I am a Christian, husband, former reporter at The Ledger, sports and politics junkie and civic-minded citizen. I am currently director of marketing for an insurance company in Lakeland.
I was with The Ledger from October 2007 until December 2010, serving as Prep Sports Editor from September 2008 until my departure. Before that I was a copy editor, which was the same title I held at The Palm Beach Post from June 2006 until accepting the job at The Ledger. I graduated from the University of Missouri with a Journalism degree in 2006.
My family attends First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, where I served as an elder from 2012-2014 and 2017-2019. I have served on the Board of Directors of the Explorations V Children’s Museum and the 4Ball Invitational, as well as the advisory board of the Imperial Symphony Orchestra.
As a Polk County native who graduated from Lakeland High School, I have a passion for this area and for its people. It’s my desire on this site to provide insight and, as the title says, perspective on a range of issues as they pop up. I hope to enlighten, entertain and engage the citizens of Polk County, and have some fun doing it.
So, I hope you keep coming back and checking out the site, and I look forward to sharing our experiences of life in the Heart of Florida.
– Brandt Merritt
Polk Perspectives 