PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer
Durant football camp back. SEE PAGE 12.
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 4, NO. 48
FREE
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FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017
City adds incentive programs to CRA New matching grant programs extend to homeowner programs and interior renovations. SEE PAGE 3
YOUR TOWN
THE RUMORS ARE TRUE
Ashley Moody will seek the GOP nomination to succeed Attorney General Pam Bondi. SEE PAGE 4
Daniel Figueroa IV
Mike Herr delivers a bittersweet farewell to his staff.
Mike’s last day Former City Manager Mike Herr’s tenure in Plant City came to an end June 2. City employees gathered at city hall to wish their old boss farewell and have a slice of cake or two. Herr addressed the gathering of employees to let them know the many accomplishments the city achieved under his leadership were the result of a continued focus on teamwork and commitment to excellence. During his lighthearted farewell message, Herr insisted his team take the credit and continue moving forward with the positive growth seen in recent years. “Some teams are built to win now. Some teams are built to win in the future. This team is built to win now and in the future,” Herr said. “I guess the message is, don’t screw it up.”
Walk (or bike) this way The master plan for the Walk Bike Plant City project is complete according to Project Manager Wiatt Bowers of consulting firm Atkins. Following a February open house, Bowers said, planners were able to take community input and revise existing plans to better meet the communities desires and needs. Bowers said the plan will make its way to a presentation to the City Commission by the end of June.
Tampa Bay Times
Ashley Moody hopes to bring her more than 20 years of experience in the judicial system to the role of attorney general.
Future planners tour Plant City Plant City was chosen as a highlight city for a summer program introducing high school students to the world of urban planning. DANIEL FIGUEROA IV STAFF WRITER
Daniel Figueroa IV
Shelby Bender leads FLiP students on a tour through Historic Downtown.
A group of 18 Hillsborough County high schoolers was treated to a special presentation and tour of the city May 31 as part of a Future Leaders in Planning (FLiP) summer program to introduce students to the planning
profession. Plant City was the first stop of the three-day program, which took students all across the Tampa Bay area including trips to environmental facilities, the Tampa River Walk, a boat tour near the Port of Tampa, the Channelside district and more. At the end of the program, students were even able to complete a planning project of their own based on a visit to a site in Ybor City. FLiP is a student leadership development program designed to expose young adults to the world of planning during the summer break. Planning is something, Lynn Merenda, the program’s coordinator, said they might
not otherwise be exposed to until college or even graduate school. Planning is a growing field. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment of urban and regional planners is projected to grow 6% from 2014 to 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations.” While many of the program’s activities centered around Tampa, Merenda said Plant City offered a more diverse view of the planning profession. “We’re showing you can be in a smaller town, even rural areas further out,” Merenda said. “Everybody has a SEE FUTURE PAGE 3