Living in Gardner, FL: what to set up and who to call
Gardner has no town government of its own, so Hardee County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Hardee County School District. Only 58% of addresses in Gardner can get a wired internet connection, by the FCC’s map.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gardner, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Gardner.
Power comes from FPL
FPL (Florida Power & Light Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Gardner. Its homes paid an average of 14.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $162 a month (its average across Florida).
Start or move service: www.fpl.com · (800) 375-2434
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Brookside Bluff Rv Park
Brookside Bluff Rv Park supplies Gardner: about 46% of residents live in its service area. About 54% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 300 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2024, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 52% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. FL6254762.
5 home internet providers serve Gardner
98% of 287 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL | 69% | 40/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 97% | 300/20 |
| Rapid Systems | Fixed wireless | 96% | 100/100 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 86% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 85% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Gardner’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Gardner.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Gardner is in Hardee County School District.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Gardner is unincorporated, so Hardee County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Dec 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Gardner is in ZIP code 33890
ZIP codes where Gardner residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gardner | ZIP’s residents in Gardner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33890 | Zolfo Springs, FL | 100% | 8% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Gardner
Who supplies Gardner’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Brookside Bluff Rv Park (EPA ID FL6254762). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gardner?
FPL (Florida Power & Light Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 14.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gardner?
CenturyLink, Verizon, Rapid Systems, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gardner?
33890. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gardner in?
Hardee County School District.
How do I register to vote in Gardner?
In Florida you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before). Elections here are run by the Hardee Supervisor of Elections. Check your registration at registration.elections.myflorida.com.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.