Mobile home parks in Polk County: what to know before you buy or move in

Polk County is mobile home country. The Florida Department of Health's January 2026 list shows 365 licensed mobile home parks in Polk, second only to Hillsborough, with about 34,500 spaces. The Census Bureau counts close to one home in five in the county as a mobile home. Lakeland alone has about 150 of those parks, followed by Winter Haven, Auburndale, Lake Wales and Haines City.

Where the parks are

Lakeland alone has about four in ten of the county's parks. Winter Haven and Haines City have fewer parks but a good share of large ones.

Source: Florida Department of Health list of licensed mobile home parks, January 2026. Grouped by the park's mailing city, which can include unincorporated areas around the city.

Inland does not mean safe from storms

Polk is Wind Zone II, like most of inland Florida, and it does not get storm surge. But hurricanes cross it on their way across the state. In 2004 the eyes of Charley, Frances and Jeanne all crossed southern Polk within six weeks, and Irma passed over the western part of the county in 2017. Polk usually asks people to shelter in place, but it has ordered or urged mobile home residents to evacuate for strong storms, as it did for Irma and Milton.

• Ask how the park did in Ian, Irma and Milton: fallen trees, power, and water.
• Check the anchors and straps on any home you buy. Inland or not, they are what keeps it in place.
• Near the lakes, the Peace River and the Green Swamp, check the flood zone. The county offers free flood zone help.

Seventeen cities, different rules

Polk has 17 cities. The county's Building Division permits unincorporated areas, and most cities have their own building office, so the rules for setting up a home can change from one side of the road to the other. If you are bringing a home into a park, the park, the city or county, and the installer all have to be on the same page before the move.

Ownership changes and lot rent

Investor groups have bought many Florida parks in recent years, and residents in some Polk parks have reported bigger yearly lot rent increases after a sale. That is not true of every park, but it is a good reason to ask who owns the park, when it was bought, and what the rent has done since. In Florida, parks with 26 or more lots must give you a prospectus before you sign, and rent increases need 90 days of written notice.

Before you sign

1. Get the park rules, the age policy if it is a 55+ park, and the approval process in writing.
2. Ask who owns the park and the rent history for the last three to five years.
3. Ask for the prospectus and the lot rental agreement and read them before you sign.
4. Ask how the park handled the last hurricanes and where residents go to shelter.
5. If you are bringing a home, get the park's rules on year, size and add-ons in writing, and confirm which office permits that address.