1.10.19 PLCO by Plant City Observer

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VOLUME 6, NO. 28

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Mayor opens up to MAKE P.C. SEE PAGE 6

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Sports village deal strikes out The long-awaited Gary Sheffield Sports Village is back at square one after an internal dispute between the developers ruptured the partnership. SEE PAGE 5

FUTURE OF FORMER POST OFFICE

Courtesy of Bill McDaniel

The former post office located at Reynolds and Thomas Street was built in 1935 and renovated in 1961. As of December 2018 the city now owns the downtown property. BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The City of Plant City officially closed on the former post office on Reynolds Street. Though still in initial assessments it appears the building can be saved and repurposed for city use.

T he cherished former post office in the heart of downtown has long been an eyesore for residents as it slowly fell into disrepair. After a tumultuous battle the City of Plant City has successfully purchased the property. The city closed on the former post office located at the corner of Reynolds and Thomas Street at the end of December. The iconic facility was built in 1935 and renovated in 1961. For years it sat vacant with a tarp on one end of the

roof and a much-desired parking lot collecting dust. When the city first reached out to purchase the property it was expecting to face a few normal hurdles along the way. However, a major roadblock appeared near-impassible and McDaniel had to call in back-up to help clear up the convoluted mess. When one buys a property they have to do the routine title work to locate the proper titles for the real estate. The two title companies, two

law firms and the city attorney found themselves facing a unique problem. The city was being told the parking lot adjacent to the building was not a part of the post office, but rather owned by private citizens. Everyone knew that couldn’t be the case, but no one could find evidence to prove it wrong. McDaniel eventually went to Shelby Bender, president and executive director of the East

SEE PAGE 7

Getting fit in 2019 Is hitting the gym your New Year’s resolution? You have plenty to choose from. JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SEE PAGE 8

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

NEWS BRIEFS

United Food Bank of Plant City director Mary Heysek and Hope Lutheran Church Senior Pastor Dean Pfeffer.

The Plant City Recreation and Parks Department is calling all dads and daughters, grandfathers and granddaughters, uncles and nieces and father figures for its 10th annual Dad-Daughter Date Night. This year’s event will turn the Trinkle Center at Hillsborough Community College into a Fairy Garden for a night of dancing, food and fun. Doors open at 3:15 p.m. Feb. 9 and festivities officially run from 4-7 p.m. Come dressed to impress and pose for a free photo. The dance is for girls age 3 and older and costs $35 per couple plus $10 for each additional girl. Registration begins Friday at the Planteen Recreation Center, 301 Dort St., and ends Feb. 1 or when the 150-couple limit is reached. For more information, please contact Planteen Recreation Supervisor Maggie Morona at mmorona@ plantcitygov.com or 813-659-4256.

Railroad crossings to close Two railroad crossings are set to close next week for repairs, so Plant City drivers should prepare to make detours. The crossing at Collins Street between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Renfro Street and the crossing at East Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between South Palmer Street and South Lake Street will undergo repairs. CSX Railroad will have the intersections closed at 9 a.m. Jan. 14 and will re-open them within two to five days, depending on weather or other unexpected issues.

Voting runs through Jan. 14. You may cast votes online at bestofplantcity.com in 14 categories. Business of the Year Award Best Community Event Award Community Service Award Customer Service Award Entrepreneur of the Year Award Employer of the Year Award Health & Wellness Award Non-Profit Award New Business Award Small Business Award Economic Development Award Downtown Enrichment Award Rising Leader Award Spirit of the Chamber Award

Best of Plant City voting The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce’s annual Best of Plant City awards will be handed out on Jan. 24.

OMG IT’S WEDNESDAY! PLANT CITY FARM AND FLEA MARKET Highway 39 North at Sam Allen Road—1 mi. N. of I-4 Exit 21

WEDNESDAY FLEA MARKET OVER 40 ACRES . . . MORE THAN 500 VENDORS

OP EN

PM 7A M T O 1 708 W. SAM ALLEN RD. 1 MILE NORTH OF I-4 EXIT 21

LIKE KMART WITHOUT A ROOF!

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Hope Lutheran Church’s Jan. 6 morning worship was full of blessings for the United Food Bank of Plant City. The church presented UFBPC director Mary Heysek with a $500 check to benefit the food bank’s Children’s Nutrition Program, which donated 1,200 bags of groceries to families during schools’ winter break. Hope provides the food bank with a check every year after its annual Christmas program. “We look forward to the day in our community when hunger and food insecurities are no longer an issue for anyone,” senior pastor Dean Pfeffer said. “But until that day comes, the United Food Bank of Plant City stands ready to assist with a hand up to those in need.”

Dad-Daughter Date Night

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Hope Lutheran gives to food bank

PLENTY OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

WWW.PLANTCITYMARKET.COM

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

‘UNITY STARTS HERE’ The 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival kicks off this weekend. From Jan. 11 until Jan. 26, Plant City will be full of educational and cultural events for the entire family.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

One of Plant City’s most beloved events, the 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival, is right around the corner. The festival spans 16 days starting on Jan. 11 and aims to unite the community with events that provide cultural and educational experiences for all who attend. The ever evolving festival is chock-full of approximately 10 events and is sure to have something everyone will enjoy. “Our theme is Unity Starts Here; The Work Continues,” William Thomas Jr., president of the Improvement League of Plant City, said. “Looking at the thought of this, some of the younger members of our group came up with this theme, we thought we’d have more of a collaboration this year as far as doing the events and the festival. We are working with a lot of other group and entities to carry on the message Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tried to parley as far as equality for all.” This year’s festival features new events and venues, many of which are focused on education and having an impact on the local community. The first event of the festival is a book signing from local author James McDaniel at the Bing Rooming House Museum, 205 Allen St., on Jan. 12. McDaniel has long been a treasured member of society and has been instrumental in shaping Plant City into the town it is today. His book, “Living a Virtuous Life,” shares his unique perspective of growing up in Plant City as an African-American and the path his life has taken through a career at major institutions like NASA and as the community

development director for the City of Plant City. The same day the Improvement League of Plant City has partnered with a variety of local groups to host the IMPACT Conference at Greater New Hope Anointed Ministries, 2104 Mud Lake Road. The conference will address the growing drug problems in Plant City and discuss how the community can get ahead and nip the issue in the bud. The official opening ceremony traditionally has been held at the MLK Recreation Center, however, since its closing a few years ago the event has found a new home across the street at Marshall Middle School. With the principal’s blessing, Thomas said the plan is to keep the ceremony at the campus, which just so happens to be steeped in history itself, for years to come. The main question on everyone’s lips this year is if the demolition of the MLK Recreation Center will in any way alter the festivities held each year on its property. Thomas assures nothing is set to change barring a minor readjustment of the layout of the event. During the early morning on Saturday, Jan. 19 vendors will slowly make their way to the baseball fields at the MLK Sports Complex directly behind the now-demolished recreation center. As they set up community members will grab chairs and — on the handful of instances it’s a chilly day — blankets and camp out for the parade. It may be one of Plant City’s shortest parades, but it is definitely one of its most unique. The parade kicks off around 1 p.m. and Thomas recommends people arrive no later than 12:15 p.m. to get a good spot. Crowd favorites tend to include the parking lots by the Plant City Photo Archives & History Center, behind Krazy

Kup Coffee House and to the right of the train depot as the parade weaves its way down East Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Many of the families living in the area camp out in their front yards to watch the event. The Bing Rooming House Museum will also be open for the event and attendees are welcome to watch the parade there. By 2:30 p.m. the parade is finished and a local drum lines will be hitting the performance area at the baseball fields as they show off their talent. For the rest of the day there will be live bands and unique performances as well as plenty of entertainment for children. It’s a day to sit back, relax and enjoy soulful music and jovial camaraderie. Throughout the party attendees will be purchasing one-ofa-kind goods from local vendors and fighting for a spot in line for some of the best food ever featured at a Plant City festival. Pro-tip: the vendors are all set up by 10:30 so come before the parade to get line-free servings of the mouth-watering cuisine and then head back to your spot on the parade route. One of the festival’s signature events is the next morning at 7:30 a.m. Folks from all over the city come to participate in the MLK Leadership Breakfast at the Trinkle Center. Tickets are on sale until Jan. 16 and are $35. Many awards and scholarships will be given out and keynote speaker Liesta Sykes will discuss the annual theme and share her life experiences. Arguably the fastest growing enterprise from the festival is the annual MLK Day of Community Service. Participants come from across the county and volunteer their morning helping make the community a better place. There are four home projects being tackled this year and the group is put-

ting together care packages for a National Guard unit. Part of the volunteers will also be working on the Bealsville food stand of local folk artist Ruby C. Williams. Breakfast and lunch is included in the service day and last minute volunteers are welcome to come out and sign up that morning. They are still looking for donations for flowers, mulch and improvement supplies, whether that be the actual items or a monetary donation they can use to go purchase the needed items. “Dr. King, his purpose, his legacy was equality for all,” Thomas said. “Why is that so important to us as an organization? As individuals? Plant City is moving forward, this is my home, our home. As we move forward we need to make sure that as people come through Plant City we adhere to the live here, work here, play here mindset. We need to make sure that definition of what Plant City is, is true for anyone who wants to call this home.” Each year the festival brings the community together, proving similarities far surpass any differences. It’s a cherished event in town and one that Thomas said will only continue to grow. “I think we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about diversity, we need to have those discussions and understand the majority of us as a people in Plant City are open, are about the right things,” Thomas said. “Unfortunately, even in today’s society there are a few that are not. It’s our goal to make sure those voices are minimal… It’s easy to say the door is always open. What matters is once I come in, do I feel welcome? Is the culture, environment conducive inside.”

Breanne Williams

Bands play live music during the annual festivities following the parade.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS JAN. 11-JAN. 26

Self-Guided Selfie Scavenger Hunt of Plant City locations related to important African American history

SATURDAY. JAN. 12

Book signing by author James McDaniel 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bing House Museum IMPACT Conference 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Greater New Hope Anointed Ministries

FRIDAY, JAN. 18

Opening Ceremony 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Marshall Middle School Rhythm Rhyme Spoken word 8 p.m. at Plant City Cornerstore

SATURDAY, JAN.19

Parade, Vendors, Drumline Battle and Concerts 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at MLK Sports Complex

SUNDAY, JAN. 20

MLK Leadership Breakfast 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Trinkle Center. Tickets $35.00 MLK Gospel Fest 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at St. Mary’s Community Church on Laura Street

MONDAY, JAN. 21

MLK Day of Community Service 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bing House Museum

SATURDAY, JAN. 26

MLK Boardwalk To A Better Health Fair 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church

Breanne Williams Courtesy of William Thomas Jr.

The MLK Day of Community Service event draws large groups of volunteers to Plant City.

Courtesy of William Thomas Jr.

Each year during the MLK Day of Community Service local homes and projects are taken care of by a group of volunteers with the Improvement League of Plant City.

The annual parade draws hundreds to the streets as they watch city leaders and local groups throw candy and participate in the festive march.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

New Year, New You There are gyms for people of all fitness levels in the Plant City area.

PLANT CITY

Observer Publisher / Karen Berry KBerry@PlantCityObserver.com Managing Editor / Sarah Holt SHolt@PlantCityObserver.com Associate Editor / Sports Editor / Justin Kline JKline@PlantCityObserver.com Staff Writer / Breanne Williams BWilliams@PlantCityObserver. com Advertising Graphic Designer / Juan Alvarez Circulation/ Office Manager / Linda Lancaster LLancaster@PlantCityObserver. com

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The Plant City Observer is published once weekly, on Thursdays. The Plant City Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 1507 S. Alexander St., Suite 103. If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call Linda Lancaster at 704-6850.

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Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg January 11, 2019 Anytime Fitness may have one of the small-

swimming pool and a ton of classes and proest spaces in Plant City, but that’s where the grams to keep members on their toes at all JumpA/Csimilarities cooling to37 42 Shape of 24-hour 9 ACROSS gym’s a hotel’s fit- times. Nobody is more family-friendly than starting org. the Y, which offers plenty of activities yearness centeragent end. The gym has equipment Ford’s logo 1 Storage story hether you’re just outHatcher on any workout plan, including a round to keep kids moving and playing and for entrepre10 Telepathy orfor just about 6 Home fieldstarting43 your journey or a seasoned TRX station, as well as virtual cardio, yoga getting healthy. neurs initials Garr 10fitness Wriggly workout warrior looking to try CrossFit Plant City brings one of the most and other classes available anytime in their 38 Profit-driven 11 Labor day 47 Destroy an swimmers something new, you could easily find your popular workout programs in the country to own room separate from the gym’s main offering? invasive 14 Obsessed “Star Trek” new “home gym” in Plant City. Richard 12 Form of Ryan is frequently bamboo area. Owner with video race on- a local converted warehouse. These highSure, joining a gym for your new year’s site and contributes to a friendly community intensity, full-body workouts combine public crop? games, say 39 Prolonged fitness resolution is extremely common and atmosphere. It’s also a short walk away from traditional weightlifting and cardio with worship 49 Political deapplause, gymnastics in an environment designed 15 Sky blue, to those rumors of nearly every gym ever getting Southern Muscle and Hibbett Sports. 13 Livestock bate topics usually Brigitte Limitless Fitness is tucked away behind Big specifically for them, and CrossFitters are crazy packed during the first two months of stalls 51 WWII battle 42 16 Dentist’s Lots and is therefore easy to missActively if you’re always quick to encourage each other to keep the year are true. 18 for California’s zone working requestkeep anyone from it, but no one’s mistaking the pushing. Classes are offered six days a week But that shouldn’t giv- not looking state tree Antiquated 44Tolga Trick-taking 17 especially Noah’s ark, gym for a hole in the wall. Owner Senel during the morning, afternoon and evening ing it a shot, if the gym52 experience 2015 and took what was previis more likely to be up your signing took over 23inPanoramas 53 Surfer’s card gameand Unlimited members can attend as many a pair of alley than as they want at any time. for $10 to the next45 level. Limitup for weeklywildebeests? classes. Plant City hasrequireplenty ously Fitness 26 Five o’clock Turn from sin less makes use of every inch of its two-story No list of Plant City gyms is complete of options19 available to fill just about any need shadow ment?: Abbr. 46 Parents’ Baked chip without Power Shop Fitness, which had sevspace with free weights, machines, areas for you’re lookingtype for. 27 Space 54 1040 lay-downZumba and other classes, tanning and more. eral different names since the 1970s but has If you’re20 justAbner’s starting out in a gym, preparer, it’s hard for that might the-law is youacan get your coffee fix operated under the current name and ownto find a better deal than Planet Fitness. You Another benefit contain short words partner of can join for as low as $10 per month and use at Uno Mas Café, which also offers protein ership for almost 29 years. The downtown kegerator 55 On cloud ___ 48 Holder of gym embraces its “old school” identity and old radio Limita huge facility with plenty of cardio machines shakes, smoothies and food on-site. 28 Sticklers 57 Sign at wedding 21 Tennis to go around and guided workout programs less’s “New Year Resolution Special” is also focuses primarily on weight training, though ___ Arbor, a health memories judge’s shout affordable limited-time deal in the it does offer options for cardio and has a regat nearly every corner. Planet Fitness also the most31 Michigan supplement 50per Eyeglasses, 22 “Mazel ___!” area: it covers two people for $25 month ular suite of personal trainers who work with prides itself on being an international It’s been store? informally clients on-site for all fitness needs. The gym 24 Givezone” a where beginners contract. “judgement-free are with no 34 The Plantshortening City Family YMCA popular welcomed with open armsto and anyone acting 60 Lacrosse 53is aBirth an- offers low-cost monthly memberships with nickname place to be for people of all ages. The local no contracts and has an established, friendly obnoxious the “lunk since 1911 score 25gets Cleared thealarm” treatment. nouncement isn’t the biggeststart in town, community of members. The gym offers a “black card” membership 35 Infloor vogue 61 Beehive Y’s workout chalkboard but the facility makes up for it with the only with free 27 tanning, massage, discounts and a State athletes 36 Late senator 56 Ernie of golf Stitch used indoor basketball court in town, a full-size slew of other when perks for $21.99 per month. John McCain, 58 Hankering 62 Toe problems knit-

SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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Mail: The Plant City Observer, 1507 S. Alexander St., Suite 103, Plant City, FL 33563

JUSTIN KLINE

63 Hampton and ting a baby Red Roof sweater? 64 Chatty pet 29 Landlady’s This week’s Sudoku answers 65 Look after favorite DOWN musical? 1 Fishing pier 30 WWII female figure 32 Burst of 2 Professor’s electricity job 33 2016 NCAA protection women’s 3 Novelist basketball Capote champs 4 SSNs, e.g. 35 Many shelter 5 Travel by animals bike 36 Swishing 6 Tightly part of a strung rodeo ride? 7 Israeli 38 Prohibit submachine 40 Deep, dark gun hole 8 Countrylike 41 Atrocities

e.g.

59 “___ is me!”

This week’s Crossword PREVIOUS PUZZLEanswers ANSWER

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle Solution:

“We filmmakers are control freaks. For us, it’s about bending the elements of the story into existence.” ~ Richard Linklater

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Sports village agreement shattered

The long-awaited Gary Sheffield Sports Village is back at square one after an internal dispute between the developers ruptured the partnership. BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The Gary Sheffield Sports Village is not going to come to fruition, or at the very least not for quite some time. City Manager Bill McDaniel terminated the development agreement between the City of Plant City and GCJ Sports, LLC on Jan. 3 after James Talton, partner of GCJ Sports, was unable to present adequate proof of proper funding for the project. Funding, however, is the least of Talton’s worries. “We are rewriting the RFP and we are going to re-release it,” McDaniel said. “There was some drama. It was like Midtown again.

You had partners and those partners had a split and one of them (Talton) was left trying to move forward. Now the other one has gone off on his own. Now we’re gong to rerelease the RFP and the other one, who happens to be Gary Sheffield, is going to come back and probably propose on that RFP.” In October of 2018 commissioners approved a development agreement with GCJ Sports, LLC, which said the developer had to have proof of adequate funding for the hefty project. The original plan was to have at least $50 million worth of development in five years. Talton told commissioners they planned to

exceed that and were aiming to bring anywhere from $100 million and $120 million to the location in the first phase of development. The concept for Sports Village had items like a minimum of eight ball fields, training and rehabilitation facilities, dormitories, a field house, a hotel and retail and dining locations all on the approximately 133 acres. The city went as far as to consider giving them the land if they could prove they would complete the proposed development. The city paid off the current stadium one year early, saving approximately $20,787, so the facility was completely debt-free.

The letter the city received on Dec. 18 from Neil Treitman, a mortgage broker, said they were “in the process of arranging debt and equity financing.” McDaniel told Talton in the termination letter that endeavoring to obtain financing without any solid indication of who the lender would be violated the requirements of the development agreement. Using the baseball analogy favored by McDaniel during the development agreement, the game between the city and GCJ Sports has been canceled and infighting on the team has caused it to split. The new RFP will be released this week and McDaniel said though it will be open to

everyone, he doesn’t expect to receive submissions from anyone but Talton and Sheffield. If both do re-submit there could be a fight to the playoffs as both new teams duke it out to have the opportunity to play ball with Plant City once again. After all, the trophy is a massive win for either group.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

MAKING A MAYOR Mayor Rick Lott had an intimate conversation with members of MAKE Plant City Tuesday evening, discussing several hot-button topics. BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

When Mayor Rick Lott sat down with members of MAKE Plant City Tuesday evening attendees got a behind the scenes look at the man that helps run the city. He is a proud fan of “The Bachelor,” his company used to make billboards out of pennies and he briefly considered running for higher office before deciding having a family was more important than participating in national politics. Above all, Lott showed his dedication and love of Plant City. “I think everyone is here because we love to serve, right? There’s something inside of us that wants to serve,” Lott said. “Some of us serve in our church, some of us serve in our nonprofit organization, some of us serve in a group like this. It’s deep inside us. When you have a passion for something, a true passion… you’re willing to step out and get involved. My passion is I grew up here, I’m a fourth-generation here, most of my family is here.” Lott said his form of leadership has always revolved around helping his team find a consensus on an issue and building from there. He began to wonder if that collaborating technique would be applicable in running local

government. Luckily, he said he serves with a board that is willing to seek a consensus and move forward united toward a common goal. Getting involved in local government is as simple as being intentional. Like an artist eyeing a blank canvas, Lott said the hardest part is making that first stroke, taking that first step toward impactful leadership. He recommends those interested research the 11 boards in Plant City or the many other county boards. Nearly every month or so the city commission needs to appoint someone to a board because either their time is up or a former member resigns. Once you know which board you’re interested in and you determine when the terms are up for the members, begin reaching out to the commissioners and let them know you are eager to serve. If you don’t want to go the traditional city route, Lott said crafting leadership skills with impactful nonprofits or civic organizations like the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce or the Improvement League of Plant City helps show not only the city, but also the public that you take the wellbeing of the community seriously. “If you find an area where you can find a crack, you can start an organization that fills that crack,” Lott said. “Or, if there is a group

courtesy of Vicky Saunders

Arley Smude discussed the intricacies of local government with Mayor Rick Lott Tuesday evening.

or nonprofit already filling that crack you can volunteer your time with them.” Plant City is the only city in Hillsborough County to have high school students graduating above 90 percent. Lott said that is due in part to city leaders recognizing the current system was funneling students into college and those who didn’t have a desire to pursue higher education were falling through the cracks. They helped create the Career Academy program in the local high schools and now Plant City is a shining example throughout the county.

Know your strengths and be realistic about your weaknesses. If everyone used a realistic and focused mind toward solving individual issues around town they were passionate about, Lott said the community could be fully patched in no time. Midtown was one of the major interests from the group and when asked about past “false starts” Lott said it was necessary for the city to “let the wheels fall off” until they had the right partner rather than jump into a bad agreement to the ultimate detriment of Plant City. The goal is

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to hopefully bring another 1,000 residents living downtown with the upcoming development and to introduce wanted and unique shops and dining to make downtown and midtown an iconic destination. As questions were lobbed at the mayor his generosity toward Plant City slowly began to be unveiled. One resident inquired as to when the Plant City Skate Park, located within Mike Sansone Park, would be upgraded.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

FUTURE OF FORMER POST OFFICE The former post office on Reynolds Street may have a future as an annex of city hall if all goes according to plan. The city is in initial assessments of the building, but says there are few major obstacles left to prevent the property from being repurposed.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Hillsborough Historical Society. They began to dig into old records, searching for any document that could indicate the parking lot was a part of the former post office. They found pieces of the puzzle, but not enough to map out the full photo until Bender stumbled upon a record in Tampa. A man who once owned property at the corner of Reynolds and Thomas Street had that property taken by the government under the claim of eminent domain. He fought it with a lawsuit from 1961 to 1964 and while he did technically lose the case he was awarded much more money for the loss. Somehow that action wasn’t recorded. But with the solving puzzle piece in hand, Bender was able to help the city prove the properties were all under the same ownership. “Because of that detective work that Shelby did we were able to find all those records…and we were able to give that to the title company who then did their work and they were able to get the title cleared up,” McDaniel said. “Then we were able to finish the negations with the post office. It got into other things like they issue a quick claim deed in normal circumstances and the city attorney and everybody else including their title company wanted a special warranty deed. So we had a big debate about that for a while. There were quite a few interesting hurdles as we went along.” McDaniel said the prospects are looking favorable for the city being able to save the building rather than having to demolish it and start over. A cursory assessment was done when the city was deciding whether it was a sound investment or not and another

more in-depth look was had Friday during an additional assessment. “It’s not without its issues, but it’s very solid,” McDaniel said. “The issues we are facing appear to be all very solid and addressable.” The former owner told the city the roof was leaking — hence the tarp — but luckily when a roofing inspector came out they found the roof was solid and it was merely clogged pipes that were causing the leaks. A major bullet dodged the city was now able to take a realistic look at other issues like asbestos and some lead paint There’s a long road ahead, but McDaniel wants to “freeze the property in time” so it remains as it is and doesn’t fall into disrepair as the city slowly puts things in place for the transition. City crews have already begun cleaning up the outside of the property and soon the parking lot will get a full rehabilitation so it can be used by the general public, especially those going to church across the street or shows at Plant City Entertainment. Eventually McDaniel said the city plans to make the building an annex of city hall. The utility department where residents pay bills, the permitting operations, application for city jobs and almost every other public interaction role will find a home in the renovated building. “Number one, we’re getting cramped for space here and this would greatly extend the usability of the current city hall as far as space goes,” McDaniel said. “That would free up one whole corner, a huge portion

Courtesy of Bill McDaniel of the second floor and it would then make things more easily accessible for the pub- The city is attempting to “freeze the property lic. You don’t have to come in and ride the in time” so it can map out the next steps withelevator and figure out where to go. You out fearing further decay. can just walk in the door and every one of those services are right in front of you. I also think there’s enough room over there to put a training room or a community meeting room.” McDaniel asked the post office to leave some of the iconic old structures in place so the city can pay homage to the building’s history. They gutted the majority of the facility, but did leave some of the old antique post office boxes with dial locks, which McDaniel said will be repurposed for the new departments. Once all the assessments for the building are complete the city will begin creating a funding plan. This won’t be turned around anytime soon, but McDaniel expects to see some traction during the next budget cycle. As long as the assessments hold true McDaniel said a building official estimated that while it would cost between $6 million and $7 million to rebuild a facility similar to the former post office it should only take approximately $2.5 million to $3 million to renovate it.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

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VOLUME 6, NO. 27

FREE

MIDTOWN ON HO RIZON A RFP has official

•

Ken Alan Gibbs

August 23, 1965 – December

ly been placed for a developer for the Midtown district. SEE PAGE 10

PCPD ARMORE

VEHICLE HAS ARRIVEDD TACTICAL

POST OFFICE CLEANUP

The City of Plant City has closed on the former post office found on Reynolds Street in the heart of downtown Plant City. On Monday a general services crew began cleaning up the property and on Friday the city will conduct a full assessment to determine how to proceed with the long abandoned location.

The armored tactical

vehicle is the size

of an ambulance and

BREANNE WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

THE PLANT CITY POLICE NOW HAS AN ARMOREDDEPARTMENT VEHICLE IN ITS LINEUP. TACTICAL HAS BEGUN AND IT IS TRAINING SHOULD AN EMERGEN READY TO USE CY ARISE.

ly 19,000 lbs.

Breanne Williams

n Sept. 2017 city commissio ners approved allotting $335,000 in “This is a piece of equipment funding for the Plant you hope you’ll never have to City Police use, but if you need Department to purchase it, it’s worth every an armored penny tactical vehicle. Police Chief Ed Duncan you pay for it,” said. Once approved the For Duncan, the purchase car was hand built was a noand after it was completed brainer. In storms, like the hurricanes flew north to the warehouse two officers that have struck over the past few years, in Nov. 2018 all first to begin training for responder vehicles the are called off It arrived in Plant City BearCat vehicle. the road when winds teams have been workingin December and The BearCat allowsexceed 45 to 50 mph. to learn its ins and outs with the vehicle deployed and assist units to be safely so they are prepped in any emergencies. and ready if an emergency should arise.

Florida’s maniacal cham

BREANNE WILLIAMS

City Manager Bill McDaniel said there will be cleanup all week with the nearby landscaping as the city improves the aesthetics for downtown while they the plans for the property.finish

weighs approximate

pion

SEE PAGE 3

STAFF WRITER

TIM DORSEY IS HEADED TO BRUTON MEMORI LIBRARY NEXT WEEK TO SHARE HIS LATEST AL “NO SUNSCREEN BOOK, FOR THE STORIES HAVE CAPTURE DEAD.”HIS ECLECTIC D THE HEARTS OF FOR DECADES. READERS

SEE PAGE 8

Time flies. Seven years ago, I was engaged in intense planning discussions with my founding local Observer partners Ed Verner and Nate Kilton concerning the best path to make our shared dream of giving Plant City a new locallyowned community newspaper a reality. We had studied the history of the Courier and wanted to give Plant City another community newspaper gem. We pulled the trigger in June of 2012 and the Plant City Observer became a reality. Because we recognized that we did not have the complete knowledge necessary to make our enterprise work, we added out-of-town partners with the expertise we needed.

courtesy of Tim Dorsey. Dorsey’s latest novel, “No Sunscreen for the Dead” comes out 15.. Jan.

27, 2018

SEE PAGE 7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

SANTA SLED HUNDREDS HELPS

Each year the Des’ Aimes Social Club and Plant City Black Heritage host the Santa Sled Festival to help local families have a stress-free Christmas. The groups give out toys, bicycles, clothes and groceries for a complete Christmas dinner to participating families. Thanks to many local sponsors and the generosity of the community the event was able to serve the hundreds of guests that flooded to Marie B. Ellis Park on Dec. 22. See full story online at plantcityobserver.com.

I was always grateful to them for giving us that expertise, but the dream of making the Observer 100 percent locally owned never died. Now, after over six years of operating and learning all we could, I am excited to say that we have achieved our original dream. We are now 100 percent locally owned with a partnership team of Ed Verner, Nate Kilton, Karen Berry and myself. Let the celebration begin. I will lead it.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

MAKING A MAYOR Continued from page 6

Lott said it was in the city’s five-year plan and when he heard stories of its aging equipment he announced he was the one to originally donate the funds necessary to build the park. He vowed to look into the issue and see what could be done. Plant City is essentially debt-free and Lott said it’s his goal to help bring things like a bike share program and upgraded utilities to town soon. He spent much of the evening discussing how hard they’ve worked to make Plant City a great place to live for all residents. In his mind, the future will undoubtedly be bright. As for one of the hottest buttons between maker and art groups and the city, Lott was the one to eventually stop and discuss the contested passing of the mural ban in 2009. Essentially all new murals were banned in the Historic District of Plant City after a mural may-or-may-not have contained a sex organ in the painting. The artists claimed it was an armrest. The rest of the public, including city commissioners, saw something far more human.

Commissioner Bill Dodson was the only one to vote against the ban, saying he wished the ordinance was more thought out. Nearly a decade ago the commissioners said they may revisit the ban in the future. Lott reminded the group they only needed three votes to get the decision revoked. “I’m not going to say we would do it, who knows?” Lott said. “But guess what? What’s worse is not discussing it, right? The worst thing we can do is say, ‘Oh they won’t do (anything), they’d never look at it, they’d never act on it,’ or something like that. I would love to see this group, your passion is art, right? If this is something you deem worthy bring it to the commission and discuss it with it. Just because we passed a law doesn’t mean it’s the right law. It was the right law at the time, but is it the right law now?”

Breanne Williams

Michelle Valdes and Mr. Sebas owners Tina and Josue Daniel

MIA MARY JANE 1300 block of East Church Street Found drugs: When local officers came out to East Church Street they found a clear plastic baggie lying abandoned in a driveway. The small bag had 34.5 grams of unpackaged marijuana. They were not able to determine who the weed belonged to and placed it in evidence as found property.

DEC. 29

CLICK IT OR TICKET Tennessee Street/Gordon Street False name and warrant arrest: A man was driving without a seatbelt and was pulled over by officers. When they requested his name he gave them a fake one. Officers ended up confirming his actual name and realized he had an outstanding Hillsborough County warrant for delinquent child support. Needless to say, he was charged with both offenses and taken to Orient Road Jail.

DEC. 30

REPEAT OFFENDER West Alabama Street/ South Wheeler Street NVDL Arrest: This driver was pulled over after she ran a red light in her blue Chevrolet Impala. Officers realized this was the fourth time she had been ticketed for driving with no valid driver’s license and sent her to Orient Road Jail.

DEC. 31

BAD NIGHT FOR THE HOMELESS Thonotosassa Road and Thonotosassa Road/Goldfinch Drive Panhandling: Two different men were arrested on New Year’s Eve on Thonotosassa Road when officers observed them panhandling within four feet of a roadway. The first man was asking for money in front of Starbucks and the second was near the intersection with Goldfinch Drive. Both were sent to Orient Road Jail.

JAN. 1

SHOTGUN SLINGER Park Road/Gordon Food Services Drive Information report: PCPD received a call of a suspicious man walking in the area while carrying a shotgun. They located the subject, who gave them the gun. It was placed into safekeeping.

JAN. 3

FRAUDULENT FIENDS 3200 block of Gloria Avenue Fraud: A man received a request from someone who told him they were with Krogers. They said the man needed to settle an outstanding balance of $530 for a bounced check. He didn’t remember ever writing that check and confirmed with his bank it was a fraudulent request. QUARTER CONUNDRUM Risk Street Vehicle burglary: This woman told officers that during the night of Jan. 2 someone popped her vehicle’s door lock, which caused $200 worth of damage. All they took was $20 worth of quarters.

COPS CORNER

WHERE’S WESSON? South Morgan Street/East Renfro Street Recovered stolen gun: Plant City Police officers found a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol that was hidden behind a telephone pole. Further investigation revealed the gun was one that had been reported stolen out of Pasco County.

courtesy of Vicky Saunders

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

This week on Cops Corner, Plant City Police investigated missing guns, missing Mary Jane and more. DEC. 28

MAKE Plant City’s January meeting.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Writers’ LOFT

supports local wordsmiths Courtesy of Vicky Saunders

Angela Ardrey, the group’s leader, enjoys helping local writers find their voices and spark their creativity.

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Angela Ardrey committed “career suicide” on Sept. 20, 2018 and lived to tell about it. If anything, what Ardrey did was leave behind the ashes of her old life as an accountant to begin a new one as a full-time writer.

But the thing no one — herself included — knew when she handed her boss her two-week notice was that she wouldn’t be the only one affected by her choice. Four months later, Ardrey’s found herself helping local writers chase their dreams, too. Ardrey created the Writers’ Loft to fill a need she saw in Plant City. She was surprised to learn

last year there were no local, organized writers’ groups for her to join, even though she’d always seen writers and artists working away at coffee shops in town. All it took was one conversation with Krazy Kup owner Wenda Trunzo to knock out two goals at once: start this group and find a home for it. “With this opportunity, this is like a dream come true,” Ardrey

said. “A dream I never had. I never, ever thought of doing this months ago, through the summer. But it just happened… this community needs this.” The Writers’ Loft held its first meeting in Krazy Kup’s upstairs loft in December 2018 and a crowd of around 20 people, a diverse group of all ages, came to share their stories and connect with like-minded people.

Unlike other groups, which focus on giving experienced writers the ability to have their work critiqued and edited, Plant City’s group caters to beginners or people who have written but never shared their work in a group setting. It’s as much about giving writers confidence and support to get started as it is a way for them to refine their craft.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Writers’ LOFT “I don’t want this to be for experienced authors. I don’t want that because I’m not that,” Ardrey said. “I feel a little like I’m a greenhorn, but I have a very deep passion for the written word. I want it to be for everybody and we’re going to learn together.” Ardrey learned how to run such a group by joining Lakelandbased Writers for All Seasons and later recruited Emily Topper to both run social media for the Writers’ Loft and help her manage the group. After that first December meeting, the Writers’ Loft began hosting weekly “Shut Up and Write” events on Tuesday and Saturday mornings where anyone is welcome to join Ardrey or Topper and write, pitch ideas, read others’ work or whatever comes to mind. The “Shut Up” part is more of a fun addition to the name rather than a rule or a guideline. The group held its first meeting of 2019 on Tuesday. Members discussed their writing goals for the year and were given a writing assignment: write a story of any length on any topic that must begin with the word “hello.” Ardrey said each of the 11 members who came to the meeting took a different, “beautiful” approach to the prompt and many read their stories aloud. The Writers’ Loft’s website is in the works with no exact launch date set in stone, but the group is on Facebook at facebook.com/ thewritersloftpc and on Instagram as @thewritersloftpc. As the group expands and finds its rhythm, Ardrey hopes to host open mic nights and to bring in

Courtesy of Vicky Saunders

The Writers’ Loft is open to writers of all experience levels, from those just starting out to seasoned, published authors.

guest speakers from time to time to talk about their own writing styles and experiences. One day, she said, she’s hoping to see writers who got their start at the Writers’ Loft come back as published authors, signing their own

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books and talking to the people in Krazy Kup’s loft about their work. Ardrey is also recording the group’s meetings and members’ shared content for an upcoming book about the Writers’ Loft’s first 12 months.

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get ready to write whatever ideas they have brewing. “If you have the story, then we’ll help you get the words on the paper,” Ardrey said.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

IT’S READ EVERYWHERE Did you take the Observer with you on vacation? Send your pictures to Associate Editor Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com to be featured.

FAMILY MEDICAL SPECIALISTS OF FLORIDA Michael Paul Gimness, MD Kelli Woody, MD Katherine Newman, ARNP Jennifer Zeljkovic, ARNP 1703 Thonotosassa Road, Suite A, Plant City, Florida 33563

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EGYPT: Starr Anderson recently traveled to Egypt to take in the sights of some of the world’s most legendary ancient wonders, the country’s famed pyramids. She brought along a copy of the Observer for the occasion. 292382-1

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

GOOD APPEAL

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

SHIOBHAN OLIVERO

Were your rights violated during an arrest? B

eing arrested is a nervewracking experience. But, it’s important to put your fears aside so you can focus solely on protecting your rights.

say on this phone call can be used against you in court.

THE RIGHT TO A HEARING BEFORE A JUDGE

THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT

The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects people against self-incrimination. Basically, this means that people who are placed under arrest have the right to remain silent so they do not provide the police with information that could be used against them in their criminal case. The right to remain silent is one of the most important rights given to every person who is placed under arrest. If you are placed under arrest, invoke this right as soon as possible to let law enforcement know that you will not answer their questions. Law enforcement officers should not attempt to question you if you have invoked your right to remain silent. Questioning someone who has stated their intention to remain silent is a violation of this right. THE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY

People who are arrested have the right to have an attorney by their side during questioning. Request an attorney immediately following your arrest. Once this request has been made, law enforcement officers

DURING AND SHORTLY AFTER AN ARREST, YOU HAVE RIGHTS THAT MAY NOT BE VIOLATED.

cannot question you until your attorney is present. If they interrogate you before your attorney has arrived, this is a violation of your rights. The right to an attorney is given to every person who is placed under arrest—not just those that can afford to hire an attorney. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer on your own, the state must provide one for you. Therefore, it’s important to remember that law enforcement cannot force you to pay for an attorney if you are unable to do so.

THE RIGHT TO HUMANE TREATMENT

humanely at any point in the process.

You should receive humane treatment while in custody regardless of the severity of the crime you are accused of committing. For example, this means law enforcement officers cannot use excessive force against you or deprive you of food or water while you are being arrested or in their custody. These are only two examples of inhumane treatment, so it’s important to talk to your attorney about your experience if you believe you were not treated

THE RIGHT TO MAKE A PHONE CALL

You have the right to place one phone call shortly after you are arrested and booked at the local police station. If you use this phone call to communicate with your lawyer, law enforcement officers cannot listen to your conversation. However, they can listen if you choose to call anyone besides your attorney, so choose your words carefully. Anything you

Anyone who has been arrested has the right to know what crimes they are accused of committing as soon as possible. For this reason, people who are placed under arrest have the right to a hearing before a judge within 24 hours of their arrest. This hearing is known as the First Appearance or Advisory hearing and it marks the first time that the defendant will appear in court. During this hearing, the judge will tell the defendant what criminal charges are being filed against him. Let your attorney know if you believe that your rights have been violated during your arrest. Sometimes, a violation of your rights during your arrest could lead to a better outcome in your case.

Shiobhan Olivero was born and raised in Plant City. Her law office can be reached at (813) 534-0393 or by email at SOlivero@ oliverolaw.com.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

DOCTOR’S NOTE

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

FLORIDA E.N.T. & ALLERGY

The New Year Brings New Developments to Florida E.N.T. & Allergy

he new year isn’t the only exciting development ahead. Florida E.N.T. & Allergy has transformative advancements underway, such as new technologies for increased accuracy during procedures, minimally invasive skin tightening and improved treatments of common conditions like tinnitus, chronic rhinitis and allergies. Additionally, three of their doctors were voted by peers as Tampa Magazine’s 2018 Top Doctors.

the need for general anesthesia. Renuvion™ offers a less invasive alternative to traditional facelift procedures. Benefits include minimal incisions, lower risk of injury to surrounding tissues, maximum tightening of tissue, improvement in skin elasticity and a decrease in skin laxity. This technology is offered exclusively with Dr. Janet Lee, a double board certified physician who specializes in facial plastics and facial rejuvenation.

● TruDi™ technology is a groundbreaking, real-time, 3-D navigation system for sinus procedures. The system is electromagnetic and image-guided, designed to offer ENT surgeons a more accurate, simple and reliable option for endoscopic sinus surgery procedures. Intended for use during nasal procedures, TruDi™ technology is available for eligible patients who require sinus surgery.

● ClariFix® cryotherapy is now an option for patients suffering from chronic rhinitis. If you experience a frequently runny nose, nasal congestion or post nasal drip, it’s time to put the tissues down. Cryotherapy stops the source of the symptoms for lasting relief. The ClariFix® device delivers cold temperatures to out-of-balance nerves in the back of the nose, interrupting the signals to reduce symptoms. Four out of five patients reported longlasting symptom improvement following the treatment.

● Renuvion™ is a new revolutionary technology that can be used to rejuvenate and tighten skin on the face and neck, without

● Allerdent® allergy toothpaste presents a unique, convenient treatment for allergy symptoms. This toothpaste is designed to incorporate and stabilize immunotherapeutic agents. Immunotherapy is used to eliminate the underlying cause of allergic responses to airborne allergens like dander, dust and pollen. Traditional immunotherapy techniques are administered through painful, inconvenient shots and messy, unreliable drops under the tongue. Allerdent® delivers immunotherapy without the inconvenience of injections, multiple pills or liquid allergy drops. It’s as simple as brushing your teeth. ● The Levo System by Otoharmonics is a personal nightly sound therapy designed to improve the quality of a patient’s daily life, specifically those with tinnitus. Tinnitus is characterized by the perception of noise, or ringing in the ears, and affects one in five people. It can worsen with age, but can also improve with treatment. The Levo System software allows patients to listen to a per-

sonalized sound match of their unique tinnitus sound. Custom fit earbuds, designed to ensure comfort during sleep, allow for optimal positioning and controlled delivery of sound therapy. Over three months of treatment, the patient’s brain will gradually habituate to his or her unique tinnitus sound.

education and clinical training as well as specialized training in their area(s) of expertise. From pediatric allergies to fitting hearing aids, their caring and experienced physicians specialize in ear, nose and throat care for the entire family using comprehensive, cutting edge technologies.

● Tampa Magazine’s 2018 Top Doctors brings well-deserved distinctions to multiple Florida E.N.T. providers. Each year, Tampa Magazine facilitates a vote for the best M.D. and D.O. in the area. Dr. Miguel Rivera has earned his place as the #1 doctor in Otolaryngology; Dr. Dominic Castellano has been voted as the #1 doctor in Facial Plastic Surgery, and Dr. Daniel Vincent was voted as one of the best doctors in Otolaryngology. Each doctor is voted by his peers in three counties: Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco. The physicians of Florida E.N.T. & Allergy have served the Tampa Bay community for more than 40 years. Their board certified physicians have completed extensive

For additional information or to schedule an appointment, please call 813-879-8045 or visit Florida E.N.T. & Allergy online at www.FloridaENTandAllergy.com.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

IT’S LIT

A cigar shop and lounge is now open, bringing premium smokes to Plant City. BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The simple act of clipping the end of a full-bodied cigar and enjoying a leisurely smoke has become much easier to accomplish thanks to the opening of a premium cigar shop on Collins Street. Adam Beale has been a cigar aficionado for decades. His passion led him on a journey of investment and discovery and now he’s bringing his wealth of knowledge to the residents of Plant City. “I’ve been smoking cigars for years, decades really, I’ve always liked it,” Beale said. “I love a good, quality cigar and a lounge, a relaxing, high class place to smoke it.” Adam’s Premium Cigars officially opened on Dec. 17 and it already is cultivating loyal followers. Beale said the lounge is catered entirely to its clients. When you walk in you could be surrounded by soothing piano jazz or the evening’s primetime game. Whatever you prefer, Beale is here to provide.

The ambiance screams comfort with its soft leather chairs and padded barstools. There’s enough chairs to fit approximately 20 guests comfortably and Beale has lighters and cutters available for the perfect experience. Despite the fact that there are dozens of elaborate ash trays around the venue there is only a faint scent of smoke in the air. The smoke eaters Beale installed ensures the venue is comfortable for everyone who pops in. He said he hopes it will be a place couples or friends come to spend a few hours leisurely relaxing, a place they all enjoy even if they don’t all smoke. Beale’s wife is a Plant City native and when he moved to the area he quickly fell in love with the small town lifestyle. Unfortunately, he had to drive to Brandon, Lakeland or Tampa for a cigar lounge and often even further for unique sticks. He met others who voiced the same frustrations and after touring around the state for several years he finally felt he had the know-how to help bridge the gap for his community.

“I looked for a longtime to find the right spot,” Beale said. “I wanted to be in downtown, to be invested in the community, not on the outskirts. I wanted this to be a place that Plant City folk come to, not just those who are passing through town. This is a first class establishment. I’m not doing hookah or vapes. Just premium cigars and tobacco.” His humidor offers everything from a $4 stick to a $40 wrap. There’s something for everybody and his years of mastering the business have helped him develop unique tricks to helping steer clients toward the cigar of their dreams. There’s no one “good cigar,” Beale said. It’s entirely dependent on individual taste. Cigars can be compared to alcohol. Some consumers prefer lighter beverages — think of your gins, vodkas and tequila —while others are partial to the darker drinks — whiskey, scotch, stout beers. The same is true for tobacco. Most can be gauged by the lightness or darkness of the wrap. The location of the plants inside also affect taste.

His go-to is a Padron Serie 1926 No 1. Though he enjoys many unique sticks, nothing is quite as exquisite in his mind as that found within the Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. His collection is diverse and his humidor can hold more than 500 faces, but Beale intentionally left room so his clientele could dictate what their local shop offers. “I want people to be able to come in here and pick their favorite cigars,” Beale said. “This is their lounge, they have a major say in what’s offered. If someone asks me for a stick I don’t have I’ll write it down. If I get four or five people asking for it I’ll order it so it’s in stock.” Avid customers will want to consider investing in a membership at the lounge. The cost is $200 a year and comes with a designated locker as well as 10 percent off purchases. He also offers discounts to first responders and military with ID. Being active in the community is a major premise of Beale’s shop. He said he hopes soon Adam’s Premium Cigars will be the go-

IF YOU GO ADAM’S PREMIUM CIGARS Where: 402 S. Collins St. Hours: Monday through Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to close. For more information: Visit Adam’s Premium Cigars social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)

to location for local fundraisers and one-of-a-kind events. Once the momentum gets rolling at his shop he plans to have different cigar manufacturers come in for exclusive events and to even offer “Free Breakfast Saturdays” where customers can enjoy a nice meal on the house while enjoying their high-end cigars. Beale said the plan is to stay connected via social media with the public and within the next three months he intends to hold a grand opening for the shop. While most questions can easily be answered online, he said the best way to get a feel for the lounge is to stop in and take the time to have a chat. “I just like the atmosphere that comes with the community, I like the people,” Beale said. “It’s really a lifestyle. Those who enjoy cigars, they bring with them such a laid-back atmosphere. I’m really honored to be able to bring this to town. I know others share my passion and this is a highclass establishment. You can find things here you won’t find anywhere nearby.”

JANUARY 10, 2019

SPORTS Quick Hits

Paulino Ramirez and the Plant City Raiders are undefeated on the soccer field.

See Page 17

WHO’S UP NEXT?

Chase plays in CFP title game Clemson wide receiver T.J. Chase helped the Tigers go 15-0 and finish with a national title Monday night. Chase, a Plant City High alum, finished with one reception in the Tigers’ 44-16 beatdown of the Alabama Crimson Tide and also saw action on the special teams unit.

Little League sign-ups Plant City Little League is looking for baseball and softball players for the upcoming 2019 season. Families looking to get their children involved with America’s pastime have until Jan. 18 to register with PCLL. Registration can be done online at the PCLL website, eteamz/com/ PlantCityLL, or in person from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 12 and Jan. 19. Tryouts begin at 10 a.m. Jan. 26 and teams will be selected the week of Jan. 28. Opening Day ceremonies are scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 23. Player fees vary by age group and siblings get a $20 discount. Visit the PCLL website for more information.

Tri-Star hoops comp Tomlin Middle School will once again host the city’s annual TriStar Skills Competition for the area’s young hoopers. Kids can put their basketball dribbling, passing and shooting skills to the test in the Tri-Star competition, to be held at 9 a.m. Feb. 2 in the school’s gymnasium at the corner of West Oak Avenue and North Edwards Street. The competition is open to kids age 8-13 and the top three winners of each age group will get trophies. The Plant City youth rec league team with the highest attendance (in uniform) will receive a free pizza party. All kids can compete for free. For more information, call 813-659-4255 or visit plantcitygov.com.

Youth soccer sign-ups The 43rd PCRPD/Optimist Club Youth Soccer Program season is coming up soon. The league is open to youths age 4-18 with boys, girls and co-ed divisions split up by age (determined as of June 1, 2019 — birth certificate required). The season begins in late March and has games on Tuesdays and Saturdays through the end of May. Last season, 1,300 players participated. Registration costs $35 and covers insurance and a jersey. Sign up by 4:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the PCRPD office, 1904 S. Park Rd., or by mail. For more information call 813-659-4255 or email recinfo@plantcitygov. com.

Local high school football players are hitting the college recruiting scene hard in the prep offseason with Pro-Active Academe.

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

thletes from the Tampa Bay area and central Florida are coming to Plant City to show college football scouts they’ve got what it takes to step up. The kids running drills and sharpening skills at Marshall Middle School on Sundays with Pro-Active Academe haven’t stopped working since their high school seasons ended, but things are about to heat up with spring camps, exhibitions and other activities in Florida and the American southeast. They’ll spend the rest of winter and the spring competing with some of the top talent in the region in an effort to put their names on the map. “They have to go in and really, really compete with everybody else that’s tops in these camps,” Pro-Active director Gerold Dickens said. “When you do that, you’ve got an opportunity to get a real good ranking.” Game film alone won’t net an athlete a four or five-star ranking these days (though it certainly helps). Many athletes looking for those elusive Power Five offers are linking up with programs like Pro-Active in the offseason for that reason. Though ProActive is there for athletes in Tampa, Orlando and everywhere in between, several local kids are making big waves these days. No one on Pro-Active’s roster is getting more attention than

Plant City High School’s Mario Williams, the sophomore wide receiver whose reputation as a game-breaking player is well deserved. He’s got 15 college offers to his name as of press time (including Oklahoma, Miami, Florida State and Penn State) and invites to the Under Armour All-American Game, Nike Opening Regionals and more. With two more high school seasons to go, Williams is expected to leave school in 2021 as one of the highest-rated prospects in Plant City history. Dickens said Williams, now in his second year with Pro-Active, has always been an elite athlete, but greatly improved his route running with PCHS wideouts coach Tony Rozier and staff. This season playing 7-on-7 with the Nighthawks will mostly be for off-the-field benefits: getting Williams matched up against top-tier corners and defensive players will help him stay sharp in the high school offseason. ProActive is also helping him become a more vocal leader as he prepares to enter his junior season with high expectations. “This year we’re working on his leadership because he’s getting everything where you’re tops in this, you’ve got your invites already and everyone else is trying to get established,” Dickens said. “It’s a leadership role where all the ears are on you, everyone

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

has to hear what you’ve got to say so they can become better also.” Another local standout looking to make waves in the offseason is Durant safety C.J. Barnes, who finished 2018 with more than 100 tackles to his name and got recognition for his fearless, physical play. Durant assistant coach Frank Lane has called Barnes one of the best defensive backs the school has developed in recent years and the junior is determined to make college coaches agree. Barnes has an offer from Central Michigan University to his name and joining the Chippewas would mean reuniting with teammate Demarcus Governor, himself a former star DB for the Cougars. He has one more season of high school football to play and is hoping to raise his profile in the recruiting scene with Pro-Active. “It’s just a matter of getting more exposure and getting him the opportunity to go up against the best, too,” Dickens said. “That’s how they’re able to prove themselves and get a better ranking. We’re really working to try to get him ranked, then more offers will come… when he gets these Rivals invites, Nike invites, Under Armour invites, he goes and competes very well.” Others from the area who are expected to make waves in the offseason include wide receiver James Ross, running back Zamir’ Knighten and defensive back Antron Robinson and Pro-

Active has started working with more kids from the area who are attending schools here or in the Tampa Bay area. They’ll all get to test their skills against top competition in the coming months, which should help in August once the regular season rolls around. With state champion Lakeland joining the schools’ district, these athletes will be under the spotlight like never before. “That’s fun as far as competition is concerned and also a good look with college coaches,” Dickens said. “It’s one of the toughest districts in the area. That’s where you want to try to go look for some of your athletes — they’re going up against the toughest competition. If they can handle Lakeland, maybe they can handle another opportunity at the next level. College coaches will come to watch those games.”

JUSTIN KLINE

The problem with the NLI’s agreement National letters of intent bind high school athletes to college programs, but is that agreement really giving the athletes a fair shake when it comes to their futures?

arly next month, college sports fans all over the United States will be glued to their televisions, computers and phones to watch a lot of high school students they’ve never met (and hopefully never Tweeted at, either) sign with their preferred colleges. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s like watching a professional sports league’s draft if all of the picks were predetermined and announced by many of the players ahead of time. It’s full of optimism and largely drama-free.

It’s also flawed in a way that’s very much fixable, but no one at the reins seems to mind. Don’t mistake this paragraph as an attack on Miami Hurricanes head football coach Manny Diaz, who just jumped on the opportunity to get his dream job. Diaz’s contract (along with Temple’s athletic director) allowed for him to leave Temple just two weeks after he was hired to run the Owls’ football program.

SEE KLINE, PAGE 18

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

UPCOMING GAMES

BOYS BASKETBALL

Jan. 9

Jan. 8

Plant at Durant, 7 p.m. Middleton at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Plant City 77, Durant 61 Strawberry Crest 59, Spoto 57 Jan. 11 East Bay at Durant, 8 p.m. Plant City at Bloomingdale, 8 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Tampa Bay Tech, 8 p.m.

Jan. 11 East Bay at Durant, 6:30 p.m. Plant City at Bloomingdale, 6:30 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Tampa Bay Tech, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15

Jan. 15 Durant at Newsome, 8 p.m. Plant City at East Bay, 8 p.m. Lennard at Strawberry Crest, 8 p.m. Jan. 16 Strawberry Crest at Durant, 8 p.m. Lennard at Plant City, 8 p.m. Jan. 18 Durant at Bloomingdale, 8 p.m. Plant City at Strawberry Crest, 8 p.m. Jan. 21 Strawberry Crest vs. Tenoroc, TBA (MLK Shootout at Lake Wales) Jan. 22 Tampa Bay Tech at Durant, 8 p.m. Riverview at Plant City, 8 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Bloomingdale, 8 p.m. Jan. 24 Durant at Lennard, 8 p.m. Plant City at Tampa Bay Tech, 8 p.m. East Bay at Strawberry Crest, 8 p.m. Jan. 25 Durant at Plant City, 8 p.m. Newsome at Strawberry Crest, 8 p.m. Jan. 29 King at Durant, 8 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Gaither, 8 p.m. Jan. 30 Plant City at Armwood, 8 p.m.

Paulino Ramirez Strawberry Crest 2, Riverview 2 Jan. 11 Brandon at Durant, 8 p.m. Jefferson at Plant City, 8 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Robinson, 8 p.m.

Plant City at Bloomingdale, 8 p.m. Jan. 15 Durant at Spoto, 8 p.m. Wharton at Plant City, 8 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Plant, 8 p.m.

Jan. 16

Jan. 18

Strawberry Crest at Durant, 6:30 p.m. Lennard at Plant City, 6:30 p.m.

Durant at Wharton, 8 p.m. Plant City at Steinbrenner, 8 p.m. Jan. 22

Jan. 18 Durant at Bloomingdale, 6:30 p.m. Plant City at Strawberry Crest, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 Tampa Bay Tech at Durant, 6:30 p.m. Riverview at Plant City, 6:30 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Bloomingdale, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 24 Durant at Lennard, 6:30 p.m. Plant City at Tampa Bay Tech, 6:30 p.m. East Bay at Strawberry Crest, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25 Durant at Plant City, 6:30 p.m. Newsome at Strawberry Crest, 6:30 p.m.

Bloomingdale at Durant, 8 p.m. Plant City at Armwood, 8 p.m. Wharton at Strawberry Crest, 8 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Jan. 8 Durant 2, East Bay 0 Newsome 3, Plant City 0 Riverview 2, Strawberry Crest 0 Jan. 11 Brandon at Durant, 6 p.m. Jefferson at Plant City, 6 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Robinson, 6 p.m. Jan. 14 Plant City at Bloomingdale, 6 p.m. Jan. 15

Jan. 29 King at Durant, 6:30 p.m. Hillsborough at Plant City, 6:30 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Gaither, 6:30 p.m.

Durant at Spoto, 6 p.m. Wharton at Plant City, 6 p.m. Strawberry Crest at Plant, 6 p.m. Jan. 17

Jan. 30 Plant City at Armwood, 6:30 p.m.

Strawberry Crest at Armwood, 6 pm. Jan. 18

Jan. 31

Plant City at Chamberlain, 8 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL

BOYS SOCCER

Jan. 8

Durant 61, Plant City 38 Strawberry Crest 57, Spoto 26

Durant 4, East Bay 0 Plant City 6, Newsome 0

With a 6-0-1 overall record, the Plant City Raiders are right on track to once again make some noise in Florida’s boys soccer scene. This year’s balanced attack is led by junior Paulino Ramirez, who has scored seven goals in as many games and recorded two assists. His 16 points are tied with Jair Garcia for the team lead.

Jan. 14

Durant at Newsome, 6:30 p.m. Plant City at East Bay, 6:30 p.m. Lennard at Strawberry Crest, 6:30 p.m.

Plant City at Chamberlain, 6:30 p.m. Armwood at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Jan. 31

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Durant at Wharton, 6 p.m. Plant City at Steinbrenner, 6 p.m. Jan. 22 Bloomingdale at Durant, 6 p.m. Plant City at Armwood, 6 p.m. Wharton at Strawberry Crest, 6 p.m.

You’ve all started the season on a high note and it looks like the highpressure game is working well. In your opinion, how are things going for the team? This year, pretty well. We’re still a little sad about the Brandon loss, but that’s in the past. We’ve got to focus on now and just keep winning every game. Wasn’t that game a tie? It was a tie, but that’s like a loss for us. Still a great start to the season. When we talked before the season you said you were excited to step into a leadership role this year. Now that you’re seven games in, how’s it working out for you? Right now, we handle everything as a team. Overall, everything’s going good for us. Losing David Jalomo for the regular season hurt, but you’ve all been really good about keeping opponents from putting many shots on net. How do you keep the pressure up all game like that?

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen while hanging out with your team? The funniest thing has to be when people get mad. Last week, I made J.J. pretty nasty and everybody was laughing about it. Obviously you’d like to win another state championship this year, but what else do you want to accomplish for yourself by the time the season’s over? I just want to send out emails to college coaches. I’m trying to play at the college level. I want to focus on school. I’m looking to go into engineering or accounting, something to do with math because that’s what I’m good at. So math is your favorite subject in school. Who’s your favorite teacher? My favorite teacher is Ms. Booth. She’s just open about everything. She’s my psychology teacher. We learn about real life and the way the mind works, it’s very interesting.

For us, it’s more like we just want to score goals. We want to go up 8-0 in the first half, pretty much. As long as we keep up that pressure there’s not gonna be any shots on goal. What’s been the best moment of the season so far? That’s pretty hard to think about, actually. I’d say against Crest, by far one of our best games. We all played like a team, we were passing and we were not selfish. We played like a team. The expectations for you guys are high, especially with you all playing as well as you have been. How are you all handling that? To us, we believe it’s all a mental game. If we’re stuck in the past we’re not going to get farther. We’re just going to focus on being a family, being a team and train as hard as we can mentally and physically. You all like to play FIFA in your free time. Who’s the best player on the team? I’ve got to say Anthony Ruiz. He uses Real Madrid, sadly. What’s the craziest FIFA game any of you guys have played against each other? Probably Anthony playing against Elvis (Castro). They’re usually like 2-3, it’s always a one goal difference between them.

Know someone who deserves an Athlete of the Week feature? Email Justin Kline at JKline@plantcityobserver.com by the Friday before the next issue.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

JUSTIN KLINE

Parker Messick signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Florida State University in November 2018.

I can’t think of a better coachprogram pairing than Diaz and the ‘Canes. But Diaz’s ability to waltz right out of Philly with virtually no resistance is something many college athletes wish they had and, in my opinion, should have as early as high school. When you sign an NLI in your school auditorium or media center, at your home or some other location of your choosing, you enter yourself into a binding agreement to give said college at least one full year of your time in order to receive whatever athletic scholarship benefits you’ve been offered. You can quit the program and still get your scholarship so long as you remain enrolled at the school for the rest of the year. Should you try to transfer right away, which has been made difficult enough to do already, you can kiss those benefits goodbye

as you’ve effectively broken a contract. The problem with the NLI’s binding agreement focusing solely on the institution is that it totally overlooks many reasons why our kids end up at those schools. This is where Diaz comes into play. Temple had a lot of kids participate in early-bird National Signing Day events (which I dislike because of departures like this) while Diaz was around. Diaz recruited them. Kids signed under the impression they would get to play for him and his assistants. Next thing anyone knows, the ink is dry and Temple needs a new football coach. So the NLI agreement disregards situations like that to, I guess, keep things from getting too messy for the schools. It doesn’t account for all the ath-

letes out there that commit to programs specifically because of the people who recruited them, specifically to play for and learn from these people. A coach can be the difference-maker when a kid’s choosing between a school they had been familiar with and a school they’d maybe never heard of before a coach they really like walked into their life. At that point the institution itself becomes a secondary factor. I’ve talked to a lot of recruits over the years and almost all of them have told me feeling like they’re playing for people who truly care about them is a top priority. If it’s not priority number one, it’s priority 1B. What’s the point in pretending everyone who signs an NLI had their heart set on Whatever State University from the jump and doesn’t care who runs their

sport’s program? You’d have to be incredibly naïve or willfully ignorant to think coaches going through the recruiting process are going to tell these kids anything about their plans to leave a program until the ink is dry on their new contracts and they’ve already started cleaning out their desks that morning. It’s an unforeseen event no athlete can plan for, thus I believe it’s not fair to prevent kids from backing out of their original NLI and re-opening their options when the coach they wanted to play for decides to peace out. It’s so easy to just change the language, let the kids re-open their searches and let the schools have that allotted scholarship money back to use on someone else. There are no multi-million dollar buyouts to navigate. It’s not that hard to give athletes

similar freedoms as coaches like Diaz who can jump to greener pastures when the opportunity arises. The athletes are the most important piece of the college sports machine. Why not treat them like it?

Justin Kline is the Sports Editor at the Plant City Times & Observer. Email: jkline@ plantcityobserver. com.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

TOP BUILDING PERMITS These are the largest building permits issued in Plant City for the month of December 2018, in order of dollar amounts.

real estate transactions

WALDEN LAKE

The home at 3207 Alcott Ave. sold Dec. 7 for $299,000. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,209 square feet of living area. The home at 1801 N. Walden Place sold Dec. 3 for $200,000. Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,653 square feet of living area. HIGH SELLERS OF 2018

The home at 1222 Lindsey Road sold Jan. 3, for $314,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,066 square feet of living area. The home at 4611 W. Sam Allen Road sold Feb. 2, for $330,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,350 square feet of living area. The home at 4501 Highland Creek Drive sold March 7, for

$343,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,656 square feet of living area. The home at 2706 S. Fairway Drive sold April 4, for $344,900. Built in 1990, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,637 square feet of living area. The home at 4019 Shady Meadow Drive sold May 14, for $550,000. Built in 2014, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,764 square feet of living area. The home at 3115 Williams Road sold June 6, for $390,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,091 square feet of living area. The home at 3308 Ranchdale Drive sold July 11, for $384,000. Built in 2013, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 3,322 square feet of living area.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

REAL ESTATE

December 2018

The home at 4209 Edwin Mill Place sold August 15, for $310,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,467 square feet of living area. The home at 2918 Spring Hammock Drive sold September 7, for $343,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 1,999 square feet of living area. The home at 2207 Wedgewood Court sold Oct. 1, for $314,000. Built in 1986, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,588 square feet of living area. The home at 3051 Sutton Woods Drive sold Nov. 6, for $355,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,434 square feet of living area.

All sales information was obtained from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. Permit information was obtained from the City of Plant City.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Haleigh Jump

Haleigh Jump, 12, of Plant City, born on April 14, 2006 in Richard “Rick” Anthony Tampa, entered into her eternal Johnson, 62, passed away on home on Jan. 1, 2019. Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. Expressions of condolence at He was born on Oct. 25, 1956 in www.HopewellFuneral.com. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Rick is survived by the love of his life, Theresa Johnson and will be lovingly remembered by his daughters, Brandie (Thomas) Trimble, Noelle (Jeff) Simpson and Katy Johnson; HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM grandchildren, Eden, Colton, Beckham and Blake. He was preceded in death by we’re dedicated helping families create a E our community his parents, Harvey andtoElaine unique and meaningful memorial that truly nate care since 1896. and Johnson siblings, Jim Johncelebrates the life it represents. professionals, son and Cherie Bishoff. e GuaranteeRick > National Plan loved Jesus, hisTransferability family Mildred Miller Travel Assistance > The Compassion Helpline® all being together, the outdoors ‘MawMaw’ and football. Expressions of condolence at www.wellsmemorial.com. supporting the Plant City Strawberry Festival. Mildred Miller “MawMaw”, 85, of Lithia, born in Walton County, Georgia on Oct. 15, 1933, entered into eternal rest on Jan. 2, 2019. Expressions of condolence at WELLSMEMORIAL.COM www.HopewellFuneral.com.

Taking care of ach other is what

Charles R. Adams Charles R. Adams, 75, of Plant City, Florida, and formerly High Point, North Carolina, entered into eternal rest on Jan. 3, 2019. Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

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Dorothy ‘Dot’ Ann Provau Neal Harrelson Dorothy “Dot” Ann Provau Neal Harrelson, 77, of Plant City, born in Plant City on May 11, 1941, entered into eternal rest on Jan. 1, 2019. Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

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OBITUARIES

Richard ‘Rick’ Anthony Johnson

Margaret Apgar, 81, of Dover, passed away on Friday, Jan. 4, HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM 2019. Funeral Services will be held at 4:00 p.m.,we’re Thursday, Jan. 10 at families create a dedicated to helping WE’RE P RO UD TO S E RV E our community Wells 1903 W Reyn-memorial that truly unique and meaningful with personal, compassionate care since 1896.Memorial, celebrates As your Dignity Memorial professionals, olds St, Plant City.the life it represents. Jeanette Hawkins will be held two > 100% Service GuaranteeVisitation > National Plan Transferability hours prior,> from 2:00 p.m. toHelpline® The Compassion > Bereavement Travel Assistance 4:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Jeanette Hawkins, 79, of LakeExpressions of condolence at land, passed away on Jan. 7, wellsmemorial.com. 2019. Proudlyfriends supporting the Plant City Strawberry Festival. The family will receive Thursday, Jan. 10 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Haught Funeral Home, 708 W Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd., Plant City. A graveside service will follow at 2:30 p.m. WELLSMEMORIAL.COM Online condolences may be left for the family at www. haught.care. Wells MeMorial & event Center ®

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

THURSDAY, JAN. 10 CHAMBER NETWORKING LUNCH

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the TECO Expo Hall at the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds, 2301 W. Oak Ave. Tickets are $25 for members ($20 if purchased by Jan. 4) and $30 for non-members of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. Contact Sophia Hyde at 813-754-3707 or sophia@ plantcity.org for more information.

HEALTH LITERACY 101

4 p.m. at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St. Join a class to increase awareness of and educate the group on health literacy. Call 813-757-9215 to sign up.

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 MORNING MIMOSAS AND NETWORKING

8 a.m. at OnPoint CoWork Solutions, 1805 James L. Redman Parkway. Meet like-minded professionals with a morning of mimosas or a cup of joe. This monthly event is to help connect and grow businesses in a pleasant, relaxing and cozy atmosphere. This is a free networking event open to members and nonmembers.

INTRODUCTION TO YOGA WORKSHOP

7 p.m. at The Koa Yoga Studio, 2806 James L. Redman Parkway #205. The workshop is designed for first-time practitioners of all ages and abilities who want a boost of knowledge and confidence to begin a regular yoga practice. In this workshop they will explore basic yogic breathing, yoga postures and relaxation.

SATURDAY, JAN. 12 TWO STEP DANCE LESSONS

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Strawberry Dance Center, 4401 Promenade Blvd. Lessons run through March 30 on Saturdays and are $6.00 each per lesson. Visit www.strawberrysquaredancing.com or call 864-723-6965 for more information.

BEST BET SATURDAY, JAN. 12 AUTHOR VISIT: TIM DORSEY

1:30 p.m. at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St. Hilarious local author Tim Dorsey will discuss his brand new book, “No Sunscreen for the Dead.” Dorsey will also have copies of the book available for early purchase as the book is not being released to the public until January 15. No registration required.

LIVING A VIRTUOUS LIFE BOOK SIGNING

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Plant City Bing Rooming House African American Museum, 205 Allen St. Plant City author James McDaniel will be signing his book “Living a Virtuous Life.” McDaniel provides a unique perspective on growing up in Plant City, military service and careers with NASA and the City of Plant City as the director of development.

DRUGS IN OUR COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

2 to 5 p.m. at Greater New Hope Anointed Ministries, 2104 Mud Lake Road. Hosted by I Impact PC, the Improvement League of Plant City, Safe & Sound Hillsborough and Prevention Collaborative, the workshop will discuss the impact of drugs in the community and the steps we can take to decrease its presence in Plant City.

SPAGHETTI DINNER

4:30 to 6 p.m. at Springhead United Methodist Church, 2501 Sparkman Road. The cost is $5 per person. Takeouts are available.

GOSPEL MUSIC CONCERT

6:30 to 8 p.m. at Harmony Baptist Church, 6008 W. Knights Griffin Road. The public is invited to a Gospel Music Concert featur-

ing The Peace River Trio from St. Petersburg.

BINGO

6:30 p.m. at the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 26, 2207 W. Baker St. Bingo cards go on sale at 5 p.m. and the games start at 6:30 p.m. Cash only for tickets. Must be 18 years or older to play.

PLANT CITY SOCIAL DANCE 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Strawberry Square, 4401 Promenade Blvd. Plant City Social Dance will be holding its January dances on Jan. 12 and Jan. 19. This dance will be social with a 3,000 square foot floating wood floor to dance on. Cost is $6.

MONDAY, JAN. 14 CRAFTERNOON: FROSTY’S SNOWY ADVENTURES

4 to 7 p.m. at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St. Elementary students are invited to come out for a fun crafternoon with Frosty. He’s cold, he’s chilly and he loves science. Jump into these wintery wonderland experiments.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 SUNCOAST CHAPTER OF FLORIDA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY 6:30 to 7 p.m. at the Hillsborough County Extension Office, 5339 CR 579, Seffner, FL 33584. Janet Bowers, Plant City resident and past SNPS chapter president will discuss

her year-long project converting a small pool area into a native plant garden. Meeting begins at 7 with plant exchange and light refreshments at 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, JAN 17 WALTZ DANCE LESSONS 12 to 2 p.m. at Strawberry

Square, 4401 Promenade Blvd.

Waltz Dance lessons are Jan. 17 through March 28 on Thursdays and are $6.00 each per lesson. Visit www.strawberrysquaredancing.com or call 864-723-6965 for more information.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Edited by David Steinberg January 10, 2019

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FORECAST THURSDAY, JAN. 10 High: 62 Low: 41 Chance of rain: 0%

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 High: 72 Low: 53 Chance of rain: 0%

24 Somewhat, informally 26 Thread or tape holder 28 Elisabeth of “Leaving Las Vegas” 29 Suffix with “legal” 32 20th-century conflict, but more so? 34 Figure skating maneuver 35 North Dakota city 36 Hit hard 37 “The Jetsons” dog 38 Shaving lotion brand 39 Rehearsal, but more so? 41 “Mine,” in Madrid 42 Gordon’s beverages 43 Key players? 44 It might end a battle

46 Liverpudlian, e.g. 47 “Please specify” survey option 49 Writes (down) 50 ___ coat (sailor’s jacket) 53 Jazz instrument, but more so? 57 Composer Stravinsky 58 Summer solstice month 59 Like soda bread 60 Gwynn with five Gold Gloves 61 Alluring 62 Lake rental DOWN 1 Sage 2 What you put into a pot

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, Jan. 10

7:21a

5:51p

Friday, Jan. 11

7:21a

5:51p

Saturday, Jan. 12

7:21a

5:52p

Sunday, Jan. 13

7:21a

5:53p

Monday, Jan. 14

7:21a

5:54p

Tuesday, Jan. 15

7:21a

5:55p

Wednesday, Jan. 16

7:21a

5:55p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, JAN. 12 High: 78 Low: 60 Chance of rain: 10%

SUNDAY, JAN. 13 High: 80 Low: 58 Chance of rain: 20%

STRAWBERRIES Shipping point: Central Florida $20-$24.90

“Going to Extremes” by Jacob Stulberg

ACROSS 1 A diet may slim it 6 Reading ___ (bedside fixture) 10 Shoe in high fashion? 14 “Slumdog Millionaire” setting 15 Plane calculation 16 Trade fair 17 Peaceful pool filler, but more so? 20 Fish that might shock you 21 ___ out a living (barely got by) 22 Missed the mark 23 Core

SUNRISE/SUNSET

3 Old Testament no-no 4 (Not my mistake) 5 Become established 6 Glove material 7 Far from fertile 8 Funny man Brooks 9 Chum 10 <3 11 Newsboy’s repeated shout 12 Foil alternative, to a fencer 13 Title for Voldemort 18 Pirate flag icon 19 “What ___ you thinking?” 23 Winter mugful 24 Emotion related to guilt 25 Word in many church names 26 “Ready Player One” genre, familiarly 27 Five-in-one Olympics event 28 Graceful birds 30 Syringe’s contents, perhaps 31 Tech bigwig Musk 32 Muslim cleric 33 Toy you might attach a camera to 34 Until now 37 Kind of flair or freedom 39 Lighter brand 40 ___ Maul (“Star Wars” character) 42 Fount of knowledge 45 Take from the top 46 One over par 47 Final newspaper piece, briefly 48 Burkina Faso neighbor 49 Curse 50 “No ___, no gain!” 51 Canadian gas brand 52 Tennis legend Arthur 54 Sleepwear, for short 55 Regret 56 Maidenform garment

Feb. 4 New

Jan. 10 First

Jan. 20 Full

Jan. 31 Last

RAINFALL Monday, Dec. 24

0.00

Tuesday, Dec. 25 0.00 Wednesday, Dec. 26

0.00

Thursday, Dec. 27 0.00 Friday, Dec. 28

0.00

Saturday, Dec. 29 0.00 Sunday, Dec. 30

0.00

YEAR TO DATE:

MONTH TO DATE:

2019 0.37 in.

2018 0.42 in.

WEATHER

I LOVE PLANT CITY

34 Until now 12 Foil 42 Gordon’s ACROSS 37 Kind of flair alternative, beverages 1 A diet may or freedom to a fencer 43 Key players? slim it 39 Lighter brand 13 Title for 44 It might end 6 Reading ___ Send(bedside your photo submissions to Associate Editor Justin Kline at jkline@PlantCityObserver.com 40 ___ Maul Voldemort a battle 18 Pirate flag 46 on Liverpudlian, fixture)#iloveplantcity or hashtag Instagram for @igersplantcity to feature. (“Star Wars” character) icon e.g. 10 Shoe in high 42 Fount of 19 “What ___ 47 “Please fashion? knowledge you thinking?” specify” 14 “Slumdog 45 Take from 23 Winter mugful survey option Millionaire” the top 24 Emotion re49 Writes (down) setting 46 One over par lated to guilt 50 ___ coat 15 Plane 47 Final 25 Word in many (sailor’s calculation newspaper church names jacket) 16 Trade fair piece, briefly 26 “Ready Player 53 Jazz 17 Peaceful pool 48 Burkina Faso One” genre, instrument, filler, but more familiarly but more so? so? neighbor 27 Five-in-one 57 Composer 49 Curse 20 Fish that might Olympics Stravinsky 50 “No ___, no shock you event 58 Summer gain!” 21 ___ out a 28 Graceful birds solstice 51 Canadian living (barely 30 Syringe’s month gas brand got by) contents, 59 Like soda 52 Tennis leg22 Missed the perhaps bread end Arthur mark 31 Tech bigwig 60 Gwynn with 54 Sleepwear, 23 Core Musk five Gold for short 24 Somewhat, 32 Muslim cleric Gloves 55 Regret informally 33Lake Toyjust you 61 Alluring 56 year Maidenform 26 Thread or saw a beautiful Richard Moody sunset at Walden before the new and couldn’t pass mightwins attach 62 aLake tape holder to snap on the opportunity photorental and send it in. Moody this week’s I garment Love Plant City photo a camera to DOWN 28 Elisabeth of contest. 1 Sage “Leaving Las 2 What you Vegas” PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER put into a pot 29 Suffix with Follow on social media: @PCObserver on Instgram, 3 Oldus Testament “legal” O N L I N E @PlantObserver on Twitter and Plant City Observer no-no 32 20th-century on Facebook. 4 (Not my conflict, but mistake) more so? 5 Become 34 Figure skating established maneuver 6 Glove 35 North Dakota material city 7 Far from 36 Hit hard fertile 37 “The Jetsons” 8 Funny man dog Brooks 38 Shaving 9 Chum lotion brand 10 <3 39 Rehearsal, 11 Newsboy’s but more so? 1/9 repeated 41 “Mine,” in © 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com shout Madrid

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

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