[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RETIREMENT OF POLK COUNTY MANAGER JIM FREEMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 2019

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, Jim Freeman, who has served as the County 
Manager of Polk County, Florida since 2010 will retire on July 31.
  Jim is a true public servant who began his career with Polk County in 
1989 as Director of Information Technology. From 1997 to 2003, he 
served as Administrative Services Director, becoming Deputy County 
Manager in November 2003.
  His previous experience includes eight years with the Gwinnett 
County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners and four years with the Georgia 
Mountains Regional Development Commission in Gainesville, Georgia .
  A native of the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area, he holds an AS in 
Business Data Processing from Gainesville College, in Georgia, and a BA 
in Business Administration from Saint Leo University in Florida.
  Jim is a Certified Public Manager and a member of the Florida City 
and County Management Association, the International City and County 
Management Association, and a graduate of Leadership Polk, Class Il, 
and has served on the Board of Directors of Polk Vision and the 
Advisory Board of Polk County Career Academies.
  Jim has lived in Winter Haven since 1989 and is married to Gena 
Freeman. Between the two of them, they have seven children and 11 
grandchildren; and are members of the Calvary Baptist Church in Winter 
Haven.
  We worked together to bring critical funding back to Polk County for 
Hurricane Irma relief, to combat citrus greening, to bring higher 
paying jobs, and to protect our environment.
  I have truly appreciated the time I have spent working with him. I 
congratulate Jim on a tremendous career and wish him much happiness in 
his well-deserved retirement.

                          ____________________