THE NEXT GEN

If it isn’t apparent from my previous letters, my favorite job is being a dad. I’ve been blessed with two sons, Zane and Zy. Both boys are incredible, but uniquely different. One is reserved and the other is fearless, but they’re both smart and I’m glad they were raised in Plant City. As they get older, I’m excited to see where life takes them as they continue to shape and mold into young men.

I’m looking forward to spending time with my boys and my parents this summer. We will go on the boat, to the beach, and barbecue in the backyard. How are you celebrating the summer with the kids? To get kids off the couch this summer, we’ve got a list of seven ways to embrace the summer sun in Plant City; be sure to check it out for affordable family fun right here in town. We cover everything from kayaking to visiting local farms to pick flowers.

This past month, we also hosted voting for our Cutest Kid Contest over on Facebook. Our analytics revealed that one million unique Facebook users visited our page over the course of three days to cast votes. Our team was blown away by that; one million people wanted to cast their vote, with many voting for every child featured in the photo gallery. Charlie, Serenity, and Carter earned the most votes and are featured on the front cover. Each sat down with Editor Cierra Craft and shared their thoughts on living in the city, summertime fun, and their aspirations for the future. Thank you again to Gould’s Air Conditioning and Heating for sponsoring this contest and The Barber Company, Brick City Bricks, Florida Strawberry Festival, Pelican’s Snoballs, and Chick-Fil-A Plant City for providing prizes for our three winners. Thank you to Deanna Hurley Photography for lending us your time and talent to photograph our winners.

It was our hope to feature as many kids as possible in the pages of this issue. Meet teenagers like Gracie Garner who organizes an event to encourage freshman girls, as well as Abigail Mullis, who is one of the only females to compete in tournament fishing in the area. Additionally, Future Career Academy has worked tirelessly to connect employers with high school graduates ready to enter the workforce. Learn more about the program and the work being done now in preparation for the 2023 to 2024 school year.

My email is always open. For story ideas, to make connections, and for learning more about our community. Kids are our future–let’s make Plant City the best community we can for them!

Warmest Regards,

Mike Floyd