5.2.19 PLCO by Plant City Observer

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VOLUME 6, NO. 44

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

TURKEY CREEK ROAD PROJECT ENTERS NEXT PHASE

Hillsborough County agreed to allot $3 million to the City of Plant City for its Turkey Creek Road Enhancement Project thanks to another amendment to a long held transportation agreement. SEE PAGE 9

BEST FRIENDS 10K TAKES ELLIS-METHVIN PARK

Justin Kline

Runners tagged each other in and out of laps during the 10K. Each team runner logged the equivalent of a 5K.

The race tasked runners with teaming up to take on the park’s walking trail.

A NIGHT IN THE GARDEN Leadership Plant City hosted a Garden Walk Friday evening in the Plant City Commons Community Garden.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

What started out as a simple community project flourished into an elaborate event thanks to the incentive of Leadership Plant City. The organization is hosted by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce and is comprised of a variety of up

and coming community leaders that wish to delve deeper into the pulse of Plant City. As part of the official Leadership program the group has to participate in a community project. Usually the project flies under the radar and is reviewed by a committee prior to the class graduation, however, this year’s group wanted to do something a little different.

SEE PAGE 7

SEE PAGE 11

NEWS BRIEFS

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

Courtesy photos

Left: Brendan Rollyson poses with his Photojournalism Contest award. Right: Armwood AVID volunteers clean up.

Photojournalism contest winner announced The Plant City Photo Archives and History Center named Brendan Rollyson winner of its 2019 Photojournalism Contest. Rollyson, who was chosen unanimously for the win, used his words and photographs to tell the story of his grandfather’s experiences as a Boy Scout in the 1950s and how that inspired him to carry on that legacy. Rollyson earned the rank of Eagle Scout in February. “The Photo Archives & History Center Photojournalism Contest states that ‘photojournalism is telling true and factual stories through words and photographs.’ That’s exactly what Brendan Rollyson did in his story about Scouting in Plant City,” Archives Director Gil Gott said in a news release. Rollyson won $100 for his efforts on behalf of contest sponsor Haught Funeral Home.

Armwood HS volunteers help EHHS Armwood High School’s AVID Club lent a helping hand to the East Hillsborough Historical Society on April 27 by getting to work at the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center. The AVID members who made the trek to Plant City helped with landscap-

ing, working with landscape foreman Karl Rhoades of the City of Plant City Parks Division to install mulch and place plants. “The EHHS/1914 are very appreciative of the opportunity to work with the youth of our community as they develop a positive lifelong trait of giving of their time to help others,” EHHS President Shelby Bender said. “Volunteerism builds a sense of self value that stays with you forever. I myself began to volunteer at a very early age and to this day I enjoy meeting new people and working on projects that leave a positive impact for everyone to enjoy.”

Goodwill stores hosting summer food drive Channel 10 News and Publix are once again teaming up with Goodwill stores in the Tampa Bay area to help keep kids from going hungry over the summer. The “Cereal for Summer” food drive will collect nonperishable breakfast foods at Goodwill stores from May 5 through 19 in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Nutritious dry cereals, breakfast bars and oatmeal are encouraged donation items. The Plant City stores at 2802 James L. Redman Parkway and 3050 College Ave. E. are participating in the drive and will accept donations during their regular business hours.

Pet adoption weekend upcoming The PetSmart store at 211 W. Alexander St. will participate in the national PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend event from May 17-19. The Plant City store and Rescue Cats of Florida will host the event from 12 to 5 p.m. those days. Fully vetted cats and dogs will be available for adoption on site. Approved adopters can also spin a prize wheel to possibly win free food, pet supplies or a discounted adoption fee. Pets available at the Plant City store can be seen on Rescue Cats of Florida’s Facebook page, which also has adoption and volunteer applications. All of the group’s animals are spayed or neutered, chipped and vaccinated. The group is also looking for volunteers and wants students to know they can earn community service hours working with it. To volunteer or get more information about Rescue Cats of Florida, visit rescuecatsofflorida.org or email rescuecatsofflorida@gmail.com.

Donate at American Heart Association at Winn-Dixie Winn-Dixie grocery stores around the southeastern United States are teaming

up with the American Heart Association to help with disease prevention research. The chain is supporting the AHA’s Life is Why We Give fundraising campaign by collecting donations at its stores. Shoppers in Plant City at the 205 W. Alexander St. location can donate at the cash register through May 7. According to the AHA, heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 killers of Americans today.

Tractor Supply Co. to host Market Day Farmers, artisans and crafters are invited to show and sell their goods at Tractor Supply Co., 1803 James L. Redman Parkway, on May 18. Market Day is an event to be hosted at Tractor Supply Co. stores all over the United States, giving vendors a free marketplace for their wares. All vendors have to do is visit the TSC store in Plant City or go online at TSCeventpartners. com before May 15 to sign up. “Our communities are filled with incredible talent,” Mary Lawley, vice president of store administration, said. “As a company, we strive to support our communities and the out here lifestyle, which is why we created Tractor Supply’s Market Day as a way to shine the spotlight on our talented neighbors by providing them with an easy and convenient way to share their goods with others.”

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MIDWAY TO CELEBRATE 120 YEARS The church has been a fixture of the northern Plant City area since 1899.

Justin Kline

Pastor Mike Rippy holds one of several scrapbooks chronicling the history of his church. JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Pastor Mike Rippy knew First Baptist Church Midway had a long, storied history in the Plant City community as he’s been with the church for a total of 14 and a half years. What he didn’t know was that history was recorded and stashed away right under the church staff’s noses. A big, beautiful scrapbook bound by two pieces of wood, one with the church’s front and “Midway” etched onto the front cover, containing photos and clippings and writings, dating from 1899 to approximately 1979, was hidden in Rippy’s office. He found it by accident one day while cleaning and reorganizing his office and more scrapbook discoveries soon followed. The original deed to the building — since demolished to make way for the current structures — was found in an unassuming manila folder tucked away in a filing cabinet in the front office. No one could believe it wasn’t framed and hung somewhere on the campus. Dozens of photographs from the black-and-

white days of old to the 1980s and 1990s have lived in an unassuming cardboard box. Though the church staff isn’t sure exactly who spent so much time and effort chronicling FBC Midway’s history several decades ago, their work isn’t going unappreciated. “We’re trying to preserve the history of it,” Rippy said. “To reach this milestone of 120 years of being here on this property, it’s pretty unique.” FBC Midway is getting ready to celebrate its 120th anniversary on May 19 and the entire Plant City community is invited to join one of its oldest churches for a day of special worship during its regular service time, good eating after the service and a look back at the past. The church’s theme for 2019, Rippy said, is “Welcome Home: The Story Continues.” The May 19 celebration will be a prime example of that as all in attendance are invited to look through the scrapbooks and photos and take a deep dive into the history of this home. You can learn something about nearly every pastor the church has ever had and, in many cases, even see photographs for Todd and other pastors as far back as

the early 1900s. You can learn about the Wilder family’s decision to donate the land and read about the 1958 expansion as was written 61 years ago. Back in 1899, the land on which the church was built (and still uses) was owned by the Wilder family, who donated it to Frank Martin and C.A. Kendrick with the intent of building a Baptist church in a convenient location for Plant City-area residents who otherwise made long treks for church service. The “Midway” name was given because the church was located at the midpoint of two Southern Baptist churches most in the area attended. The church had 16 charter members when the building was completed and was led by Rev. Edward Livingston Todd, who was paid 25 cents per member per month. Todd served until 1901 and left the post due to poor health. Midway Baptist Church hit a milestone in 1930 when ministry services expanded from twice monthly to full-time under the leadership of Rev. W.D. Cowart. Its first in-house baptism took place in 1944 and the first couple to be wed in the church — Eddie B. Williams and Ruby Bailey —

Courtesy photo

Pastor Mike Rippy and his family are proud to call FBC Midway home.

did so in 1926, one year before a storm caused major damage to the building and prompted repairs. The church underwent numerous additions and tweaks to its campus from the 1940s through the 1960s and in one of the biggest moves, the original wooden building became in 1958 what is now the chapel. The church’s youth building was constructed in the early 2000s and its most recent project, the sanctuary, was completed in 2010. Rippy is the most recent of a long line of 29 men to have pastored at FBC Midway throughout its 120 years on the old Wilder property. Many of its pastors served for just one year at a time before leaving the post to allow someone else to take over, so it wasn’t until Rev. John Odom took over in 1977 that anyone lasted longer than Rev. J.W. Johnson’s eight-year run from 1902 to 1910. Odom held the post for 13 years, leaving in 1990. The longest-tenured pastor was Rev. Mitch Weissman, who led the church from 1996 to 2013. Rippy was the church’s youth pastor for 10 of those years, left to lead Turning Point Baptist Church in Mulberry and returned to Plant

City with his family to lead FBC Midway in October 2014. He’s hoping to keep memories of the church’s past alive and to keep the foundation of its culture solid so he and those who will eventually follow him as senior pastor will have many more anniversaries to celebrate in the future. “It’s really the best church I could ever ask to pastor,” Rippy said. “Great people, great heart. Love each other, love God… it’s just great folks.”

IF YOU GO First Baptist Church Midway 120th Anniversary Service When: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 19. Lunch to follow Where: 2902 Midway Road Info: (813) 752-7209; online at www.fbcmidway.org

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

FACEBOOK FEEDBACK

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Some stories the Observer has published over the past few weeks have created quite a conversation online. Here are your thoughts on what’s happening in the city.

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

ASKED AND ANSWERED: The city will soon unveil a new project signage program to help facilitate conversations regarding a variety of projects around town between the community and its city leaders.

WALDEN LAKE GOLF COURSE DEVELOPER SEEKS COMMUNITY INPUT: The new developers of the Walden Lake Golf Course are hoping to ascertain what the majority of residents want out of the property.

Jana Kirkland Butler: I remember the signage for the ‘midtown’ project costing us thousands of dollars!!! Those signs stood until they were ruined and the project never happened. Area is still empty slabs of concrete desolation!!!

Ericka Mange Davis: I’m fairly certain the residents want a Chick-fil-A. seems like a good spot lol

TO ADVERTISE Call (813) 704-6850

Advertising / Karen Berry kberry@plantcityobserver.com

Gloria Estrada: Have you guys seen the new communities in wesley chapel? They made a new lagoon that people can swim in, they charge people in the community a 30$ fee per month per household if they want to use that amenity, and they charge non residents $25 per person (per day). Great way to produce money for the community and jobs for the locals and residents.

UNUSUAL EASTER HUNT: An on-foot pursuit following a traffic stop led HCSO deputies on an usual Easter hunt Sunday evening. Megan Perez: Lucky they got him before a gator did, it’s mating season is he nuts? Don’t run from the cops, especially not into a pond in mating season

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.

Travis Emerson: An equestrian center would put them apart from other communities….

SPEEDING THROUGH WALDEN LAKE? NOT ON PCPD’S WATCH: Plant City Police Department recently spent a week heavily enforcing speeding in the community to help curb one of the most common complaints among Walden Lake residents.

If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call Linda Lancaster at 704-6850.

Susan Fairchild Gray: Approximately 10 million people watched the Masters last Sunday. I don’t think golf is going anywhere.

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Thomas Hofts: Speed limit is too low. The road can handle 65mph with a bit of drifting in the curves

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Universal Crossword

Trish Hall Sedgwick: Thank you to the Plant City Police Department for all that they do to keep us safe. Edited by David Steinberg May 3,

2019

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

CITY TAKES STEPS TO END FLOODING NEAR ROSELAND PARK SUBDIVISION

Roseland Park and its nearby roadways routinely fill with water following any major storm. The city has moved to the next step to make that flooding a thing of the past.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

For years, residents of Roseland Park have had to quietly watch as their yards and the nearby roadways slowly fill with water every time the city receives a heavy rain. If the city faces a major storm, the park, which is one of the oldest subdivisions in the city, can have several inches of standing water following the rough weather. Last week, commissioners executed a Consultant Work Order with Singhofen & Associates Incorporated to begin the process of tackling the massive problem. “I’m really, really, really excited about the Roseland Park project moving forward like this,” Mayor Rick Lott said. “I hope we all are. I really can’t wait to get into more of the details when the design comes back from the architectural firm.” Now that the city has hired Singhofen & Associates, which it brought on for an hourly not to exceed price of $79,653.20, there will be several months of design for the upcoming project. Then the city will review the design and, if they like the proposed plan, go from there into making it a reality. City staff and the consultant have already used computer simulations to determine the best solution for the area and Singhofen will prepare the final design for construction.

“What’s more important, if I can say it that way, is the project is moving forward,” McDaniel said. “This is a long-standing need and I’m really glad to see this kind of progress being made where we finish the study, we identify what the problems are and now you’re getting a solution designed to address those problems, which means that neighborhood, once this is implemented, should no longer flood. You won’t have standing water in the back of it. It will be a major improvement for the residents in that area.” Anyone who lives near, or has even driven by, the Roseland Park area knows that any rain, especially the hard summer rains that come practically daily, causes the properties and the roadway, especially Azalea Street, to fill up with standing water. The city has received complaints from the residents who have called that subdivision home for years. McDaniel said their concerns and frustrations are more than warranted and calls the property one of the worst flooding areas in the city. “We get a heavy rain back there in the east portion and they could literally have two or three feet of water standing,” McDaniel said. “It needs to be addressed. This isn’t a minor thing, this is a very significant project.” Realistically, however, the city is facing a massive undertaking. Preventing flooding the likes of which is frequent at Roseland will

not be a simple fix. The city will have to dedicate land behind it to the east to ensure the project can be successfully completed. They will install additional stormwater structures and pipe and also reconstruct the roadway adding new curb, inlets and a sidewalk to ensure the entire area remains relatively dry during storms. The issue at hand is the property the city owns that is required to be altered to address the nearby flooding is at the northwest corner of the stadium property. The negotiations for the long-awaited Sports Village originally had that property on the table for prospective developers. Gary Sheffield Sports Village, LLC won the bid for the development and is currently in negotiations with the city to hash out the perfect plan for the project. “Even as we’ve been negotiating on Sports Village we’re having to keep in mind that if they want to use those parcels of land they have to allow us to run stormwater infrastructure on them because that’s part of solving the Roseland Park problem,” McDaniel said. “We’re basically — and I’m giving everyone the preview, not the technical version —but we will basically pull the water to the east and northeast into large retention areas that will be constructed in the wooded areas up behind Roseland north of the stadium, well actually north of the Urban Forest property.”

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

PEACH FESTIVAL A PEACHY KEEN AFFAIR Keel Farms hosted its fifth annual Peach Festival Saturday, drawing fruit-loving crowds to the winery and adjacent farms.

Walking by Faith: Weathering any storm

Breanne Williams

The annual Peach Festival drew major crowds to Keel Farms in honor of the sweet fruit. BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

lant City may be known for its strawberries, but on Saturday the community showed its adoration for another sweet fruit during the fifth annual Peach Festival at Keel Farms. While most think of Georgia peaches as the superior summer fruit, Florida has its own version of the delectable treat. Keel Farms hosted a u-pick themed festival Saturday to pay homage to the peach. Attendees headed into the winery where they enjoyed live music and good food and then drifted out to the grounds to enjoy the festivities. There was a variety of vendors including a sticker bus and many bath bomb booths, as well as Keel & Curley and Two Henrys stands for people to enjoy wine or beer as they walked.

The blueberry bushes were also available for picking and many grabbed small buckets and headed out to get some of the dark berries. Others waited in a line for a bus that took them to the peach trees, which were located at a nearby property. Due to the high demand, the trees were picked clean quite early in the day. However, the party continued. Peachey’s Baking Company made a special appearance at the event, serving massive, fresh amish donuts with a sweet peach and blueberry topping to the hungry masses. Children climbed up and down the bounce houses and families stopped to share some therapeutic pats with some of the farm animals. The blueberry picking went long into the evening and as the event began to wind to a close the winery and its massive patio continued to stay chock full. See more photos online at plantcityobserver.com.

DANIEL MIDDLEBROOKS GUEST COLUMNIST

Take a moment on this National Day of Prayer to prepare for storms of nature and storms in the heart. Are you prepared for a storm? As the coolness of winter fades (it was at least five days this year), we now have to make sure that we are prepared for the Florida stormy season. The unexpected rain showers may only last a few minutes, but if you are caught out in them, you’d think you were standing under Niagara Falls. I was painfully (or was it soakingly) reminded of this the other week while doing my normal site visits with the numerous first responder agencies I cover. By the time I got back to my Chevrolet Tahoe, my clothes were carrying so much water I could have taken care of the drought in Colorado. Still, I think now of umbrellas, tarps, flashlights and batteries, canned goods and hand crank can openers, propane, bottles of water (both frozen and unfrozen), battery-operated radios (in case the cell phone towers get blown over), the National Weather service handbook on “How to Survive a Hurricane” and, lastly, the lighter and candle. I’d build a tornado bunker if it would not become an underground swimming pool on the first day. Now I am ready for whatever the elements throw at me… or am I? The momentary tempests of nature can never compare to the inner storms of our heart and lives. These storms can rage for days, weeks, months and sadly, even years. I guess the real question is, “Are you ready for these storms?” They can start today. Thursday, May 2, is set aside annually as the National Day of Prayer. It is an invitation for everyone to take a moment and to ask an incredible God for His words of wisdom through the confusing times, His hand of strength through the tough times and His grace through the

growing times. It seems I have more of the last one then I do the others. Prayer is not about the number of words you use, the posture you take, nor the place you are. It is about a recognition of who God is and a realization that “I can’t, but He can!” (see Genesis 18:4, Jeremiah 32:27). Prayer becomes supercharged when others join with you to voice their petitions and praise. Think of it this way. Energy is what I exert when I do something alone. With my strength, I can move a boulder — OK, maybe a big rock — with a hand truck. Yet synergy is the combination of others joining with me to move more than just a rock, but an entire mountain. The great preacher and evangelist, Charles Finney said, “Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other’s hearts in prayer.” Storms in our life do not seem so scary when we are facing them with others. Like a burden shared is half a burden, a storm shared is half the fear. My question to you is still the same. Are you prepared for a storm, especially the ones in your heart? If you are not sure, join us today at noon at City Hall as we pray for our city, our community, and our country. Seek out the multitude of churches meeting together this evening to pray for God’s hand to hold us in the grip of His amazing grace. Find a fellowship of faith that will help you weather the storms of life by standing beside you through the gales of grief and pain. Prayer is powerful when we pray. Prayer is unstoppable when we pray with others. The late Dr. Billy Graham, an incredible man of God who weathered many a stormy day, once said “to get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.” It is a great place to start.

Dr. Daniel Middlebrooks is the Senior Chaplain of First Call at Sydney Baptist Church.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

GARDEN WALK

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

The Garden Walk allowed the community to get a first hand look at the unique offerings found in one of Plant City’s most unique hidden gems.

Breanne Williams

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

This was the first Leadership Garden Walk. made jam created with some of the

“We went out to the community garden as part of our program and few of us even knew it existed,” Breanna Wilson, Leadership class participant and communications coordinator at the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, said. “We really wanted to show off some of the hidden gems that make Plant City so unique and thought it would be a great idea to tie our community project into a public event so others can come discover the garden.” As part of their project, members of Leadership came out and did some major work at the location. They relaid weed cloth under the nursery, added lighting, did some mulching, repainted, sanded and stained the bridge to the garden, donated a bench and did some general cleanup through the rest of the space. Including inkind donations, they raised approximately $6,800 for the garden. The in-

kind donations included constructing a sidewalk to help make the main area of the garden ADA accessible. The concrete and the work were provided by two concrete companies, donating around $3,000 worth of work for the project, according to Wilson. The group partnered with the members of the Community Garden to finalize a pseudo wish list for the property and they helped check off as many of the items as they could. Once they finished helping spruce up the garden the plans begin to evolve for the event they would host at its location. After doing research on other community gardens they decided to host a Garden Walk. Publix donated a gift card for the organization to purchase food and drinks for the event, local vendors agreed to set up shop on the lawn and members of the Community Garden hosted tours and sold home-

ingredients from the garden. Though they weren’t sure what to expect, Wilson said they ended up having a great attendance with approximately 120 people taking a stroll through the garden for the event. When folks arrived they were greeted by members of Leadership, given their drink tickets and a flyer and were then offered the opportunity to join a group for an in-depth tour of the garden. The guide explained the work the community garden does and shared interesting tidbits on the unique greenery found hidden among the space. Whether you enjoy hearty vegetables, a butterfly garden or rare flowers, the property has it all. “Everyone we talked to said they enjoyed it,” Wilson said. “A few people asked if we would do it again. I think people were excited and many told us they didn’t know this was even here. It just went really well. We accomplished what we had hoped.”

This Leadership class is the 36th to come through the chamber. Its graduation is right around the corner and nominations for the 2020 program are now open through June 21. The program itself will run from Sept. 2019 to May 2020. Contact Norm Nelson, membership director, at norm@ plantcity.org or 813-754-3707 for more information. LEADERSHIP PLANT CITY 2019 Trey Stevens, Coulter Aviles & Co. Dillon Glisson, G5 Feed & Outdoor Morgan Tomlinson, Rita Staffing Morgan Williams, Maid Easy Cleaning Professionals Tyrone Shelton, Great Florida Insurance Josiah Colon, Suncoast Credit Union Susan Musser, South Florida Baptist Hospital Lilly Martinez, State Farm Insurance – Courtney Paat Agency Breanna Wilson, Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce Steve DePianta, Stahl Insurance & Associates

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

OLD SCHOOL TENT REVIVAL COMES TO PC Stand Up and Walk Free Ministries is currently hosting a seven-day tent revival in Plant City to “bring the community back to God.” Photos by Breanne Williams

The tent is erected on W. Alsobrook St. and will have seven days of preaching. STAFF WRITER

There’s something unique happening under a crisp white tent on West Alsobrook Street. For many, the sight of dozens of chairs clustered under the canopy will evoke memories of the years of routine tent revivals the South used to see every summer. For seven days, Stand Up and Walk Free Ministries will keep the tradition alive with a revival it hopes will claim and restore “victory for our community.” “There’s a lot of crime going on, a lot of people getting killed or addicted to drugs in the community,” Rhonda “Tina” Hargrove-Davis, founder of Stand Up and Walk Free Ministries, said. “There’s mothers losing their kids. It’s like the younger generation doesn’t have a sense of life, the value of life. I just wanted to

be used by God to get to the root of the issue. Where did this come from? How did we get here? What is our role that we played for our children being in the position they’re in? Do we want to take responsibility and accept the part we played in it? We must come together as a community and take back the city, take back our youth. To teach them values, morals and respect.” Hargrove-Davis was born and raised in Plant City. Thanks to mentors like China Washington, Mother Alice and her “bishop” Calvin “Pee Wee” Callins, she said she was set on a path and called to ministry. She said that calling is “all-inclusive” and hopes to reach every soul that crosses her path. “God gave me a vision to work with the homeless, with the prostitutes, with the drug addicts, the incarcerated, the mentally ill, etc.,” Hargrove-Davis said. “I

launched this ministry on Dec. 15 and this is the second tent event we’ve held since then. He is calling me to set up this tent, to have outdoor ministries in the communities he loves.” Each day will be filled with a variety of speakers and singers at the tent. At 9 a.m. the day starts with morning prayer. Some days have mid-day words or a feeding the homeless initiative. The evenings feature a guest speaker who will present a revival service. Chavonda Barnes spoke Tuesday evening to the crowd, basing her testimony on “the thief has been exposed. “There is a thief in this city and this thief has meticulously stolen souls,” Barnes said. “He has destroyed families, but tonight the theif has been exposed. Through this revival, this thief is being and has been exposed.” Pastor Callins will close the revival out on Sunday with a 5

p.m. sermon that is promised to go long into the night. Hargrove-Davis said she hopes everyone in the community feels drawn to attend. Whether they are lost souls searching for healing or church goers who are ready to experience revival she said the messages will be sure to speak to all who show up with an open heart. “Each speaker brings hope, brings love, brings patience, brings kindness, all with God’s people,” Hargrove-Davis said. “He told us through love and kindness have I drawn thee, not by beating them with the Bible, not by shouting scripture, not by thinking we’re all high and mighty. We all have sin and fall short of His glory. But just look at John 3:16.” The hope is the revival will help spark a hunger for God in the community, she said. She wants to see all local churches come

together for one goal, to help further the Kingdom of God. When the event kicked off Monday she said it already was drawing a decent crowd. By the end of the week, she said, she believes folks will need to come early to have a seat. She wanted to thank the pastors that did show up for prayer for the event, knocked on doors and helped pass out flyers and said she hopes to see more come together for the next revival, which she plans to host in July.

For more information about Stand Up and Walk Free Ministries or for a full lineup of the revival’s schedule visit the group’s Facebook page, standupandwalkfree.com, emailrhonda@standupandwalkfree.com or call 863-440-8161.

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BREANNE WILLIAMS

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

CITY RECEIVES $3 MILL FOR TURKEY CREEK ROAD

A third amendment to a transportation agreement between Hillsborough County and the City of Plant City has allotted $3 million toward the Turkey Creek Road Enhancement Project.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER Photo by Breanne Williams

The city received $3 million from the Amended and Restated Transportation Grant Agreement between Hillsborough County and the City to help continue the work on Turkey Creek Road. In May 2013 the City entered into an Amended and Restated Transportation Grant Agreement to reallocate funds toward two Plant City projects. One of those projects was to enhance the Turkey Creek roadway. The original agreement provided $5.3 million toward the two projects. The goal for Turkey Creek was to add turn lanes, sidewalks, drainage systems, utility extension, ditch closures and other enhancements to the roadway. In February 2014 the city and county entered the first amendment to extend the terms of the agreement until Feb. 2018. On Sept. 2014 they entered a second amendment to alter the description of the other project, which was unrelated to Turkey Creek’s road enhancement. However, once 2018 officially arrived the estimated costs for the Turkey Creek Road Enhancement Project exceeded the total allocated funds. The City of Plant City requested more funds to soften the blow of the monetary shortage. In response the third amendment to the agreement was proposed, which provided the $3 million and extended the term until February 2022. “Now we’ve finally come to the point where additional funds provided by the county will go with the first (several million dollars) to take that project, expand it and put three lanes on Turkey Creek Road and the road intersection improvement through the signal light at Turkey Creek and … Airport,” Commissioner Bill Dodson said. “It’s been a long time coming so I’m really excited about that. I think it will make a great difference.”

The hope is the final amendment will help bring the project to a close. Turkey Creek is a road frequented by both industrial and residential traffic and acts as a major roadway for the city. The studies the city has observed over the years has indicated the changes need to be done and with the proper financial support that may soon become a reality. “This is a long-standing project and all this vote was, was the mechanism by which the county will put that $3 million into the project,” City Manager Bill McDaniel said. The Turkey Creek Road Enhancement Project has been underway for years and while many changes have already been accomplished there is still much to do. The end goal is to make Turkey Creek a threelane roadway from Sydney Road to the CSX Railroad right-of-way just south of SR 574. The project will help straighten Airport and put a signal at Airport and Turkey Creek. One of the major changes already accomplished was the addition of the signal at Sydney and Turkey Creek, which has gone a long way toward keeping the flow of traffic steady and prevent accidents at that major intersection. Design and other issues stretched the completion date of the project out. Around 2016, under former City Manager Mike Herr, the city ran into an issue with the design where the land they intended to use as a retention pond for the project ended up not being able to be used, causing the city to have to use funds to purchase another property in the area for the purpose. “It’s just been one thing after another,” McDaniel said.

Turkey Creek Road has been under renovation for years.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

STRAWBERRY SHOWCASE FINALE PUTS LOCAL TALENT ON DISPLAY

Fourteen contestants showed Plant City their talents on April 27. JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Strawberry Showcase promised to give the full house at 201 E. Dr. MLK Blvd. a great show, and the 14 contestants delivered on it. A variety of acts ranging from singing and dancing to clogging and instrumental music graced the stage and moved the audience members to thunderous cheers with their displays of skill. Four winners were chosen at the end of the event — including “People’s Choice” winners Zachary and the Four Seasons, an instrumental quartet that covered Vivaldi — but it was singer Ben Hourigan’s

Justin Kline

Ben Hourigan won first place in the competition.

passionate, emotional rendition of “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables that won first place. Hourigan’s musical tribute to his father netted him $495 in cash and a goodie bag provided by local realtor Tammy Chancey. All money raised from the event was given to the four winners, who also got to choose between the goodie bag, a guitar from Dark Horse Music Store, recording time at Back Pocket Recording Studio and dance lessons at Drawdy’s Dance School (which the school changed to a cash prize for recipient Zachary and the Four Seasons). Dancer Sophia Karp also took home $100 courtesy of the dance school.

WINNERS First place: Ben Hourigan Second place: Sarene Tate Third place: Cross Stars People’s Choice: Zachary and the Four Seasons CONTESTANTS

Justin Kline

Fourteen contestants battled it out in the Showcase.

Erika West, piano/vocals Alyssa Clark, vocals Hannah Holm, clogging Giselle Gutierrez, vocals Jacob Davies, guitar/vocals Tara Campos, piano/vocals Sophia Karp, dance Benji Padgett, keyboard/vocals Madison Parolini, vocals Cross Stars, clogging Zachary and the Four Seasons, flute/saxophones Kimberly Banks, vocals Sarene Tate, vocals Ben Hourigan, vocals

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

PC RALLIES FOR RELAY TEAMWORK MADE THE DREAM WORK FOR 10K The Best Friends 10K used the Ellis-Methvin Park walking trail on April 27. JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Thanks to Plant City Running Club, one of the more unique 10K races out there came to Plant City over the weekend. The Best Friends 10K, a U.S. Road Running creation, was hosted at Ellis-Methvin Park’s walking trail on April 27 and saw around 50 runners participate. This race is unique in that teams of two trade laps — with each member running the equivalent of a 5K — by tagging in and out like a pro wrestling tag team. Solo runners were also encouraged to sign up and several did run the April 27 race.

Justin Kline

Weather conditions were perfect for an 8:30 a.m. race around the walking trail.

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Most of the entrants in the Best Friends 10K were teams of two, but solo runners also participated.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

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EPCOT: Zane Wolfe brought the Observer to the “Happiest Place on Earth.”. As magical as Walt Disney World is, the wait times for its attractions can be a real drag. Fortunately for Zane Wolfe, he had a copy of the Plant City Observer to read when he had to wait during his April 19 trip.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

PLANT CITY GARDENS AND ORGANIZATIONS BLOSSOM IN SPRING

FELIX HAYNES

The gardeners of Plant City are enjoying their plants, as the fruits of their labors over the past few months blossom into spring flowers. The rest of us are enjoying watching the flowers blossom.

So it is now with the organizations of our community. Plant City, and our nation, emerged a couple of years ago from our longest recession since the Great Depression and at that point citizens of many American towns observed another American phenomenon. Since our nation's founding in an environment of freedom 200 years ago, European visitor Alexis de Toqueville identified a major American exceptionalism: we are a nation of creators, creators of voluntary organizations. As de Toqueville wrote, "Americans...constantly unite. Not only do they have commercial and industrial associations in which they all take part, but they also have a thousand other kinds... They seek each other out; and when they have found each other, they unite." As we emerged from that long recession, this generation of

Plant Citians and Americans inhaled the air of freedom and returned to that drive to unite and create organizations. Perhaps the first new local organization to be created was the Plant City Economic Development Corporation. Spurred by the city's desire to stimulate economic development, the recruitment of new job-providing businesses and the growth of existing ones, the city and our private sector created a new economic development engine. Started with initial funding from the city and a plan to reduce that funding over time, a growing number of private businesses ponied up to provide most of the funding for an organization that has grown to over 60 dues-paying members. The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce supported the new EDC by closing down its long-operating Economic Development Com-

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by the city and Main Street's leaders have morphed most of their activities into fundraisers. The evening this edition of the Observer hits the streets, Main Street is sponsoring a major fundraiser at Topgolf in Brandon. Yet another new community development group is in its second year of blooming. With the slogan "inspire, collaborate, create," Make Plant City is encouraging and supporting creators of all types, artists, woodworkers, musicians, brewers and authors. Robots are even included in the list of things Make Plant City is supporting In an atmosphere of freedom, these organizations, and others, are being given the opportunity to succeed. Rather than do all this work themselves, the city is harnessing Plant City's spirit to organize and unite around common goals. All of Plant City is benefitting.

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mittee and gave the new organization its blessing by becoming a supporter instead of a leader in economic development. Soon other non-profit community development organizations bloomed. Main Street, which started in the 1980s as a component of the State's drive to build and rebuild the downtowns of Florida's cities and towns, achieved some early success when Plant City's downtown was named an historic district. A year or two ago, the city decided to resurrect Main Street and partnered with a number of young, emerging leaders to rebuild it. To encourage the same type of public-private partnership upon which the EDC was founded, the city offered matching funding to Main Street this year. Once Main Street raises $10,000 the city will match the sum, adding $10,000 of its own. Up to $50,000 is being matched

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

287727-1

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FIONA AND ISABEL: They say opposites attract. Fiona “Fi-Fi” and Isabel “Izzie” are living proof that friends come in all shapes and sizes. Though one towers well above the other, the duo is hardly ever seen apart. They use their combined positive energy to shower love on owner Jessie Frankowiak.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

SFBH DOCTOR RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY Dr. Brooke Shepard recently became one of 12 doctors nationwide to be named a TeamHealth Medical Director of the Year.

South Florida Baptist Hospital

Dr. Brooke Shepard has received national recognition for her work. JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Dr. Brooke Shepard’s work leading South Florida Baptist Hospital’s Emergency Department has not gone unnoticed. Shepard was recently one of 12 doctors nationwide to be named a Medical Director of the Year at the 2019 TeamHealth National Medical Leaders Conference, held April 15 through April 18 in Dallas, Texas. She and nearly 16,000 health care professionals are affiliated nationally with TeamHealth, a network of independent contractors in the medical field.

Though she was named recipient of the honor, Shepard considers it a total team effort made possible by the hard work of the SFBH staff as a whole. “It’s a huge honor and I was very grateful and appreciative for it,” she said. “I really take this as an award that is not really just a reflection of my leadership in the department — this is an award everybody should celebrate because the only reason I’m getting this award is because I’ve been able to work with the staff at South Florida Baptist Hospital.” Under Shepard’s direction, the hospital’s Emergency Department has worked tirelessly to find a balance between speed and

safety when dealing with patients. The department’s goal is not only to give patients the best care possible but also to keep them moving quickly through the system so as to keep others from waiting too long to be attended to. Shepard said this requires her department to stay as coordinated as can be with the hospital’s other departments, as the Emergency Department has become like the “front door” of the hospital. She said nearly everyone who is admitted has to go through it at some point. “It’s all about trying to put the people in the right places at the right times and coordinating a really complicated system,” Shepard said. “The hospital is a

very complicated machine with all these parts that have to move in sync. Everything has to be coordinated as efficiently as possible in order to get someone in and through as quickly and safely as possible. It’s a constant work in progress and it’s never going to be perfected… but we are so fortunate to have the support of our administration and a great group of team members who really work hard to make this a reality for their patients.” Most of Shepard’s time is spent in the Plant City hospital, but she is also Temple Terrace Fire Department’s medical director and a physician advisor for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. She

is an alumna of USF’s Morsani College of Medicine and completed her residency at Tampa General Hospital, where she is also currently a staff member. Her approach to practicing emergency medicine is simple: just follow the golden rule of treating others the way you’d want to be treated. “I think that’s an age-old thing that really is true,” she said. “At the end of the day, if I leave and I felt like I did my best, I feel like that was a good day.”

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South Florida Baptist Hospital’s Community Health Department provides health services to thousands of your friends, neighbors and coworkers. This invaluable community resource would not be possible without the support of the Children’s Classic and these important donors.

Thank you for your invaluable support of the 2019 Children’s Classic Golf Tournament Signature Sponsor Beaches Painting & Contracting, Inc. Silver Sponsors BayCare Health System Fred’s Market Restaurant Dean and Nancy Nourie Bronze Sponsors All Florida Mechanical Services Americare Ambulance Service Astin Family Farms Atos/Futura Mobility Energy Vision Florida Urology Partners LLP Jarrett Scott Ford IBM Watson Health J.J. Taylor Distributing Florida, Inc. Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company MDVIP, Steve W. Smith, MD Northeast Firestopping Solutions Pepin Distributing, Tampa Publix Super Markets

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Bronze Sponsors (continued) Stahl & Associates Insurance Suncoast Community Health Centers, Inc. Tampa Electric Company The Bank of Tampa, Eastern Hillsborough Walden Lake Car Wash & Service Center Foursome / Hole Sign Sponsors All Phase Electric and Maintenance, Inc. Bartow Regional Medical Center Dixie Maintenance General Adjusting Services Hillsborough Community College Ling Realty, In Memory of Floyd Hall Plant City Rotary Club (Noon) Plant City YMCA Radiology Imaging Specialists Sunny Florida Dairy Simmons Engraving & Monogramming

Hole Sign Sponsors Alarm and Communications Systems, Inc. Canco General Contractors, Inc. CED / Gary and Tina Pike Hillsborough Title, Inc. Dub and Pec McGinnes Pediatric Care - Dr. John Aime Plant City Black Heritage Plant City Observer Plant City Photo Archives Poppell Insurance, Inc. Railroad & Industrial Federal Credit Union Stine Family Partnership Strong Tower Insurance, Inc. Don Walden

Door Prizes/Donations 911 Catering BayCare Health System - Marketing Beaches Painting & Contracting, Inc. Scott Crawford - US Foods Tampa Linda Farnsworth - The Core Group Fausto Gomez Hillsborough Title, Inc. S.C. Huang, MD I-4 Power Equipment Jarrett Scott Ford - Golf Ball Sponsor Wade Kerr Lowe’s Home Improvement - Plant City Mango Cleaners Pepin Distributing Plant City YMCA Publix Super Markets

Tom Raynor - Nu-Vista Foods Reddy Ice Andy Register - Affinity Group Paramount RICOH River Hills Country Club Tom Romano SFBH Golf Performance Assessment South Florida Baptist Hospital Southside Stores LLC State Farm - Courtney Paat Strong Tower Insurance, Inc. Taylor Rental - Plant City The Bank of Tampa The Florida Aquarium Tola Produce Toufayan Bakeries Beth Webb - ASM Waypoint Wilshire Associates

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

APRIL 19

APRIL 20

APRIL 21

APRIL 22

APRIL 23

DODGING PELLETS 1500 block of West Granfield Avenue Criminal mischief: This victim told officers during the night of April 18 her vehicle had been struck with unknown objects, possibly pellets or BB’s. The incident resulted in damage to her front driver’s side fender and her back driver’s side window.

HOTEL, MOTEL, KNIGHTS INN 300 block of South Frontage Road Drug investigation/burglary: Officers were investigating a burglary at a room at the Knights Inn. They came in contact with the suspect who was also staying at the hotel and arrested him for possession of marijuana and tampering with evidence. The burglary he had committed in another room was confirmed, but the victim signed a waiver of prosecution.

AMAZON HEIST 2900 block of Bakehouse Cove Isle Vehicle burglary: A driver for Amazon told PCPD that while he was delivering a package to an apartment someone snuck into his vehicle and stole a large container. The container held 21 individual packages of unknown value.

CUTTING THROUGH LIES 3200 block of Sydney Road Information report: This complainant told officers the business sold lawn equipment and accepted a check for the machinery. The check was made out for $1,790.19 and the business later learned the check was returned for insufficient funds.

AIRING IT OUT 300 block of Walter Drive Criminal mischief: During the night of April 22 someone busted the victim’s rear window out of her car with a brick.

DRUGGED OUT RIDERS 300 block of South Frontage Road Drug investigation: PCPD officers made contact with a vehicle that had been used in a prior case. The two occupants were arrested and sent to Orient Road Jail without incident after they found one with heroin and the other with spice.

DESPERATE FOR RELIEF 1400 block of South Collins Street Petit theft: PCPD officers were called out to the above location due to the theft of a single bottle of Advil.

MOWED OVER 1800 block of East Alabama Street Grand theft: During the night of April 18 an unknown suspect stole this victim’s homemade trailer, which contained a Poulan Zero Turn riding lawn mower and a push mower.

WHEELIN’ AWAY 3400 block of Delaware Avenue Theft: Officers talked to this victim who told them that sometime during the last two weeks someone took a wheelbarrow from his backyard.

APRIL 24 CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR 500 block of West Alexander Street Information report: An employee of a local bank reported to the police that an unknown person attempted to call in and alter account details of a customer they were impersonating in hopes of gaining electronic access to the accounts.

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RJ Gardner will compete in several track and field events at the Special Olympics State Games. See Page 18

SPORTS

LOCAL ATHLETES SHINING ON BASEBALL DIAMOND Plant City baseball players are helping Florida Baseball Heaven’s 13U Major, 14U AAA and 14U Major teams excel in the USSSA.

Quick Hits PC DOLPHINS MAKE YSFL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES The Plant City Dolphins have been active this spring, and the Pee Wee and Mighty Mite teams got to play in championship games this past Saturday. The teams competed in the Florida Youth Spring Football League in the TCYFCC offseason. The Pee Wees posted a 7-1 record and got to play the Fleming Island Spartans. Fleming Island won the game, 23-6. The Mighty Mites went 5-2-1 and got to play the Inbound Warriors, but inbound scored a 12-8 victory in another hard-fought game. Several Dolphins players also made the cut for Saturday’s YSFL Pro Bowl games. PEE WEE D2 PRO BOWL NORTHWEST REGION Cason Dash, Elijah Frazier, Vance Parrish MIGHTY MITE D2 PRO BOWL NORTHWEST REGION Reagan Korlacki, Brice Robinson, Henry Pettys TINY MITE D2 PRO BOWL - WEST REGION Santana Sheppard, Easton Brevered

PLANT CITY TEAM COMPETES IN ST. ANTHONY’S TRIATHLON Courtesy of Brandy Predmore

Florida Baseball Heaven’s 13U and 14U teams feature Plant City talent and have excelled on the field.

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

y the end of the latest United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) baseball season in Florida in April, a trio of teams with Plant City ties stood out in their divisions. Florida Baseball Heaven and its Angels travel ball teams are headquartered in Lakeland, just off of County Line Road, but it’s got a legitimate connection with Plant City. The 13U Major, 14U Major and 14U AAA teams that recorded top-five finishes in their divisions often practice on Snowden Park’s ball fields. Head coach and FBH head Mark Persails is a Plant City resident who has also coached the Plant City High School baseball team in the past. Most importantly, the teams share players who have come

up through the Plant City Little League scene and gone on to play in major tournaments around the Southeast. The trio of Deven Gonzalez, Colby Brewington and Anthony Palestrini were of the right age to help both the 13U Major and 14U Major teams succeed this season. Adan Longoria and Ethan Pues, also past PCLL All-Stars, played important roles on the 13U Major and 14U AAA teams, respectively. Persails considers these “little weasels” some of the hardest-working kids he’s coached and said each was crucial to their teams’ success. The 13U Major Angels posted a 22-2-1 record on the season and placed third in the state in that division. They ended on a nine-game win streak dating back to April 6, right after a 5-4 loss to Sun Coast Elite in the Suncoast Spring Championship RINGS tournament in Sarasota. The Angels won their next four games to win that tournament and then went undefeated in the

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

JUSTIN KLINE

Last week’s draft broadcast shed a spotlight on an issue that needs to be stamped out at a young age.

ecause it always happens with the “character concerns” crowd, I wasn’t surprised to see ESPN mention video of a then-high school aged Jeffery Simmons, seen punching a woman who had attacked his sister, right after he got drafted. I was surprised to see just how much of his post-draft segment — pretty much the entire thing — was devoted to showing that clip and talking about it and Trey Wingo discussing the importance of doing so in a somber tone.

CFL Spring Classic Super NIT in Sanford, held April 13 and 14. The 14U Major Angels Red team finished at 23-10-4 but racked up enough points in USSSA play to finish second overall in the state in that division. They saw game action most recently in the USSSA Florida State Championship RINGS tournament in Bradenton and Sarasota, making it to the championship round after a 22-0 win over Southern Squeeze on April 28 but then taking a tough 3-2 loss to FTB Bullock in that day’s tourney finale. The team’s most recent tourney win was at the ninth annual Wreaking Havoc in Bradenton on March 16 and 17. The 14U AAA Angels Grey team finished with a 13-13 record but earned enough points for a fifth-place finish. They also competed most recently in the in the USSSA Florida State Championship RINGS tournament in Bradenton and Sarasota and got off to a 2-0 start in the tournament, but

were knocked out April 28 with a 6-1 loss to Space Coast Thunder. “It’s been an excellent year,” Persails said. “From last fall to right now, watching the boys learn to compete and play on the big field, grow up and learn how to act and everything that goes with it, I couldn’t be prouder of them.” Florida Baseball Heaven will host open tryouts on May 5 for 13U, 14U, 16U and 18U teams for the next travel season and baseball players from Plant City are welcome to come show their skills and try to make the cut. To pre-register for tryouts, contact FBHoffice@yahoo.com. Players’ names and dates of birth, as well as parents’ contact info, must be included in any pre-registration email. Tryouts will be held at Polk State College, 999 Ave. H NE, Winter Haven from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $25 per player. For more information, visit facebook.com/FloridaBaseballHeaven.

A LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM THE 2019 NFL DRAFT

Maybe I shouldn’t have been. It doesn’t even matter that Simmons has publicly apologized for the incident and, by all accounts coming from his college, conduct himself like a model citizen at Mississippi State. He got drafted around the same time an audio recording of Tyreek Hill threatening the mother of his child went viral, not too long after a video of Kareem Hunt getting into a physical altercation with a woman at a hotel cost him most of last season and part of the upcoming 2019-20 season, and just

a few years removed from Josh Brown getting caught terrorizing his ex-wife and the publication of the now-infamous video of Ray Rice knocking his then-fiancee out in an elevator with an uppercut. Violence against women is one of the hottest topics in sports today and you don’t have to wait very long for some talking heads on TV to discuss the issues these days. SEE PAGE 18

Team Advantage Restoration Plant City had a strong showing at the 2019 St. Anthony’s Triathlon over the weekend, placing third in the Team Male division in Sprint Relays and fourth of 57 teams to have finished the course. The team of Cleto “Sundy” Chazares, Noah Jones and Nick Thurston finished in 1:14:13. Their swim time of 13:07 and bike time of 32:12 were second-best in the Team Male division.

LOCAL GOLFERS WIN MANATEE 4-H TOURNAMENT The 28th annual 4-H Clover Classic Golf Tournament was won not by a Manatee-area team, but by Dover’s own James Irrigation Inc. Beau James, Mike James, Sean James and Brian Bowes were the four top shots of the day in a tournament of 90 golfers.

BASEBALL TOURNEYS ON DECK Global Sports Alliance’s State Championship tournament for 7U though 18U teams comes to Plant City this weekend. The tourney runs from Friday through Sunday at Ellis-Methvin Park, Mike Sansone Park, Snowden Park, Plant City Stadium, the Randy L. Larson Softball Four-Plex and the MLK ball fields, as well as the Chain of Lakes complex in Winter Haven. Admission for fans is $5 at the gate. Next weekend will see Florida USSSA Baseball’s Mother’s Day Mayhem tournament using multiple fields at Plant City Stadium, Randy L. Larson Softball Four-Plex, Mike Sansone Park, Ellis-Methvin Park and the MLK Complex. The tourney runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 11 and 12.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

SPONSORED BY SPORT CLIPS

JUSTIN KLINE

FROM KLINE, PAGE 17

Multi-sport athlete RJ Gardner is headed to his fourth consecutive Special Olympics State Games on May 17, where he will compete in several track and field events. Gardner, a student at Willis Peters Exceptional Center, also competes in Special Olympics bowling and basketball events and can’t wait to try powerlifting this summer now that he meets the 14-year-old age requirement for the sport. Which events are you going to do at the state games?

As if to back up that statement, Montez Sweat — who also got kicked off of his first college football team for a vague “violation of team rules” and was drafted after Simmons — did not get the same treatment and the ESPN crew actually talked about what he could bring to the NFL table as a football player. He allegedly smoked weed with a teammate (according to said teammate) and had to leave Starkville for junior college and, later Michigan State’s football team. I wouldn’t say that this uptick of domestic violence in the news cycle shows a problem that’s only gotten worse in recent years. It’s one that, thanks to social media’s uncanny ability to magnify anyone and anything like nothing we’ve ever seen before, we’re just hearing about more often than in the past because it’s so much easier to blast information out to millions of people. It’s so easy for professional scouts — heck, let’s even go out of sports and add hiring managers — to find info on someone they’re interested in signing or drafting or hiring or whatever. This stuff has always been a big problem. It’s just easier to find out about now. The answer here isn’t to get better at hiding things from the Internet. If you know not to do things that would make you into another cautionary tale, you don’t have to worry about what a draft scout or hiring manager will find out about you. Even if you’re falsely accused of domestic violence or something like that, the key word is “falsely” and you’ll have a much easier time proving your innocence than trying to fight an accusation about something you did and keep it under wraps. No one’s perfect, but it costs nothing to at least try to be a good person. That’s why I’m hoping our local coaches, teachers, parents and role models aren’t skimping out on teaching our kids to hold

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Watching my brother (Austin Gardner) play for the Plant City Dolphins. What sports do you play? Basketball, bowling, track and field and powerlifting this summer. Which is your favorite to play?

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English. What’s some of the most fun you’ve had hanging out with your Special Olympics teammates? We have pizza parties after games. The next state games are coming up pretty soon. How do you think you’ll do? I think I’ll win first place. How many state games have you competed in? This is my fourth one for track and field. So you probably don’t even get nervous anymore, do you? No, I’m excited for it.

Who’s your favorite athlete? Mike Evans and Jameis Winston. How do you think the Bucs will do this season? Pretty good. What’s a sport you’ve never tried, but would if you could?

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

Wide receiver. What’s the coolest thing you’ve done in a competition? I made a game-winning shot in basketball. I was the only one that scored.

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themselves accountable for their actions and treat others with respect. It goes beyond empty words said in between sessions in the film room or right after practices. We need the most important people in our kids’ lives, those whom our kids respect more than anyone else, to make sure now, as much as ever, they’ll step up and fight for basic decency, the “golden rule.” It’s not OK to unleash your anger like that on another human being, on a significant other or a child, just because you don’t know of any healthy ways to deal with it off the playing field. Clearly more people need to learn that at an earlier age and before anything regrettable happens. It’s not normal behavior and shouldn’t be normalized. Sure, it might not always screw up your life right out of the gate. Simmons and Hill still got drafted. Hunt still has a place in the league. Heck, some of these athletes even have a few defenders out there who make light of a situation because of athletic hero worship. But once that kind of microscope’s trained on you, you’ll never really shake it off — and any bad choices you do make will hit so much harder. Too many never find out or never wake up and realize they’re not invincible until it’s too late.

The 100-meter run, the running long jump and the Unified 4x100 relay.

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

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

RJ Gardner

A LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM THE 2019 NFL DRAFT

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

RAIDERS ADVANCE TO DISTRICT SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORES AND MORE BASEBALL

Apr. 27

Apr. 25

Plant City 10, Armwood 0

Strawberry Crest 6, Durant 5 Plant City 8, Lennard 1

Plant City 2, Armwood 0

Bloomingdale 8, Durant 2 Plant City 7, East Bay 3 Wharton 2, Strawberry Crest 1

Apr. 30

May 2

Plant 2, Durant 0 Plant City 12, Brandon 0 (5 innings) Strawberry Crest 11, Spoto 0 (5 innings)

Bloomingdale vs. Plant City, 7 p.m. (District championship)

Apr. 27

Justin Kline

Plant City will host Bloomingdale at 7 p.m. tonight for the 8A-6 title. SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Early in Plant City’s 7 p.m. Tuesday game against East Bay, it was clear ace Ashley Blessin had 1,000 things weighing on her mind — 1,000 career strikeouts, that is. She started the district semifinal game needing to cause just seven more batters to whiff to hit the mark and, after East Bay got out to a 3-0 lead by the end of three innings, Blessin hit her mark in the top of the fourth. That’s when everyone at the game saw not only a change in her demeanor, but also saw a spark in the rest of the Raiders that led to their 7-3 win. Blessin struck out exactly two batters in each of the game’s seven innings, but the Indians were able to get up 1-0 in the second inning when Presley Okimosh drove Shaniyah Pope in from third base. One inning later, East Bay scored on back-to-back errors to take a 3-0 lead and put Plant City in a hole the team didn’t look like it expected to get into. But once Blessin struck out Bianca Ravelo for 1,000 and the game took a brief pause to commemorate the achievement, it was like a switch flipped. Blessin allowed three hits afterward but only one of the base runners made it as far as second as the senior found her groove and the defense stepped up. In the bottom of the fifth, Stephanie Bowers ripped a two-RBI double that scored Rylee Moorman and Emily Longoria to tie the game at 3-3 and the atmosphere at 1 Raider Place picked up noticeably. Rylee Shaffer put the Raiders ahead for good in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single to score Haley Frangioni. Blessin reached base with a single, Moorman doubled to drive Shaffer home and Abbie DeWeese hit a two-RBI single that scored Blessin and Moorman to set the game’s 7-3 final score. The win set the stage for a championship matchup with Bloomingdale, which picked up an 8-2 win over Durant earlier in the day.

8A-REGION 2 QUARTERFINALS Host TBD, 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. May 8

May 2

Ashley Blessin recorded her 1,000th career strikeout Tuesday evening.

JUSTIN KLINE

Apr. 30

The Bulls gradually chipped away at the Cougars’ pitching and defense, holding a 3-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning, but Durant wasn’t about to give up. The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth when Shelby Allen singled to drive in Jordan Noble and later loaded up the bases with two outs, but Bloomingdale managed to get out of the jam. The Bulls put two more runs on the board in the top of the sixth inning on an error and an RBI single. Durant scored again in the bottom of the inning when Emily Smith ripped an RBI double that scored courtesy runner Alivia Rivera and set the score at 5-2 in favor of Bloomingdale. Bloomingdale answered with a productive seventh inning that saw the Bulls score three runs in the top half and prevent any from scoring in the bottom half, though Kayla Lissy did make things interesting by hitting a two-out triple. Strawberry Crest faced Wharton in the 4 p.m. game at the 8A-4 tournament at Freedom High School, but took a 2-1 loss to the Wildcats. Full results for the 4 p.m. game were not available at press time.

Justin Kline

Samantha Hampton winds up to throw a pitch against the Bloomingdale offense.

Durant at Gaither, 7 p.m. Chamberlain at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m. May 3 Spoto at Plant City, 7 p.m.

8A-REGION 2 SEMIFINALS Host TBD, 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. May 14 8A-REGION 2 CHAMPIONSHIP Host TBD, 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. May 17

8A-4 TOURNAMENT at Strawberry Crest, 4 p.m. May 7 - 7 p.m. May 9 8A-6 TOURNAMENT at Plant City, 7 p.m. May 6 - 7 p.m. May 9

TRACK AND FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS May 3 - 4 at University of North Florida Hodges Stadium FLAG FOOTBALL

SOFTBALL Apr. 25 Strawberry Crest 3, Durant 0 Plant City 11, Lennard 0

REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS May 2 - 6 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS at Boca Raton High School, May 11

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

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Katherine “Candy” Martin, 76, of Plant City, beloved wife, mother and special friend, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 27, 2019. Predeceased by her daughter, Ginger Martin, she is survived by her loving husband of 52 years, Marvin Martin, her two sons, Joseph Martin and James Martin and daughter, Barbara “Mickey” (Ron) Bonaccor. She has 5 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren as well. Candy held many different roles in her life as an entrepreneur and was passionate about everything she did. Her “can-do” attitude will be greatly missed. The family will receive friends 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at Eastside Baptist Church 1318 E. Calhoun St. Plant City, FL 33563 where funeral services will take place on Friday, May 3, 2019 at 11 a.m. Online condolences may be left for the family at haught.care.

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Linda Hardin Wheeler

Felipa Rodriguez, 78, of Plant City, born on Aug. 28, 1940 in Durango, Mexico, entered into eternal rest on April 24, 2019. Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

Linda Hardin Wheeler, 68, of Plant City, born on May 9, 1950 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, entered into eternal rest on April 24, 2019. Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.

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Faye Richter Lanier Faye Richter Lanier, 69, of Plant City, passed away on April 24, 2019. Services were held April 27, 2019 at Thonotosassa Missionary Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Life Path Hospice or Thonotosassa Missionary Baptist Church. Online condolences may be left for the family at www. haught.care.

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Shane T. Turner

Fred Johns Fred Johns, 97, of Dover, passed away on April 24, 2019. He was a WWII veteran serving in Italy with the Army Air Corps. Services were held April 29, 2019 at Salem Primitive Baptist Church. Online condolences may be left for the family at haught.care.

Shane T. Turner, 41, of Ruskin, born on Dec. 29, 1977 in Plant City, entered into eternal rest on April 22, 2019. Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

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James Mallie Parrish Jr.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

Clinton A. Schreckengost Clinton A. Schreckengost, 93, of Lakeland, went to be with the lord April 22, 2019. In lieu of flowers family suggest donations be made to Good Shepherd Hospice of Lakeland, Florida or Shriners hospitals. Celebration of life will take place in Mulberry, Florida, April 29 and Warren Pennsylvania May 11. Contact family for details. Condolences can be made at www.haught.care or www. petersonblickfuneralhome. com.

OBITUARIES

Katherine ‘Candy’ Martin

Felipa Rodriguez

James Mallie Parrish Jr., 83, of Plant City, born on Oct. 5, 1935 in Tampa, entered into eternal rest on April 26, 2019.

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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

Bryan McCain “Mac” Smith, Jr. Bryan McCain “Mac” Smith, Jr., 90, of Plant City, born March 13, 1929 in Jacksonville, entered into eternal rest on April 29, 2019. He attended Plant City High School and the University of Florida and was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Plant City. He was a retired United States Navy Aviator earning the rank of Lieutenant Commander and serving 24 years in the Navy and Navy Reserves. He was the former Chief Test Pilot for Aero Corporation, the former Owner and Chairman of B.M. Smith Motors, Inc. and the current Chairman of KDM Associates Real Estate Holding Company.

He was a selfless giver who truly enjoyed serving his community. He especially enjoyed promoting Plant City and the Strawberry Festival and never missed an opportunity to hand out strawberry stickers. His record of service includes: Founding Director and Board Member of Hillsboro Bank, Past President of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association, Director Emeritus and Past President of the Florida Strawberry Festival, former member of the Hall of Fame (Outback) Bowl Selection Committee, President of the Armed Forces Memorials Foundation, former Chairman of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, former Board Member of the Tampa Sports Authority, former Board Member of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, former Chairman of the Timucua District Nominating Committee for the Boy Scouts of America (he earned his Eagle Scout Award in 1943), Past President and Member of the Plant City Kiwanis Club, Past Director and Member of the Plant City Chamber of Commerce, 1984 Recipient of the Plant City Citizen of the Year Award, 1991 Recipient of Time Magazine’s Quality Dealer Award, 2004 Timucua District (Boy Scouts) Distinguished Citizen Award, the 2007 co-Recipient of the Plant City City Photo Archives Heritage Award, the 2011 Recipient of the YMCA Strong Leader Award, 2015 Recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award and many other memberships and awards.

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He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marion “Cookie” Smith; daughters, Debbie Petrina (Jim) of Plant City, Kathy Wood (Rick) of Nashville, Tennessee, and Marion Smith of Plant City; grandchildren, J.P. Petrina (Kim), Vito Petrina (Laurie), Kaitlyn Arias (Pedro), Kelly McGaffigan (Josh), David Wood (Rachel), and Bryan Wood (Alexandria); 6 great-grandchildren; and many other loving family and friends. The family wishes to give a special thanks to Helping Hands for their passionate care. The family will receive friends on Friday, May 3 from 5 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Plant City, 303 N. Evers St., Plant City, where a funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 4 at 11:00 a.m. Committal with military honors to follow at Oaklawn Cemetery, Plant City. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Florida United Methodist Children’s Home at fumch.org, Timucua District - Boy Scouts of America at tampabayscouting.org/districts/timucua-district, and/or Plant City Photo Archives and History Center at plantcityphotoarchives.org. Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

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YOUR CALENDAR

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

OBITUARIES

BEST BET SATURDAY, MAY 4 LITTLE MISS PLANT CITY

6 p.m. The annual Little Miss Plant City pageant will be held at Tomlin Middle School, 501 N. Woodrow Wilson St. The pageant is hosted by the GFWC Plant City Junior Woman’s Club.

THURSDAY, MAY 2

SATURDAY, MAY 4

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER CALL TO PRAYER

DISCOVERY QUEST

12 to 1 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Call to Prayer event is held all over the U.S. This year’s theme is “Love One Another.” Plant City has participated for more than 20 years. There are two locations to assemble this year. The Plant City City Hall Auditorium, 302 W. Reynolds St., has a meeting from 12 to 1 p.m. and City Pointe Church, 503 N. Palmer St., has a meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Check out NDP. org for more information.

FRIDAY, MAY 3 UNWIND AND WINE!

7 p.m. The Koa Yoga Studio, 2806 James L. Redman Pkwy. #205, is hosting an Unwind and Wine! night. This class will focus on slowing things down as you relax and restore. You will be using many yoga props to get nice and cozy as they move through a restorative sequence. A guided meditation will seal off the practice allowing you to fully quiet the mind. There will be wine and bites to follow. Tickets are $20.

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The East Hillsborough Discovery Quest is back and held at Plant City High School, 1 Raider Place. The free event will feature more than 70 booths to help the community get connected to a variety of organizations, services and programs in the area. There will be live entertainment and food vendors and will feature a “Taste of Plant City” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU: BRICK CITY BRICKS

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you spend $25 on a Star Wars LEGO set today at Brick City Bricks, 107 E. Reynolds St., you will be entered into a drawing for an all LEGO Kylo Ren lightsaber.

THURSDAY, MAY 9 IMPROV NIGHT

7:13 to 9:13 p.m. Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd., is hosting its monthly Improv Night in the music loft. This month will feature Gopher Joke Improv as the guest comedic group. The event is free to attend.

tampaymca.org/LetsCamp

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Universal Crossword

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

Edited by David Steinberg May 2, 2019

5/2

FORECAST THURSDAY, MAY 2

22 Senators’ golf course helpers? 25 Last Stuart dynasty queen 28 Up to, for short 29 Tiny bit 33 Espionage org. 34 Bird song critics? 38 Moses parted it 40 Warnings 41 Buffet server’s exasperated words to a gluttonous patron? 45 Victorian ___ 46 Hot pastrami seller 47 Compete

48 Have ___ in (influence) 49 Classy guy on parole? 54 Cloth bag 57 Italian dumplings 61 Human, for one 62 Green side dish, and a hint to this grid’s eighthcolumn letter swaps 65 Pedicure digit 66 Swift 67 Author Zola 68 Flesh-bone connector? 69 Black gemstone 70 Leopard features DOWN 1 Do a flour task

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, May 2

6:48a

8:03p

Friday, May 3

6:47a

8:04p

Saturday, May 4

6:46a

8:04p

Sunday, May 5

6:45a

8:05p

FRIDAY, MAY 3

Monday, May 6

6:44a

8:05p

Tuesday, May 7

6:44a

8:06p

Wednesday, May 8

6:43a

8:07p

High: 87 Low: 69 Chance of rain: 80%

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, MAY 4 High: 89 Low: 71 Chance of rain: 20%

SUNDAY, MAY 5 High: 89 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 50%

BLUEBERRIES Shipping point: Central Florida $12-$14

2 Here, in Spanish 3 Ponder 4 Holiday in the music industry? 5 Equal to face value 6 Schoolchild’s ride 7 Stir 8 Like some paper and pockets 9 Arrival announcement 10 Not pro11 Expressive dog part 12 Windows to the soul, supposedly 14 Coy comeback 17 In the past 21 “All kidding ___ ...” 23 Be sick 24 Sick 25 Unpleasantly sharp 26 She may cry “Uncle!” 27 Tennis star Rafael 30 Trolls’ relatives 31 Popular aquarium fish 32 Evaluate 34 Asian New Year 35 “Yay!”syllable 36 ___ alai 37 Last: Abbr. 39 What bloodhounds love to do 42 Night before 43 Kool or Band follower 44 Identified 48 Where kids make s’mores 50 Back in fashion 51 Online finance site 52 Burnt barbecue bit 53 :) and :( don’t have them 54 Pie chart inputs 55 Atop 56 Nourish 58 Muse of history 59 Sentry’s warning 60 Bad dayfor Caesar 63 Catch sight of 64 Lowest clock number

SUNRISE/SUNSET

High: 87 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 60%

Rustling Leaves by David Alfred Bywaters

ACROSS 1 Brazilian dance 6 Java neighbor 10 Dined 13 Job-terminating declaration 14 Accountant’s assignment 15 Unfavorable vote 16 Clergymen after big meals? 18 Often-patterned garment 19 Land cultivation, or cultivated land 20 Online letters

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

May 4 New

May 18 Full

May 9 First

May 30 Last

RAINFALL Monday, Apr. 22

0.00

Tuesday, Apr. 23 0.00 Wednesday, Apr. 24

0.00

Thursday, Apr. 25 0.00 Friday, Apr. 26

0.11

Saturday, Apr. 27 0.00 Sunday, Apr. 28

0.00

YEAR TO DATE:

MONTH TO DATE:

2019 4.39 in.

2019 0.00 in.

2018

2018 0.00 in.

5.15 in.

WEATHER

I LOVE PLANT CITY

48 Have ___ in ACROSS 14 Coy 44 Identified (influence) 1 Brazilian comeback 48 Where kids 49 Classy guy dance 17 In the past make 6 Java “AllKline kidding s’mores Send your photo submissionson to parole? Associate Editor21 Justin at jkline@PlantCityObserver.com 54 Cloth bag neighbor ___ ...” 50 Back in or hashtag Instagram for @igersplantcity to feature. 57onItalian 10 Dined#iloveplantcity 23 Be sick fashion dumplings 13 Job24 Sick 51 Online 61 Human, terminating 25 Unpleasantly finance site for one declaration sharp 52 Burnt 62 Green side 14 Accountant’s 26 She may cry barbecue bit dish, and assignment “Uncle!” 53 :) and :( a hint to 15 Unfavorable 27 Tennis star don’t have this grid’s vote Rafael them eighth16 Clergymen 30 Trolls’ 54 Pie chart column after big relatives inputs letter swaps meals? 31 Popular 55 Atop 65 Pedicure 18 Oftenaquarium fish 56 Nourish digit patterned 32 Evaluate 58 Muse of 66 Swift garment 34 Asian history 67 Author Zola 19 Land New Year 59 Sentry’s 68 Flesh-bone cultivation, 35 “Yay!” warning connector? or cultivated syllable 60 Bad day 69 Black land 36 ___ alai for Caesar gemstone 20 Online 37 Last: Abbr. 63 Catch 70 Leopard letters 39 What bloodsight of features 22 Senators’ hounds love 64 Lowest DOWN golf course to do clock 1 Do a helpers? 42 Night before number Cyrena Lang’s Dragon Hooper classes put a fun twist fitness flour task 25 Last Stuart 43 on Kool or wherever they’re held, including the Planteen Shein recently posted aBand shot of one of her kids classes having a 2 Here, dynastyRecreation Center. blastqueen to the @dragonhooper Instagram. about community, self-expression, feeling Spanish “The #hoop isfollower a connection, and finding yourself,” Lang wrote on her Instagram post. These 3 Ponder 28 Up to, sparking a passion things so important as4a child and also Cyrena Lang wins this week’s I Love Plant Holiday in as an adult.” forare short PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER City photo contest. the music 29 Tiny bit 33 Espionage industry? Follow us on social media: @PCObserver on Instgram, ON org.L I N E 5 Equal to on Twitter and Plant City Observer @PlantObserver face value 34 Bird song on Facebook. 6 Schoolchild’s critics? ride 38 Moses 7 Stir parted it 8 Like some 40 Warnings paper and 41 Buffet pockets server’s 9 Arrival anexasperated nouncement words to a 10 Not progluttonous 11 Expressive patron? dog part 45 Victorian ___ 46 Hot pastrami 12 Windows to the soul, seller 5/1 © 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal 47 Compete supposedly www.upuzzles.com

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019

PlantCityObserver.com