Unattended Death and Biohazard Cleanup in Auburndale, FL

Auburndale is a city in Polk County in Central Florida, sitting roughly midway between Tampa and Orlando along the Interstate 4 corridor.

The town was founded in 1880 by Frank Fuller, who came south seeking relief from the chilly winters of the Northeast, and it was originally named Sanatoria after a hotel located there.

When the railroad arrived, the settlement was renamed Auburndale at the suggestion of settlers from Auburndale, Massachusetts, whose own name came from the opening line of Oliver Goldsmith's poem The Deserted Village.

The South Florida Railroad built a depot at Auburndale in 1884, and by 1889 the growing railroad town had 30 homes and a population of 270.

Back-to-back freezes in December 1894 and February 1895 destroyed Auburndale's citrus industry, which later re-established itself farther south toward Frostproof.

Two rail lines, the Seaboard Air Line and the Atlantic Coast Line, intersected in Auburndale, making it a shipping hub for the area's citrus and strawberry crops.

Nearly 44 percent of Auburndale's total area is water, as the city is spread among numerous lakes, including Lake Ariana.

Auburndale had a population of 15,616 at the 2020 census and has about 6,500 households.

The city is home to International Market World, a sprawling weekend flea and farmers market on U.S. Highway 92 with hundreds of vendor booths, live shows, and even live alligators on display.