Chick-fil-A is coming to Havendale Boulevard.
Signage went up this week on the outparcel next to the new Publix at Mariana Acres.
The grocery store built at Jersey Road and Havendale Boulevard that replaced the aging Publix a few hundred yards away on the Auburndale side.
This isn't a rumor.
Polk County permit records show a filing for a new fast food restaurant with a drive thru at that same address back in March 2025, more than a year before the Coming Soon banner went up.
The permit description calls for a canopy over the menu boards and pickup area along with outdoor dining, which matches Chick-fil-A's standard build almost exactly.
The initial permit was marked denied, but that's routine at this stage.
We found this by monitoring Polk County's public permit portal.
The new Publix itself is already open and running.
The closest existing Chick-fil-A is on Landings Blvd in Winter Haven, about 15 minutes away, so this new location will be a much shorter drive for anyone on the Auburndale side of Havendale.
UPDATE: WHAT WE HAVE CONFIRMED
A leasing site plan for the plaza just confirmed a few things we were only guessing at. We added the new image below.
Chase Bank is coming on its own outparcel closer to the Havendale and Jersey traffic signal.
Sage Dental is also coming soon, and it's going in next to the new Publix itself, not near the Chick-fil-A site.
No opening date has been announced for Chick-fil-A.
UPDATE: 2-MONTH PROGRESS PICTURES
UPDATE: GRAND OPENING OCTOBER 22
The Havendale Chick-fil-A now has an opening date.
The sign out front says the grand opening is Thursday, October 22.
A second message on the same sign says anyone who comes dressed as a cow gets a free entrée.
The sign doesn’t say if that’s opening day only, or how much of a cow costume counts.
The building is finished, the drive-thru canopy is up, and the parking lot is done.
Like every Chick-fil-A, it will be closed on Sundays.
We added the new pictures below.
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