584 acres of Polk County citrus groves heading to auction

There are 584 acres of citrus groves, lakefront property and rolling countryside in Polk County that are heading to auction, drawing interest from citrus growers, potential developers and environmental groups hoping to preserve the land.The family-owned property is being auctioned following the death of owner Emery Etter. Located along Scenic Highway 17 between Babson Park and Frostproof, the land is divided into 27 parcels that can be purchased separately or in combination, ranging from five acres to the entire property. Dean Saunders, owner of Saunders Real Estate, which is handling the auction through its Saunders Auctions division, said the property offers opportunities for several types of buyers, including homebuilders, farmers and citrus growers.Its really good land and theres something for everybody," Saunders said. "Theres something for a home builder if he wanted to try and buy and develop some property. Theres land for citrus growing, land for other kinds of farming." Saunde