Article: Polk County, Fla., economy bloomed in 2004 despite storms.

Byline: Kyle Kennedy

Feb. 23--LAKELAND -- Record-breaking home sales and building permits were just the tip of the iceberg for Polk County's burgeoning economy last year.

According to The Ledger's 2004 Business Barometer, Polk also had annual gains in job growth, tourism revenue and retail sales, in addition to a falling unemployment rate.

The year was especially good for the local housing market, with higher sales in Lakeland, East Polk and Bartow.

Countywide, 5,857 existing homes changed hands in 2004, up 10.4 percent from 5,304 the year before. And Polk builders pulled 8,282 single-family permits during the year, an increase of 36.8 ...

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