POLK COUNTY, Fla. \- This year’s first case of rabies in Polk County has been confirmed, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. A Brazilian Free-tailed bat that was found in a north Lakeland business on February 17 and subsequently reported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Section was sent to the state laboratory in Tampa for rabies testing. On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the lab notified Animal Control that the bat was infected with the deadly viral disease. Read: Lakeland Man Gets 28 Years In Federal Prison For 13 Armed Dollar Tree Robberies: DOJ “Make sure your p…