow, appropriately named "City of Oaks and Azaleas," contains many historic homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With a population of approximately 20,000, Bartow remains the county seat of Polk County, which is one of Florida's geographically largest counties, with more than 585,000 residents. Thousands of government and private business employees commute to Bartow, daily. Production of phosphate, citrus and cattle are among the mainstays of the county's economy. Bartow is 40 miles east of Tampa, and 60 miles southwest of Orlando. It is strategically located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and State Road 60. Moderation of Third Party Content This City's social media sites serve as a limited public forum and all content published is subject to monitoring. User-generated posts will be rejected or removed (if possible) when the content: • is off-subject or out of context • contains obscenity or material that appeals to the prurient interest • contains personal identifying information or sensitive personal information • contains offensive terms that target protected classes • is threatening, harassing or discriminatory • incites or promotes violence or illegal activities • contains information that reasonably could compromise individual or public safety • advertises or promotes a commercial product or service, or any entity or individual • promotes or endorses political campaigns or candidates Any content removed based on these restrictions will be retained, including the time and date of the posting and the identity of the poster. Public Records Law City social media sites are subject to applicable public records laws. Any content maintained in a social media format related to City business, including communication posted by the City and communication received from citizens, is a public record. The Communications Office is responsible for responding completely and accurately to any public records request for social media content.
