Polk County Commissioners End Comme...Polk County Commissioners End ...

Polk County Commissioners End Comments on Official County Government Social Media Pages

Published: October 20, 2026

Bartow, Fla. (Oct. 20, 2026) - Polk County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to turn off comments on the county government's official social media pages.

Commissioner Bill Braswell championed turning off comments as a way to eliminate the misinformation that is often posted in the comment sections of Polk County Government social media channels. His fellow commissioners agreed with him.

"The social media pages serve an important purpose: providing residents with timely, accurate information about county services, road closures, emergencies and other public business. Unfortunately, the comment sections too often undermine that purpose. Incorrect claims can create confusion about the very information we are trying to communicate, while vulgar remarks and personal attacks distract from the county information being provided through the social media accounts,'' Braswell said. "Our responsibility is to provide reliable information. Turning off comments allows us to continue using social media to keep residents informed without attaching a county-hosted comment section that too often becomes a source of misinformation and abuse."

The resolution approved on Tuesday includes all 21 social media channels. The Polk County Communications Division does not manage the constitutional officer's social media sites, such as the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Information will still be available on social media.

"Instead of being a public comment forum, our social media channels will be informational only," said Communications Division Director Amber Smith. "Residents can also get information from our county website at polkfl.gov. We aren't going to stop getting the information out to everyone, we are just trying to get rid of the distraction and potential danger of people posting erroneous information regarding essential operations and services. If we are posting information about a hurricane coming towards Polk County and someone posts false information about shelters or road conditions, it could lead to tragic results."