Efficient Defense

09/14/2026

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🍊 Polk County… Did You Know?

A man from Bartow changed the US Constitution.

Almost nobody in Polk County knows his name.

Spessard Holland was born in Bartow in 1892.

He grew up here, went to war, came home, and built a career as a lawyer and judge right here in Polk County.

He became Florida's governor in 1941, then a US Senator in 1946.

For years he had one mission he couldn't accomplish — abolishing the poll tax.

The poll tax was a fee that effectively prevented millions of poor Americans, particularly Black Americans, from voting.

Every time Holland tried to abolish it, the powerful coalition of Southern senators who wanted to keep it would mount a massive filibuster and kill the bill.

He couldn't beat them head on.

So in 1962 he got clever.

When the Senate opened debate on a completely harmless bill to designate Alexander Hamilton's home as a national monument, Holland stood up and replaced the entire bill's language with anti-poll tax language.

The Southern senators who would have mounted a massive filibuster against a standalone civil rights bill were caught completely off guard.

The amendment passed 77 to 16.

The 24th Amendment was ratified on January 23, 1964.

The poll tax was abolished forever.

A man from Bartow, Florida had outsmarted the entire Southern coalition in the US Senate and changed the Constitution.

He is buried in Wildwood Cemetery in Bartow today. 🍊

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This week's Polk Trivia is all about Spessard Holland.

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09/11/2026

Today I cleaned an old 40 cal G***k. Generation 3 which as you can see has the old firing pin safety. It was a dirty birdy but not neglected. Alot of these guns were carried for years and cleaned to standard as best as they could be. But years of shooting builds up. If you have an old gun you never really got to tear apart before shelving them, send them to me and lets give them a spa day.

09/11/2026

We are Staff approved.
Check out this page and see my work.

09/08/2026

🤣

09/06/2026

The Lake Wales Ridge runs 150 miles down the center of Florida. The highest point is on Sugarloaf Mountain (312 feet) near Montverde west of Orlando. Two million years ago Florida was underwater except for this ridge. Many ridge towns are on US-27, including Clermont, Haines City, Lake Wales, Frostproof, Avon Park, Sebring, and Lake Placid.

09/06/2026

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🍊 Polk County… Did You Know?

Lakeland is called The Swan City. But in 1954, every single swan was gone.

Swans had been part of Lakeland's identity for decades.

Snowbirds traveling from the Northeast and Midwest brought them to their winter homes on the downtown lakes.

By 1926 the city had 20 swans and established an entire Swan Department just to care for them.

Then they started disappearing one by one.

Alligators, dogs, disease, and chemicals took their toll. By 1954 not a single swan was left in Lakeland.

The Swan City had no swans.

A Lakeland couple named Mr. and Mrs. Pickhardt were living in England and heard what happened.

So they wrote a letter directly to Queen Elizabeth II asking if she would donate a pair of swans from the royal flock on the Thames River outside London.

The Queen agreed.

But Lakeland would have to cover the costs of bringing them to Florida.

The total was about $300.

The initial fundraising drive in Lakeland only raised $7.

Neighboring cities Orlando and St. Pete stepped in to help make up the rest.

After months of delays the royal swans finally arrived at Lake Morton in February 1957.

The male swan immediately flew away for several days before coming back. He later died and the female was paired with another mate.

Today about 75 swans live on Lake Morton.

Lakeland's white mute swan flock traces its history back to the Queen's 1957 gift. They get annual health checkups.

The babies are microchipped.

And the swan is now on Lakeland's official city logo.

All because a couple living in England wrote a letter to the Queen. 🍊

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This week's Polk Trivia is all about Lakeland and Winter Haven.

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09/04/2026

Keep the Polk Deputy involved in a head-on crash today in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time.

08/26/2026

08/21/2026

Sometimes brand new guns have peculiar rust in areas that dont make sense. Like why are small little dots of rust in an area that is usually not exposed to moisture. Well, here is what I think happened with this one.
A factory weapon is worked on after leaving the manufacturing line, say for an engraving or etching. The barrel was removed in the process. Where was the barrel when the metal was worked on. Probably close by. That untreated metal landed on the barrel and corroded. But never fear. I got it back ship shape.









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