PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer
UYFL results.
SEE PAGE 12
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 4, NO. 23
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FRIDAY,DECEMBER 16, 2016
GROWTH SKIRT SparkleSkirts announces expansion at County Line Commerce Center. SEE PAGE 3
FUNDING REQUESTS TOTAL FUNDING REQUESTS INCLUDE: Four-lane crossing over CSX rail line and new switch/spur: $1,500,000 Collins Street improvements: $1,825,000 Opticom traffic control system: $150,000 Watershed Management Plan: $650,000 Franklin Street Neighborhood Stormwater Improvements: $850,000 Plant City Surface Water Discharge Study: $150,000 Biosolids treatment with solar dryers: $750,000 Development of McIntosh Tract Regional Park: $300,000
PHIL’S BABY
Courtesy photo
2017 Strawberry Youth Parade names grand marshal
Commission makes funding requests
Ashlyn Yarbrough has been selected to serve as the grand marshal of the 2017 Strawberry Youth Parade on Saturday, March 4, 2017. Yarbrough, a senior at Plant City High School, is the daughter of Mark and Lori Yarbrough. She is a four-year varsity cheerleader and serves as senior class president. In addition to serving as a member of the 2016 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen’s Court, Yarbrough is the current Miss January 2016 for the Plant City High School Calendar Girls. She is the vice president for the Girls Interact Club and is active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Future Business Leaders of America. She is a member of First Baptist Church of Plant City. In November 2016, Yarbrough was responsible for organizing Plant City High School’s first annual Raider Color Run. That same month, she also won the 2016 Dancing with the Locals competition, where she and partner Bryson Keel raised over $30,000 for the Noon Rotary Club. She plans to attend the University of Florida upon graduation, where she will major in business marketing.
The top funding request is for improvements to Collins Street, including sidewalks and bike lanes. EMILY TOPPER MANAGING EDITOR
Just in time for the holidays, Plant City Commissioners have sent their funding wish list to Tallahassee. At the City Commission meeting Monday, Dec. 12, commissioners approved the 2017 legislative funding requests, totaling $6,175,000. At $1,825,000, funding for improvements to Colins Street is the largest request. Funding would be used to redevelop Collins Street through Midtown and the commercial district. If approved, improvements would include two-lane travel lanes, parallel parking, sidewalks and bike lanes. “The city manager (Mike Herr) looks at requests and items outside of city funding,” Mayor Rick Lott said. “Items are picked that would have the biggest impact in Plant City. Then, the requests are sent to the legislative body in Tallahassee.” Collins Street improvements are a top priority, as the City of Plant City currently has bids out for the development of Midtown. “That’s very, very important to us,” Lott said. “We’re hoping to get everything funded. That’s up to our elected officials in Tallahassee, but we have a great relationship with Tallahassee. We feel confident we’ll get support.” In addition to the improvements at Collins Street, the City of Plant City also has requested the construction of a four-lane crossing over the CSX rail line at Lakeside Station Logistics Park, which currently houses Star Distribution Systems, Evergreen Packaging and other industrial companies. Construction would provide the site with access to U.S. Highway 92, which would be a key element in attracting further businesses to the 1,400-acre property. Lakeside Station is set to undergo further development in 2017, including the relocation of QGS Development Inc. Currently located in Lithia, the development company will be building a 16,000-square-foot space in the new year in Lakeside Station. The City of Plant City will be notified of Tallahassee’s decision by the end of April. The City will receive approved funding in October, when the fiscal year begins. Contact Emily Topper at etopper@ plantcityobserver.com.
YOUR TOWN
Emily Topper
Jason Jeffcoat’s 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead once belonged to his grandfather, Phil Brady.
Jason Jeffcoat took home the People’s Choice and Best of Show awards at the Plant City Bike Fest in December. His road to win began with a love of motorcycles passed on by his grandfather. EMILY TOPPER | MANAGING EDITOR
J
ason Jeffcoat’s earliest memories are made of rubber tires and moving asphalt. Strapped in by a bungee cord to the back of a motorcycle, the winding roads of Plant City soothed an infant Jeffcoat to sleep. On occasion his grandfather, Phil Brady, would reach back to touch Jeffcoat’s leg, waking him gently. Around him, people laughed at the sleeping baby on the back of a motorcycle. Camera flashes popped. Jeffcoat posed for pictures again on Saturday, Dec. 3. Now an adult, the motorcycle aficionado had brought his
grandfather’s beloved 1947 HarleyDavidson Knucklehead to the Plant City Bike Fest. It was the first time the bike had been featured in a show in over 16 years, and the first time Jeffcoat had debuted it since Brady’s death in 2015. Jeffcoat wasn’t expecting much. Bikes with LED lights and endless chrome were entered in almost every category. Suddenly, his name was called. More cameras, more flashes and words Jeffcoat had never expected: Best of Show. SEE PAGE 5
Courtesy photo
Engaged Wedding bells are ringing in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. Andy Riddle and Jessica Reeves met at Strawberry Crest High School in 2009, when Riddle was a junior and Reeves was a sophomore. The couple began dating on Dec. 7, 2009, and had their first date at Christmas Lane. Seven years later, the holiday tradition remains special for the couple. Riddle proposed to Reeves Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Christmas Lane.