Eagle Lake Gets Needed Pharmacy

Eagle Lake Pharmacy owner Polycarp Agbara, 49, answers a customer's inquiry at his new store, located at 169 U.S. Highway 17 North in Eagle Lake.

EAGLE LAKE | If you live in Eagle Lake and you want to grab a casual dinner out, there's one thing you must do: Go to Winter Haven.

Need to buy a week's worth of groceries? Go to Winter Haven. Get anything more than the most basic of home repair supplies? Go to Winter Haven.

Eagle Lake's 2,921 residents and those of other small cities in Polk County are often forced to drive elsewhere to buy essentials, as well as luxuries.

But for the first time in as long as anyone in Eagle Lake can remember, there is a pharmacy in town.

The Eagle Lake Pharmacy opened on June 30, selling over-the-counter and prescription drugs out of a small store on the eastbound side of U.S. 17.

The store swims in a sea of white white walls, white floors, white shelves and only one or two of any given item is stocked, but it's a level of convenience for the residents.

"It's a home run for Eagle Lake," said Jim DeGennaro, who just took the newly created post as Polk County community development manager.

The jobs tasks DeGennaro with bringing commercial and retail opportunities to small and midsized communities in Polk, something he calls community building.

"Think about it," he said. "You're a mom and dad, you wake up on Saturday morning and your child has a stomach ache. The doctor calls in a prescription to the local pharmacy and you are in luck, the pharmacy is right there."

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Eagle Lake Gets Needed Pharmacy