PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 3, NO. 35
2017 Strawberry Festival cancelled. Untraditional, page 2 FREE
Plant City is getting
•
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016
YOUR TOWN
A developer has purchased 2,000 acres of land north of Interstate 4 to build an amusement park. STAFF REPORT
A
HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
s the northeast Plant City subdivisions of
What will Strawberry Gardens look like? n Four districts with florida themes: farming/ranching, ocean, everglades, kids zone n 10 restaurants n Three roller coasters n One ferris wheel n Five concert stages n A five-story parking garage
Varrea and North Park Isles come closer and
closer to reality, another developer has decided to act on the city’s favorable growth market. Canada-based Yensid has
SUBDIVISIONS
purchased 2,000 acres north
n Nine subdivisions n Housing styles will replicate amusement park architecture n Cobblestone streets n Amusement park gate entrances in each subdivision
of Interstate 4, beating out Varrea by almost 1,000 acres, to become the largest land deal in Plant City’s history.
The biggest feature of Strawberry Gardens will be a 450-foot-tall strawberry-themed ferris wheel that rivals that of the Orlando Eye.
The plan: nine subdivisions surrounding an amusement
TORO TORO A skydiver who made a jump north of Plant City found out there is a little more to landing than softly touching her feet on the ground. When Delta Frommel released her parachute too early on March 20, the wind floated her to a pasture behind a farmhouse off Bruton Road, where she landed in a bullpen. “I knew I was in trouble,” Frommel said. “I could see the pen from the sky, but the wind was too strong.” Luckily, the homeowner, Devon Brahman, was doing work on some fences near the pen. He distracted the bull while Frommel untangled herself from her parachute to escape. “Old Angus is a mean one,” Brahman said.
park. “Many developments currently are following the live-work-play pattern, with homes situated around parks and village greens with cafes,
FAST FOOD
local shop and eateries,” Yen-
Plant City to get fourth Burger King. PAGE 2
sid CEO Mickie Mous said. “We wanted to distinguish
LOCO-MOTIVE
our development by taking
New train track to cut through Walden Lake. PAGE 2
it a step further and providing something that has never
NEW CROP IN TOWN
been done before.”
Farmers to grow coconuts. PAGE 2
The development, tentatively called Strawberry Gardens, will have about 1,000 SEE PAGE 2
A Golden Opportunity Several Hillsborough track records were broken at last week’s county championships by an unlikely runner. JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS EDITOR
It was a picture-perfect afternoon at the Hillsborough County Western Conference Championships — almost like a scene from a movie. There was Gunnar, running as hard as he could for his Durant Cougars. Golden hair gleaming in the sunlight, tongue hanging out, legs churning as fast as his hips would allow. Gunnar was faster than everyone on the Spoto High track that day and, better yet, faster than anyone in county history. Who knew it was a
dog that would finally break a 10-year county record. That’s right — Gunnar is a 2-yearold golden retriever. The Cougars runners — led by cross-country star Julie Gaffney and discus thrower Fulton Reed — petitioned head coach and owner Adam Banks to include Gunnar on the official team roster before the season began, but only as a manager. “Every high school team needs a manager,” distance runner Connie Moreau said. “He even loves getting water bottles out of the truck and bringing them to us.”
Gunnar appeared in team photos and, occasionally, rode to events with Banks. But at the conference Friday, March 25, Gunnar didn’t want to watch from the sidelines. “He came up to me, and the look in his eyes said it all,” Banks said. “He’s not exactly the most obedient dog.” After glancing at the FHSAA rulebook and talking to officials, Banks got permission for his pup to run. He passed the competitors to finish at a time of 3:45.54 in the 1,600, a full 25 seconds faster than the previous county record. “It was incredible,” Banks said. “And a little embarrassing for the SEE GOLDEN PAGE 2
A dog broke some county track records at a March 25 championship.