Summer in Florida is officially here! Get ready for the hot days, beaches, salty air, and occasional rain showers. A summer spent in Florida is considered “paradise”, as the outside weather is always above par, and you can walk in the mornings, tan in the afternoon, and view the beautiful sunsets in the evenings. In Winter Haven, summer also means the busiest time for boats on the Chain of Lakes. From tubing, longboarding, water-skiing, and more fun water-filled activities, everyone seems to be having a blast soaking up the rays and enjoying the sun. All that fun requires a big appetite to fulfill, which is exactly what water-front dining places in Winter Haven offer! Below are the best boat-friendly water-front dining places in Polk County to stop by with your family after a fun filled day on the lake!:

Harborside: It is hard to beat the views, food, and service Harborside offers to their customers. Known for their fresh seafood dishes, both offered during lunch and dinner, Harborside serves up a classy and yet family-friendly experience to all. Dining is offered on the main level, outside, and low level (which is part outside as well). Whether you want to take your family for a nice experience, or pull up on the boat and get some food, Harborside offers it all. The Sunset Room (infamous for its name) is the fully private room that directly faces the water with flat-screen TV capabilities, as well as special service and dining options. Harborside also has a lower bar, which you can walk to right off the boat, and the main bar, which includes several TV’s. Did we mention the pier? Right where you park your boat, you can get out and take family pictures against the beautiful Winter Haven sunset!

Tanner’s Lakeside Restaurant and Bar: With beautiful food and amazing shrimp, it’s hard to beat Tanner’s at pretty much anything. Located directly on Lake Howard, Tanner’s faces the business of the Chain and the well-known sunsets on a day-to-day basis. Tanner’s is known ot having the most amazing shrimp-and-grits in Polk County, and also brags about having the most entertaining live bands in Central Florida. If you definitely want to have fun, sit at their bar! You’ll meet cool Haveners and make some friends. You can follow them on facebook @TannersLakeside where they post weekly about upcoming speakers and live bands. They are very friendly to dogs (as long as you keep them on a leash) and have both indoor and outdoor seating. Expect to see some gators while you’re there! Because of their popularity, they are going to start a good truck! Keep you eyes pealed open for “The Tiki”.

The Twisted Prop is on par for being as family friendly as Harborside. The Twisted Prop offers both inside and outside dining, so if you and your family want a more “classy” environment, go for the inside, where there is spacious room and nice TV’s. Coming right off the boat, hang outside under the nice, cool umbrellas and family seating. Right off of Lake May, they are known for their delicious wings, jalapeno mac and cheese, and other well-cooked American foods! Their service is some of the best in Winter Haven, and it is not unusual to see the owner come around and ask how your meal is going. At their bar they also have live music going on, so stop on in, grab a beer, and let loose a little!

Newton Peach is proud to have partnered with several of these restaurants to expand their business and making them more noticed on the Chain. Newton Peach Marketing works closely with the target audience of these restaurants and businesses in order to grow their reach they have on local customers. Newton Peach Marketing is focused on growing personal relationships with these owners to help them reach their goals and maximize their profit. With custom options available, we are focused on your own personalized plan to help you expand your business. Hope to see you out on the water soon!

Tropical storm Dorian is in the process of being upgraded to a hurricane, and experts expect it to strengthen over the weekend and hit Florida sometime on Monday as a potential Category 3 or 4 storm. While it might not be classified as another Irma, none of us have forgotten the blow received by Polk County just shy of two short years ago, with some of us still recovering from physical and financial damage. Now that another storm is headed our direction, we thought it was a great time to throw out a few pointers as you prepare for the storm to make sure you (and your business) are ready! As fellow business owners here in Winter Haven, we make it our goal to ensure that our friends and neighbors are protected in every way possible, including their livelihood and their company.

Remember when preparing your business for a hurricane you should...

Take a "pre-storm" video for your insurance! Do a comprehensive video of your business (inside and out) and your property before the storm hits. Show any major outdoor features (fences, play structures, parking areas, etc.) and if possible, show the preparations taken to protect those items in the storm. For example, if you put up shutters on the windows make sure to show those, take time to film any tie-downs you added to your play structure, and so forth. This video not only serves as proof for making claims, but also means you're more likely to get your claim taken care of easily since it shows you made an effort to protect your business and there will be no question of whether or not the damages (if there are any) could have been prevented.

Stock up on some essentials for your office, no matter the strength of the storm. It doesn't take huge wind gusts to take out power in some parts of Florida, nor does it take a massive storm surge to affect water supply. Even a "minor" hurricane can cause big problems depending on where it hits along the coastline. Having items like clean drinking water, batteries, flashlights, and even a generator (ONLY to be used outside) is key in making sure you can still take care of yourself and your family in the event of losing power and/or water for a period of time. If you keep some of these items on hand in your place of business, you can not only use it as a backup place of respite if your home is damaged, but you can also offer shelter to those in your circle of friends or family who might need assistance after the storm.

Have all of your important papers on hand in case of emergency. If possible, keep important papers related to your business on your person (or close at hand) when a storm is approaching. The deed to your commercial property and/or office, insurance paperwork related to your business, employee records, etc. are all key pieces to have with you following a major storm, especially if your business sustains damages.

Newton Peach Marketing is gearing up for the storm with you, and we as always, we are here for local businesses in and around Polk County. We treat each client like a neighbor because we ARE your neighbor, working and operating here in Central Florida just like you. Good luck to everyone during Dorian!