9.17.20 PLCO

Plant City Observer

y Observer

YO UR HOMETOW N. YO UR NEWSPAP ER .

YOUR HOMETOWN. YOUR NEWSPAPER

VOLUME 6, NO. 115

YO UR NEWS PAP ER .

COMMISH ROUNDUP: ROAD REPAIRS AHEAD

AND WHEELER STREET PROJECT A GO

Commissioners agreed to get the ball rolling on a few road resurfacing projects and also permitted the city manager to move forward with the Wheeler Street development project.

FREE

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

As the fiscal year comes to a close, a variety of projects were approved and updated Monday evening during the city commission meeting.

More roads will be resurfaced soon thanks to the commissioners’ approval of another contract with C.W. Roberts Contracting, Inc. for $69,000.95 to mill/resurface some of the remaining 2019 CDBG Streets.

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THURSDAY, SEPT 17, 2020

The 2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Streets Resurfacing Project was approved via an Interlocal Agreement effective January 28, 2020. It covers the milling and resurfacing of a roadway along West Merrick Street, West Bates Street and West Strickland Street.

SEE PAGE 6

FOOTBALL IS BACK!

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Durant, Plant City and Strawberry Crest officially began the 2020 high school football season last week.

SEE PAGE 10

NEWS BRIEFS

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office/Twitter

Arrests made in Aug. 24 I-4 shooting

On Monday afternoon. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of three suspects in the Aug. 24 shooting on Interstate 4 that left one teenager dead.

Jaris Youngblood Jr., 20, Jarkese Youngblood, 22, and Sha’Quandra Williams, 19, were arrested in connection with the shooting. The arrests were confirmed in a Monday press conference with Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, Plant City Police Department and Tampa Police Department, which all worked together on the case.

“The announcement of these arrests is a resounding example of how well we work together and because of the relationship we share with our Law Enforcement Partners, our Tampa Bay community is a safer place,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. Aug. 24. HCSO and Florida Highway Patrol responded to a report of shots fired on Interstate 4 East but did not find any victims or involved vehicles at the time. South Florida Baptist Hospital soon informed HCSO it had a shooting victim arrive and he was unresponsive at the time. The victim, 17, later died at the hospital. Police searched a two-mile stretch of the interstate for evidence and identified a gold Ford Taurus as a vehicle of interest. Chronister said the shooting was not random.

“Detectives believe that the I-4 shooting on August 24 may have been linked to an

ongoing neighborhood and online feud between young people within and outside of the Plant City area,” HCSO said in a press release. “Following multiple interviews, detectives learned that the Youngblood brothers saw a group of individuals they were feuding with while driving down I-4, which is what led Jaris Youngblood to roll down the rear driver’s side window and begin shooting at the individuals while his brother was driving.”

Williams, who was a passenger in the Taurus and had her one-year-old child in her lap during the incident, sold the car to a scrap yard in Osceola County to hide the evidence, HCSO said. The car belonged to Jarkese Youngblood.

Williams turned herself in to police at Orient Road Jail on Saturday. Jaris Youngblood Jr. was arrested in Tampa and Jarkese Youngblood was arrested in Osceola County.

Jaris Youngblood Jr. was charged with premeditated first degree murder with a firearm, shooting into a vehicle and tampering with evidence. Jarkese Youngblood was charged with principal to premeditated first degree murder and tampering with evidence. Williams was charged with tampering with evidence.

“The Youngblood brothers not only worked together to kill the teenage victim, they showed no regard for the other innocent drivers on I-4,” Chronister said. “Or even the infant child who was riding in the car with them.”

The incident is still under investigation but was not connected to the other recent I-4 shootings currently under investigation, Chronister confirmed.

JAAP program gets new look Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Sept. 10 press conference that it partnered with local law enforcement agencies and judicial leaders to change the Juvenile Arrest Avoidance Program (JAAP).

The JAAP was implemented in 2010 as a way to decrease the number of bookings

at Hillsborough County’s Juvenile Assessment Center. The program established criteria for issuing civil citations for juveniles instead of giving them criminal charges in certain situations, and it also gives them access to resources like counseling and treatment to help prevent repeat offenses.

“We don’t encourage bad behavior, but we understand children and teens make mistakes,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “At this highly impressionable stage of life, we want to guide them to make better decisions through a more tailored approach. In many cases, an arrest only worsens their troubles and can lead to a life of crime.”

HCSO said the changes, which officially went into effect Sept. 1, include the following: • With the exception of five, all misdemeanor offenses are eligible for the JAAP. The five exceptions are: Assault on a Specified Official (school employee, detention officer, law enforcement officer), Battery (Domestic Violence, except incidents involving Family Violence), Driving Under the Influence, Racing and Violation of Injunction.

• Parental consent is no longer mandatory for a juvenile to qualify for the JAAP. • When the arrest of a juvenile under 12 is being considered, the law enforcement officer must consult with a supervisor to discuss other options. Preference should be given to the JAAP. According to the Sheriff’s Office, statistics show most first-time offenders who enter the program do not reoffend. From 2017-18, “223 community JAAP cases and 312 school JAAP cases resulted in juveniles successfully completing the program.

A year later, only 9% of the community JAAP cases received a new arrest. For school JAAP cases, the recidivism rate was 10%. These positive outcomes, year after year, are what prompted the series of changes to maximize the program.”

“By ensuring this program reaches its full potential, we are changing the course of thousands of young people’s lives,” Chronister said. “One bad decision should not haunt them into adulthood and prevent them from leading productive and fulfilling lives.”

SFBH, other BayCare hospitals resume limited visitation BayCare announced its hospitals are once again allowing limited visitation for inpatients after five months without it, citing “reductions in both COVID-19 hospitalizations and in the community’s decreasing infection rate.”

Most inpatients will now be allowed to have one visitor a day from 3 to 8 p.m. with the following guidelines in place, according to a press release: • Only visitors 18 or older, who pass COVID-19 screening, will be allowed entry.

All visitors must wear a mask during their entire visit.

• Inpatients will be allowed one visitor per day from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., except for the exceptions noted below.

• Extended hours and provisions are allowed for pediatric, neonatal intensive care, labor and delivery and mothers and newborns.

• No visitors will be allowed for Behavioral Health or COVID-19 patients.

• Patients arriving for surgeries and procedures will be allowed one visitor during pre-operation and recovery times.

• Emergency Department patients, except for those presenting with respiratory symptoms, will be allowed one visitor once they are placed in their treatment room.

• Special circumstances can be approved by hospital leadership on a case-by-case basis.

“We know how important connections to loved ones are for our patients’ recovery and we are delighted to once again safely provide access for that in-person support,” Glenn Waters, chief operating officer for BayCare, said. “We have learned a lot since March about how the virus spreads and we have significantly increased protocols to combat it. Now with lower numbers, we can safely welcome visitors on a limited basis.”

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

3

BLESSPOOL, HELLO PLANT CITY

PODCASTS MAKING WAVES ON THE AIRWAVES A pair of Plant City-based podcasts that started around the same time are tackling all kinds of interesting topics and quickly gaining audiences within the community.

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

If you want to learn more about Plant City and the people in it, there’s a pair of podcasts you’ll want to press play on now.

Blesspool Podcast and Hello Plant City share two goals. One is to highlight people from (or who are strongly connected with) Plant City and bring their unfiltered experiences to audiences’ attention. The second goal is to give others a platform to share their knowledge and perspectives.

That’s where the similarities end, though, as the shows take very different paths to get where they both need to go. But a podcast, like life, is all about the journey and these two shows have made theirs memorable since their episodes started dropping in July.

BLESSPOOL PODCAST The best way to describe Blesspool in brief is like an unfiltered conversation between friends that can dredge up any emotion at any time. You never know what you’ll hear next in this free-flowing show hosted by Shaq Mitchell, Jeremiah Cooper and Kayvious Campbell, but all of it comes from the heart no matter whose turn it is to speak.

“We’re trying to keep it raw and uncut… I wanted to open it up to where we could talk about anything,” Mitchell said. “It’s raw, unstructured a little, but that’s how I wanted it to be. I wanted people to tell their truth.”

A friend of Mitchell’s gifted him a microphone for his birthday and encouraged him to start his own podcast. Though he wasn’t big on the idea at first, he eventually changed his mind and called Cooper about joining him on the show. The name came from an idea he’d had for a while and the podcast seemed like a perfect fit.

“Blesspool was a name that I thought about a while ago as far as, you know, you have a ‘cesspool’ and that’s a bad thing,” Mitchell said. “The opposite of that would be a ‘blesspool.’ It’s like a pool of blessings that we can all bring to the table, a great vibe, environment, everything positive instead of the negativity.”

A Facebook post got the show its first guest, Brian Dexter, and Blesspool was born in the blink of an eye. The second episode led to the show as we know it today: Campbell was brought on as a guest to tell his life story and join the conversation, and he had an offer to join the group full-time as soon as recording wrapped.

“It worked out perfectly,” Campbell said. “At that time, I had just left my job and I was looking for something while I was looking for a job to pass the time, use creative energy and stay focused. I definitely didn’t anticipate it going the way that it did.

All the stuff we have working, all the connections we’ve made — it’s been a lot of fun.”

One of the hosts’ goals for Blesspool from the jump was to learn more about people from Plant City in their own words, whether those conversations were easy or hard. The show has accomplished that thus far. But doing the show has also taught them more about their hometown and things they haven’t experienced until this time in their lives.

“It kind of opened a lot of doors, actually,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t feel comfortable going to downtown. We would go away to Ybor.

But now it’s like, let’s check out downtown and maybe if we were to come… it would start a thing and open up doors for everyone to feel comfortable. That was a big thing that opened a door for me, just starting a podcast.”

Mitchell, Cooper and Campbell are open-minded and ready for any conversation, whether it’s one they’ve had on their minds from the minute they booked a

guest or one proposed on Facebook by one of the show’s listeners. They want to compare and contrast their perspectives on an issue or topic at hand with their guests in a way that everyone — the hosts, the guests and the listeners — can learn from. They’ve talked to artists, activists, business owners, educators, influencers and more. The guests may be friends of the show, people the hosts were interested in hearing from or even people hosts were inspired by.

They’re not just looking for big local names to join the show, either. Local listeners may hear from a guest whose name they don’t know, someone whose voice was unheard until doing the show, but the hosts know that people who haven’t been given a platform sometimes have the most compelling stories and fresh perspectives.

“Having someone who can obviously carry a conversation — and I don’t want it to be like a screaming fight — having a conversation and giving each other perspective, hearing each other out, I think that’s the most important thing to do, especially with everything going on in the world,” Campbell said.

Season 1 of Blesspool is currently on SoundCloud and each of the eight episodes has a runtime of at least 54 minutes. The group is putting the finishing touches on Season 2, which will also be on SoundCloud, and the next goal is to get the show on Spotify by Season 3. You can also follow the Blesspool Podcast page on Facebook.

HELLO PLANT CITY You could say Arley and Adrian Smude are on a quest for knowledge about their hometown and the people in it. But that only tells part of the story. Hello Plant City is an idea that came to life when the Smude brothers came to a realization: both wanted to do a

podcast, even if their ideas for a show were completely different.

“I think the pro of us having different purposes for this and coming together, I’m sure Arley’s gonna have no idea who my people are just like how I have no idea who his people are, and we’re gonna find them super fascinating,” Adrian Smude said. “The goal of a podcast for other people is happening between the two of us and it keeps it very diverse.

It’s really something for everyone because we’re trying to get a diverse group of people.”

Arley Smude first got the idea to make a podcast when he moved back to Plant City in 2016. He loved the idea of using that platform to not just tell people that Plant City is unique, but to show them why it’s unique and who makes it that way.

“Most people everywhere focus on national issues and dialogues, and they don’t appreciate the local community as much as they should in a way that people sort of used to with things like WPLA,” he said. “When I first thought of the idea, I thought the first perfect guest would have been Al Berry.

Traditional old-school radio to 2020 radio. Then he passed away and I kicked myself. Same thing happened with Mac Smith. I met him at the Photo Archives and heard all kinds of cool, interesting stories. It reinvigorated the idea that I need to do the podcast.”

Adrian Smude wanted to learn about people as well, but he was more interested in learning about the average “hidden” person next door than a well-known name in town. His idea was to preserve their stories in a way he and their families could hold on to long after they’re gone.

“I do yoga at the Y and it’s me and 60, 70 and 80-year-olds,” he said. “Some of them work out more than me in more hours than me and are arguably in better shape than me… I just want to know — they’re always happy.

They have every quality I want to

have in their state of life and I just want to know why, how and what it is. They’re awesome people doing what they should be doing at that state of life, and they’re just that person next door that’s successfully retired. They have to have an awesome story. There’s no way they don’t.”

The podcast has released five episodes thus far. Listeners can hear from and learn about Berry (by way of his daughters), world boxing champion Chevelle Hallback, local artist Dave Letterfly, living World War II veteran Harrison Covington and DACA Dreamer Enrique Ibarra. Two of the episodes — Covington’s and Berry’s — were produced in a partnership with the Plant City Photo Archives and History Center. Making Covington’s episode paid off not only in educational value, but also for every episode following it.

“Harrison Covington, it’s nuts how incredible this guy is,” Arley Smude said. “I learned about him through the Photo Archives. Anne Cardenas from the archives has a ton of podcast experience and is an oral history expert. She helped with it. She helped show me how to edit and how to bring it all to the next level.”

Hello Plant City will cover all kinds of ground in the 20 episodes the brothers have planned (and more if they’re still having fun at that point, they said).

The Smudes have several interview guests already lined up and couldn’t be more excited for what they’re going to learn.

Hello Plant City is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Shows are posted every other Thursday, meaning you can listen to a brand new episode right now. You can follow the show’s Facebook page for more episode links and information.

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COPS CORNER

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

PLANT CITY

Observer

This week on Cops Corner: Plant City Police investigated a stolen travel trailer, stolen toys, a stolen car and more.

Publisher / Karen Berry KBerry@PlantCityObserver.com Managing Editor / Sarah Holt SHolt@PlantCityObserver.com

AUG. 28

AUG. 30

SEPT. 2

UNHAPPY TRAILS 200 block of Sugar Creek Drive Theft: This complainant stated her 1990 Coleman pop-up travel trailer was stolen from her residence. She last saw it the evening of Aug. 27.

FAKE IT ’TIL YOU MAKE IT, PART 1 2600 block of Paul Buchman Highway Fraud: This complainant stated someone used their bank account information to steal $500 from their account.

PUTTING THE ‘BREAK’ IN ‘BREAKUP’ 800 block of Whitehurst Road Criminal mischief: This complainant stated his ex-girlfriend came over and they got into a verbal altercation, which led to her breaking one of his windows out of anger.

The complainant declined to press charges and signed a waiver of prosecution.

BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY 910 block of Loganderry Lane Residential burglary: This complainant stated an unknown suspect used a ladder to get to the window of her upstairs apartment, broke in and stole cash, several purses and handbags. She signed a waiver of prosecution.

AUG. 29 JUST A HUNCH 300 block of South Franklin Street Recovered stolen vehicle: Officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle and found an unoccupied 2008 Mazda that appeared to have broken down. They ran the tag and learned the vehicle was reported stolen on June 17.

AUG. 31 FAKE IT ’TIL YOU MAKE IT, PART 2 700 block of East Calhoun Street Theft: This complainant stated an unknown subject used her identification to open accounts and racked up charges totaling approximately $20,000 on them.

SEPT. 3

Associate Editor / Sports Editor / Justin Kline JKline@PlantCityObserver.com

SEPT. 4

Staff Writer / Breanne Williams BWilliams@PlantCityObserver.com

TEMPTING FATE 3500 block of West Baker Street Driving with license suspended: Officers stopped a vehicle for having an improper tag attached and found that the driver has a suspended license, which the driver was aware of. The driver was arrested and taken to Orient Road Jail without incident.

Advertising Graphic Designer / Juan Alvarez Circulation/ Office Manager / Linda Lancaster LLancaster@PlantCityObserver.com

TO ADVERTISE Call (813) 704-6850

Advertising / Richard Brame richard@plantcityobserver.com

SEPT. 8

BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT 2600 block of James L. Redman Parkway Shoplifting: An unknown suspect stole $182 worth of miscellaneous items from a store.

TOY THIEF 3020 block of South Frontage Road Burglary: This complainant stated their 65-inch TV, a Power Rangers Megazord figure, a model figure and a collectible “High Command” figurine were stolen from them.

The items were valued at $1,295.

Auto and taken to Orient Road Jail without incident.

THAT WAS FAST Baker Street/Howard Street Recovered stolen vehicle: Officers conducted a traffic stop on a white Chrysler PT Cruiser that was reported stolen out of Tampa on the same day. The driver was arrested for Grand Theft

Advertising / Karen Berry kberry@plantcityobserver.com

TEST YOUR MIGHT 810 block of West Ball Street Criminal mischief: This complainant stated his ex-girlfriend came to his home and kicked his vehicle’s rear passenger door twice during a verbal argument. The door was dented from the kicks. The complainant requested the report number for insurance purposes and signed a waiver of prosecution.

CONTACT US

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, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100B. If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call Linda Lancaster at 704-6850.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS 1000 block of West Reynolds Street Residential burglary: This complainant stated subjects stole a white wooden rocking chair, two potted flower pots and a potted tomato plant from her front porch overnight. The total value of the stolen items was $310.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

5

Some big changes are coming to local parks thanks to a large focus in the proposed city budget.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Park advocates have something to celebrate following Monday night’s commission meeting.

The city’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year is chock full of exciting projects. However, one of its hidden gems is the multiple park renovations that will hopefully soon be underway. The proposal is to make the Parks and Recreation Department’s budget $6,157,947, which comes out to approximately 15 percent of the general fund or $156 per resident. That comes with an additional investment of $312,944 for “equipment to improve efficiency in daily operations of the Parks Maintenance division.”

On the horizon are some transformations to make recreation a breeze in the community. As a quick overview, the city plans to rebuild the Dort Street Basketball and Tennis Courts for $350,000 and to research and design a Spray Park for $100,000. It also wants to allocate an additional $350,000 to design and construct a new Tennis Center that includes restrooms, showers and other amenities. The city also wants to install a playground at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center for $175,000 and allows $150,000 for other playground improvements.

Under Parks and Recreation Capital Projects, the city allows $110,000 to be divided into $25,000 for the Planteen Rec Center, $65,000 for the Oaklawn Cemetery fence and $20,000 for walking trail lighting at Ellis-Methvin Park.

Asset Maintenance is set for $52,000 and the plan is to allot $12,500 for the bike/ nature trail at Sansone Park and $40,000 for general park improvements.

A portion of the Community Investment Tax always goes toward Parks and

Rec. This year, $75,000 is to be allocated for the parking at the Dr. MLK Jr. Recreation Complex. There will also be $25,000 set aside for the Ellis-Methvin pedestrian bridge. Local ball fields and courts will have $130,000 set aside for lighting and the Dort Street Facility will have $165,450 for its reconstruction. The Spray Park, Sadye Gibbs playground, playground improvements and tennis center are also covered in the CIT. Another highlight of the budget comes with the announcement that the city wants to create a Boy Scout Pit Park. The initial planning for that will run $50,000. The Boy Scout park could potentially become a waterfront park with a pier, kayak ramp and parking lot. It is proposed to be on Coronet Road just past the Roberts Ranch Road intersection.

City Manager Bill McDaniel said there are countless things to be excited about in the next fiscal year. However, the park improvements are what he believes will really draw a lot of attention.

“I think the playground, researching the Splash Park, moving forward and expanding our outdoor fitness program to Cooper Park are all very exciting,” McDaniel said.

“I’m really passionate about the Boy Scout Pit Park Development project. We are kind of unique in Florida that there isn’t a single public, accessible waterfront park or activity area in our city. I don’t count standing on the banks of the East Side Canal. We don’t have a public lake that people can go to and drop a line to fish or kayak or canoe.”

The proposed Boy Scout Pit Park could solve that lacking amenity. Though the dream is just beginning, the upcoming budget has the allocated funds to get the study underway to identify potential uses for the property.

McIntosh Park continues to be one of the city’s top projects. McDaniel said what the

park represents for the city not only as an amenity and a preserve, but also as a water management component makes it one of the city’s greatest assets.

“The water management component of it is generationally significant for the future of our city,” McDaniel said. “We are talking about the way to recharge water into the aquifer potentially, we are talking about stormwater management and

water quality management. That is a tremendously impactful infrastructure project with a beautiful wildlife and wetlands amenity on top of it.”

The final reading of the budget will be at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28. You can attend the commission meeting in person or tune in on the City of Plant City’s Facebook or YouTube pages.

6

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

COMMISSIONERS APPROVE ROAD RESURFACING CONTRACT, WHEELER STREET LOT NEGOTIATIONS Monday’s city commission meeting led to the green light being given for several road resurfacing projects around the city and for City Manager Bill McDaniel to start negotiations for the Wheeler Street lot development.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The project was advertised for bid on July 15 and five bids came in on Aug. 15. C.W. Roberts Contracting, Inc. was the lowest responsive and responsible bid. They came it at $69,000.95. The highest bid was from Mondragon Paving, LLC for $94,151.04.

The Wheeler Street development also drew some interest during Monday’s meeting.

The City of Plant City purchased the property at the corner of Wheeler Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the past fiscal year after watching it sit, unused and empty, for years.

“It needed help to get it going and spark something,” City Manager Bill McDaniel said. “What happens is, we run into situations where we look at these properties and we pretty well determine what their impact on the community is going to be. Ideally we would love to see someone come in and transform that space, but after a lot sits for 20 years and nothing happens we realize that we need to be the ones to step up and get this ball rolling.”

Those who are familiar with the property’s history know there were a undoubtedly a few bumps along the way. Most remember that intersection as being a car lot. A dealership sat on the spot and for years cars would drive on and off the pavement.

When it closed, a marine shop/boat dealership arrived on the scene and used the same buildings for similar services. When that

closed, the owner demolished the buildings and a concrete slab has sat in its place ever since.

When the city purchased the property it began environmental testing to take the project into phase two. The city found some areas where there were hydraulic issues thanks to the vehicles and boats sitting on the property for years. That was taken care of and the property was then set with a Request for Proposals.

Two bids came in and they were originally ranked with the intention of the city entering negotiations with the highest-ranking company first. If there were issues or problems that caused the partnership to fail, the city could quickly go to the second bid without having to go back to the drawing board.

McDaniel announced that toward the end of last week, during the “due process,” it was discovered the company in the second bid had not filed for its corporation license and thus the bid was disqualified, leaving Solution Source as the sole candidate.

Solution Source, in its bid, proposed building “Wheeler Street Station” on the property and the plan was to have a 13,450-square foot first floor with six different retail units. Above the retail would be the second and third floors, which would have 16 residential units per floor ranging from 500 to 1,350 square feet.

Commissioners approved McDaniel’s request to begin negotiations.

PlantCityObserver.com

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

PLANT CITY OBSERVER CONSIDERS TRANSITIONING TO NONPROFIT The owners of the Plant City Observer have recently begun discussions of changing the methods of operation for the local newspaper to transition its status from a for-profit entity to a nonprofit company.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

In 2008, three communityminded individuals came together to start a hyperlocal newspaper in Plant City.

The town enjoyed that type of community anchor for most of the last century, but with the loss of the hometown ownership came the loss of a balanced perspective on the town. Since that time, the Plant City Observer has built a strong base of community support.

“I love the Plant City Observer,” founding member Ed Verner said.

“One of the reasons Plant City lost its original local newspaper — The Courier — was because it was taken over by companies and investors from further and further away. Before it died, it had already lost its local focus and had become a tiny tail of a weekly paper attached to a sick, fat dog daily licking its wounds in Tampa.”

Original owners of the Plant City Observer Ed Verner, Nate Kilton and Felix Haynes were later joined by Karen Berry. Over the past three weeks, that team investigated options to potentially alter the future of the publication.

“Community institutions, like schools, hospitals, governments and nonprofits, to name a few, are critically important to the fabric

and vitality of a city,” Kilton said.

“They act to serve people and foster engagement. A newspaper focused on local news should also be viewed as a community institution.”

The owners have expressed an interest in obtaining community input before making a final decision, though a tentative timeline has not yet been announced. It’s a long time coming, according to Verner, who said the thought entered his mind a year ago but nothing came of that passing consideration.

“It has taken some time, effort, and no small amount of capital for us to purchase all of the shares from former investors and/ or joint partnership,” Verner said.

“Conversion to non-profit would mean all four of us would have to be donating the entirety of our combined investment of the past eight years. Yet we have known for some time that our newspaper is not so much a great financial profit center as it is a worthy and very valuable community asset.”

From there, Verner said, the then-former owners would become the founding members of a board of directors. Additional members would likely join thereafter.

On the surface, a transition would not be very visible. Coverage would remain the same, editorial methods would not be altered in any way and the paper

itself would maintain its traditional style. Behind the scenes, a few additional steps would be added to the dance and the melody would not skip a beat. A nonprofit newspaper, which is becoming increasingly common in weekly publications throughout the nation, relies on a combination of grants, donations and ad sales.

Haynes added that the ability to seek donations rather than attempt to sell subscriptions also acts as a win-win for the community. People can make taxdeductible contributions to their hometown newspaper and the paper can remain free to all who wish to read it.

No decision has been made but the conversation is currently underway. Those with opinions on the matter are invited to send their thoughts to Managing Editor Sarah Holt at sholt@ plantcityobserver.com.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

FLORIDA ADDS ANOTHER 3,116 COVID-19 CASES TUESDAY The numbers are still on the rise, but the state continues to steadily reopen.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The week was off to a promising start as the Florida Department of Health showed the state has had the smallest daily increase of COVID-19 cases since June 11.

Officials announced Monday that Florida had 1,736 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours. However, the number of deaths linked to the coronavirus increased by 36 since the numbers that came out the day before.

The numbers — though still nowhere near where health experts want them to be in order to consider the pandemic “safely managed” — did put some at ease and several took to social media to voice their frustration with the continued emergency order. Bars and breweries opened for the first time on Monday as well and photos from locations across the state showed a mix of well-managed and safely distanced venues to packed houses.

By Tuesday, however, the story began to change. By that afternoon, Florida added 3,116 coronavirus cases and 146 COVID19-related deaths. This shot the total statewide infection number up to 668,846 since March. The weekly death average is now up to 126 people per day, bringing the total to 12,946 people. This week’s numbers still reflect the increase that resulted thanks to widespread Labor Day events.

It appears there are mixed views on the state of emergency in Hillsborough County and Florida as a whole. Many are calling to rescind the mask mandate, open businesses to capacity and get rid of the lingering restrictions in place that help minimize the spread of the virus, as is evident at each week’s Board of County Commissioners emergency management meeting. Oth-

ers look at the current numbers and are determined the state remain under lock and key until it can successfully get a grip on the virus.

But change is in the air. This week it was announced that staff from assisted-living facilities in Florida no longer have to be tested for the coronavirus. Florida issued a statewide order in June that required nursing home and assisted-living facility staff to test themselves every two weeks to make sure they had not contracted the virus.

Those who tested positive went home and workers were not allowed to come inside the building until they could prove they had tested negative.

Two emergency mandates from the Agency for Health Care Administration, however, expired on Sunday and changed the rules. Nursing home staff still have to be tested due to federal guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but those who work in assistedliving facilities don’t have to.

“With the expiration of the state Rule 59AER20-4, assisted-living facilities will no longer be required to routinely test staff,” an alert AHCA sent to healthcare providers read.

This is the latest change for nursing homes as Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an order earlier this month that allowed nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to once again welcome visitors.

To get the county’s latest health update, tune into the BOCC’s special meeting at 1:30 p.m. today. You can stream the meeting on Hillsborough County’s Facebook or YouTube pages.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

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SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

SPORTS

GAME OF THE WEEK:

MANATEE AT PLANT CITY

Justin Kline

Lakeland’s forced cancellation of this week’s game led the Raiders to book a home game with Manatee for 7 p.m. tonight. The game will open the Hurricanes’ season while the Raiders look to keep their momentum from Week 1 going.

Back in the day, Plant City/Manatee was considered a legitimate football rivalry with legitimate district championship stakes. Though those days are long gone as districts and regions have reshuffled and both teams now spend much more time playing opponents closer to home, local fans will get a blast from the past this week thanks to COVID-19.

The Lakeland Dreadnaughts were forced to cancel their first two games of the 2020 season — which included what would have been this Friday’s game against the Raiders — and Plant City suddenly needed an opponent for this week. It didn’t take long for the Manatee Hurricanes to agree to come back to town for the first time in a long time: Plant City and Manatee have not played each other since before many of the players on both rosters, if not all of them, were born.

One person who does remember the old Plant City/Manatee games is PCHS head coach James Booth, who will now get to say he’s been on both sides of that battle.

Booth was a wide receiver for Manatee in the late 1990s and played against the Raiders.

Before coming to Plant City in 2017, Booth was Manatee’s offensive coordinator for three seasons and helped the program win 28 games and make three playoff appearances during that time. Wide receivers coach Anthony Rozier also joined Booth in the move from Manatee to Plant City.

Plant City’s first game went exactly as the team hoped it would. The Raiders blew out Riverview, 44-7, in a game where all of the scoring happened in the first half and the backups got plenty of reps in the second.

Plant City’s new-look offense was extremely effective. Nick Felice only threw three passes before the backups came in, but he completed two of them for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Starting running back Romello Jones picked up 98 yards and a score on a team-high seven carries,

and backup Reggie Bush ran the ball four times for exactly 100 yards and a touchdown. Senior wideout Jose Rodriguez caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from junior backup Carson Mohler and thirdstring quarterback Clinton Danzey led the quarterbacks with both five completions and eight attempts.

Returning receivers Mario Williams and Reagan Ealy picked up right where they left off. Williams finished the game with two kick returns for 107 yards, two catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns, as well as two successful two-point conversions

(one throwing to Aramoni Rhone, one running) and one touchdown coming from a 65-yard double pass to a wide-open Ealy.

Ealy finished with two catches for 74 yards and that touchdown.

So Booth and the Raiders will have at least one advantage over Manatee tonight: that momentum. This will be Manatee’s first game of the 2020 season and the Hurricanes will also not have head coach Yusuf Shakir, who in April was hit with an eightgame suspension for recruiting. Shakir led Manatee to the Class 7A regional championship game last year, where the Hurricanes suffered a 34-17 loss to Venice.

Just a reminder for those of you who can’t make it to any of your schools’ games: you can watch your schools’ livestreamed broadcasts of football and other sports on NFHSNetwork.com if you have a subscription.

Justin Kline is the Sports Editor at the Plant City Observer.

Email: jkline@plantcityobserver.com.

OTHER GAMES TO WATCH DURANT @ BLOOMINGDALE, 7:30 P.M. THURSDAY Last week, the Durant Cougars took the Newsome Wolves to overtime in the Alafia River Rivalry game but lost, 13-10.

Things don’t get any easier this week, as the Cougars (0-1) will travel to Bloomingdale (1-0) one week after the Bulls used a big second half to upset Armwood (0-1) at home, 15-14. Bloomingdale’s defense and special teams accounted for both of the Bulls’ touchdowns, and the Cougars will also square off against a familiar face in star wideout Agiye Hall — who started his high school football career with Durant.

STRAWBERRY CREST @ KATHLEEN, 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY Last week, the Strawberry Crest Chargers battled with King and held a lead for most of the game, but a fourth-quarter Lions field goal put the home team on top and sent Crest back to Dover with a 10-8 loss.

The Chargers will try to make up for that this week at Kathleen against a Red Devils team that just ended up on the winning end of a 42-40 barnburner with Ridge Community. Both teams combined to score 68 of their 82 points in the first half and held a 34-34 tie heading into the locker room. Neither scored again until the fourth quarter, when Kathleen outscored Ridge 8-6.

Justin Kline

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

JUSTIN KLINE

DO PEOPLE HAVE THE WRONG IDEA ABOUT WHAT ‘STRONG’ LEADERSHIP IS?

Opening up about one’s personal struggles with mental health is not a sign of weakness, no matter what Skip Bayless thinks will sound good on television.

I

t’s been a rough year for Dak Prescott. Even without COVID-19 throwing a wrench into the plans of every sports league in the world, he had to deal with the unexpected death of his brother in April. Can you blame the guy for sinking into depression around that time?

It took a lot of courage on his part to come out and talk about this publicly,

especially as the starting quarterback of one of the world’s biggest, most valuable sports teams. Don’t get me wrong: in an extremely online world where people love presenting only the best versions of themselves (truthfully or otherwise), it takes courage for anyone to actually come out and say they’re not doing OK right now or weren’t doing so OK not long ago. It’s

just that most people don’t have the spotlight from playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys locked onto them.

SEE KLINE, PAGE 11

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

JUSTIN KLINE

LETTING YOURSELF BE VULNERABLE DOES NOT MEAN GIVING UP YOUR STRENGTH AS A LEADER When athletes like Dak Prescott show us their humanity, we can’t just take that away from them in the name of “strong leadership.”

FROM PAGE 10

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL REGISTRATION Registration for the 54th season of the Plant City Parks and Recreation Department/Optimist Youth Flag Football Program is right around the corner.

Starting Sept. 21, parents of children age 4-15 as of Nov. 1, 2020, can sign the kids up for the upcoming flag football season at a cost of $25 per player. Games are played on Saturday mornings at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, 2402 E. Cherry St., and there are no pads, no practices and no coaches — just “instructing officials” who ensure every player gets to make a play. Players will get basic football training.

Due to COVID-19, the season has been shortened to six games and there won’t be a tournament. The season runs from Oct. 17 through Nov. 21 and you must be registered

by Sept. 30 to guarantee a spot on a team. The registration cost covers a jersey and accident insurance.

To sign up, visit the PCPRD administrative office, 1904 S. Park Road, call 813-659-4255 or visit plantcitygov.com/ parksrec/page/youth-flag-football-league-ages-4-15.

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and not against you? Eventually your problems boil over to the surface in some way, somehow, and your house of cards comes tumbling down before anyone in your life knows they may need to lend their support.

Is there no honor in opening up about your struggles and maybe inspiring someone else to keep going through the obstacles like you’re doing? Is there no glory in trusting your teammates enough to let them know you’ve been facing adversity but are trying your hardest to overcome it? If anything, I think Prescott looks like a much stronger person now for opening up. If I were his teammate, I’d play harder for him now.

I feel like the “keep it to yourself” attitude goes against what everyone in sports is taught about both overcoming adversity and being there for your teammates when they’re in need. If you’d support anyone in the locker room when they’re going through hard times of their own, there’s no shame in letting them support you.

And I hope Bayless and anyone else with that outlook on leadership actually takes some time to learn what strong leadership really is. The people who carve out a path forward so others can follow without facing as many challenges are team leaders. The people who pull others backward because they can’t come to terms with their own humanity are team killers. Do you really know which one you are?

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usually comes at the expense of mental health.

I listen to Blesspool and this topic actually came up in the second episode of the podcast’s first season, which was recorded back in July before Prescott went public about his struggles. I recently talked to Shaq and Kayvious from the podcast about what Bayless said and that episode came right to mind.

In it, the guys discussed the stigma attached with vulnerability, a belief of weakness in one’s openness which gets passed down to young men (and surely this happens for women, too) by the generations that came before them. Many of us were taught from a young age to bottle up our emotions and keep them private so as not to project weakness and dependence on others.

Not all of us realize it as soon as we leave home, if ever. I took way too long to realize how bad a habit that is and I’m still trying to break it. I’d like to think I’ve gotten way better in the least year and a half, but I still have a ways to go. Seeing someone so prominent in a field I care strongly about speak up this publicly will help me going forward. I can’t speak for all of you, but I’m sure there are at least a few of you readers out there in the same boat.

Why is it that forcing yourself to play your cards close to your chest at all times became an act of strength?

Bluffing your hand is fine in poker but why is it acceptable when you’re bluffing for people working with you

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So it sucks that as soon as Prescott took off his armor and showed us some vulnerability, Skip Bayless saw a weak point and went on the attack on national television.

While it is important to note Bayless’s life has not been entirely happy and easy by any means, watching someone open up to others and calling that a bad display of leadership is like watching someone drown and trying to pull them under rather than helping them get back to shore. It does nothing but further a stupid, weird societal belief that never did anything for anybody but make them bitter and insecure.

There are many different ways to be a leader. Not all of them are good, though, and I believe our society has been so fixated on the idea of being that person at the top of the food chain, the one an entire team depends on to get things done, that we’ve made it easy for a lot of bad actors to give us bad ideas about what effective leadership really looks like.

If nobody’s there to check you, you might be a terrible leader without even realizing it.

One thing that always gets associated with someone’s ideal style of leadership is the concept of strength.

You’ve probably heard it a lot. People don’t just need leaders — they need strong leaders. That’s what everyone can agree on and also where the paths start to diverge. You get messed up when you go down the path of strength at any cost, which

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

YOUR AROUND TOWN SPONSOR We asked Facebook: In July, cargo flights to Lakeland Linder International Airport increased and brought more air traffic over Plant City. Has this affected you where you live?

“We witnessed a Prime plane mistakenly attempting to land at PC airport last week. Pretty low before they realized it was not the correct airport.” — Dennis Baxter “We see the amazon prime planes flying pretty low over our neighborhood regularly. My kids love seeing them fly by. They haven’t caused any issues for us though.”

— Garnet AndTravis Bailey “Yes. They fly VERY low over our neighborhood. It can be loud and a bit scary to see them so low. I can hear and see the tires come out.” — Cathy Baker “We’re about 6 miles from the airport. We can hear the roar of the engines of the Prime Air jets inside the house when they are on the runway during takeoff and landing. Occasionally one will fly right over our house fairly low which is kind of scary. We’re starting to see a pattern with flights. There are usually three that take off around 8:30 pm.” — Donna Varano

“I hear them flying low over the Meadows on Sam Allen Rd. and it does sound like the landing gear is coming down and flying low. I’m glad I saw this because I’ve been trying to figure it out.” — April Robbins “We are on South Wiggins Rd, they are very loud and low flying. Sometimes it rattles the windows. It makes you wonder if they are going to make it to the airport.”

— Lola Langston Kilcrease

“I can see them when I’m outside, but they haven’t been an issue noise wise. The 1am freight train that blows all the way through town is noisier.” — John Parker “It started as 1 occasionally, now it’s up to as many as 4 per day. Once the “oh neat” wears off, it will be up to 15 a day and it won’t be so neat anymore.”

— Andrew Hennosy

“I’ve got used to the prime planes flying over Walden Lake and it doesn’t bother me.” — Judy Martin

“I live in Walden Woods. It’s constant. Started as 1 or 2 mid afternoon...now all day and all evening.”

— Sarah Heitz Kraus

“Sparkman Road area - low flying planes at ALL hours!”

— Kaylee Jones

“My little boy loves seeing his ‘big boo (blue) planes.’”

— Brittany Nicole

“Amazon cargo planes fly right over our house multiple times a day. So cool!!” — Jennifer Coons Hamilton

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AROUND TOWN

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

Boots Regin, 97, of Riverview, born June 23,1923 in Atlanta, Georgia, entered into eternal rest on September 4, 2020.

Interment at Hopewell Memorial Gardens, Plant City.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Shirley Raulerson Sapp Shirley Raulerson Sapp, 83, of Plant City, passed away on September 11, 2020.

Expressions of condolence at Hopewellfuneral.com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Michael Farmer Michael Farmer, 42, of Dover, born on August 12, 1978 in Cincinnati, Ohio, entered into eternal rest on September 9, 2020.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Doris Ann Holsonback Doris Ann Holsonback, 87, of Brandon, born on January 5, 1933 in Galena, Illinois, entered into eternal rest on September 5, 2020.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Frances Coon

Frances Coon, 78, of Plant City, passed away on September 3, 2020. Services will be held privately.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www. haught.care.

HAUGHTFUNERALHOME.COM

Hector Estrella

Glenda Messer

Hector Estrella, 52, of Plant City, born on March 15, 1968 in Brownsville, Texas, entered into eternal rest on September 8, 2020.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.

Glenda Messer, 81, of Thonotosassa, passed away on September 10, 2020. Services were held September 15, 2020 at First Thonotosassa Missionary Baptist Church.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www. haught.care. If so desired, donations can be made to Lifepath Hospice 12470 Telecom Drive Suite 300, West Temple Terrace, FL 33637 in Glenda’s memory.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Eva Almon Eva Almon, 92, of Plant City, born on November 3, 1927 in Toccoa, Georgia, entered into eternal rest on September 12, 2020. Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.

Gerson Guevara Padilla Gerson Guevara Padilla, 30, of Haines City, passed away on September 10, 2020. Funeral services will be held at St. Clement Catholic Church on Thursday September 17, 2020 at 11:00 AM. Masks will be required to attend the service.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www. haught.care.

HAUGHTFUNERALHOME.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

Unique and Hazley Peterson

Unique and Hazley Peterson, of Plant City, passed away on September 13, 2020. The family will receive friends Friday September 18, 2020, from 10:00am to 11:00am at Haught Funeral Home, 708 W. Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd., Plant City, FL 33563. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 AM. Online condolences may be left for the family at www. haught.care.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

BEST BET SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 STRAWBERRY CLASSIC CRUISE-IN

3 to 8 p.m. at 102 N. Palmer St. The Plant City Strawberry Classic Cruise-In is back this Saturday, rain or shine. Cars and trucks manufactured in or before 1995 can register for free starting at 3 p.m. Live music by DJ John Paul Gasca.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 PLANT CITY TOASTMASTERS

7:30 to 9 a.m. Join the Plant City Toastmasters for breakfast, laughs, and fun; there’s no better way to start your Thursday mornings. Bring a chair and a mask.

The Toastmasters also offer Zoom meetings for those who can’t make it in person.

Visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/ PlantCityToastmasters/, for meeting locations and information.

STRAWBERRY GIRL SCOUT NIGHT

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Interested in joining the Girl Scouts? Girl Scouts of West Central Florida will host a Sign-Up Night were you can bring a friend, make new ones and learn all about the program for free. Registration is required and must be done online at form.jotform.com/202355996099167.

Be sure to select Hillsborough County and the correct date for your zip code.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 RETRO MOVIE NIGHT

7 to 8:30 p.m. Join Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd., for Retro Movie Night featuring Mulan (1998). Bring the family and enjoy a fun night with free admission.

MONDAY, SEPT. 21 SBA & SCORE WEBINAR: THE IN-BUSINESS GUIDE TO TOUGH TIMES – MARKETING ON A DIME

12 to 1 p.m. This webinar series will guide you through an easy to follow four-step process and give you the tools you need to determine how you will meet the small business challenge today. Register online at score.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ c66x3nHuTEyE_UHMpM74KQ.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 PLANT CITY TOASTMASTERS

7:30 to 9 a.m. Join the Plant City Toastmasters for breakfast, laughs, and fun; there’s no better way to start your Thursday mornings. Bring a chair and a mask.

The Toastmasters also offer Zoom meetings for those who can’t make it in person.

Visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/ PlantCityToastmasters/, for meeting locations and information.

DIAMONDS AND DENIM 2020 WITH A TWIST!

5 to 9 p.m. A virtual fundraising event to support local hospital heroes. This year’s event will be a combination of a fabulous “Dinner Drive-Thru” followed by a Facebook Live event which will include three drawings: Diamond Ring, 50/50 and Grand Prize. There will also be an online auction beginning on event day. Registration required. To register, learn more or view sponsorship details, visit SFBHFoundation.org.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 GARDEN FEST & MORE

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Plant City Train Depot, 102 N. Palmer St. The 2020 Annual Garden Fest & More, hosted by the Plant City Garden Club, promises to be bigger and better. The event is free to the public and parking is also free. This is an event you will not want to miss with everything for your fall gardening needs: lots of plants, garden art and accessories as well as antiques and crafts all located at the train depot and McCall Park. The Plant City Garden Club is currently taking vendor reservations for Garden Fest. Interested vendors should not wait to get their reservations in as space is limited. Application forms can be found on plantcitygardenclub.org.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27 PAINT FOR A CURE

3 to 6 p.m. at the Union Station Depot Welcome Center, 102 N. Palmer St. Paint For a Cure is a family rock painting event focused on providing a safe and socially distanced activity for families to enjoy outdoors while honoring Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As we remember Morgan Pierce, her artwork will be on display with prints up for auction to raise money for local kids with cancer. Masks are mandatory, along with social distancing and temperature checks. One group per table. Use the sanitation stations that are available and please stay home if you feel unwell. For sponsorship opportunities, email florida@jensensheartofgold.com.

RHYTHM & RHYME

mic and express themselves. This event was previously held regularly at The Corner Store but has moved to Keel Farms to make social distancing easier.

MONDAY, SEPT. 28 SBA & SCORE WEBINAR: THE SMALL BUSINESS LEGAL CHALLENGES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 12 to 1 p.m. This webinar series will guide you through an easy to follow four-step process and give you the tools you need to determine how you will meet the small business challenge today. Register online at score.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ c66x3nHuTEyE_UHMpM74KQ.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 31 PLANT CITY TOASTMASTERS

7:30 to 9 a.m. Join the Plant City Toastmasters for breakfast, laughs, and fun; there’s no better way to start your Thursday mornings. Bring a chair and a mask.

The Toastmasters also offer Zoom meetings for those who can’t make it in person.

Visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/ PlantCityToastmasters/, for meeting locations and information.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 PLANT CITY TOASTMASTERS

7:30 to 9 a.m. Join the Plant City Toastmasters for breakfast, laughs, and fun; there’s no better way to start your Thursday mornings. Bring a chair and a mask.

The Toastmasters also offer Zoom meetings for those who can’t make it in person.

Visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/ PlantCityToastmasters/, for meeting locations and information.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 RAISED EARTH BOX WORKSHOP

9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Plant City Commons Community Garden, 2001 E. Cherry St. Build your own table-height garden! Ed Buckley will furnish materials and guide you step by step to assemble your new growing space. Suggested $55 donation.

RSVP required. Call Karen at (813) 4358111 to register and get more information.

5 p.m. at Keel Farms, 5210 Thonotosassa Road. Artists, singers, rappers, poets and other performers can step up to the open

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6 STRAWBERRY GIRL SCOUT NIGHT

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Interested in joining the Girl Scouts? Girl Scouts of West Central Florida will host a Sign-Up Night were you can bring a friend, make new ones and learn all about the program for free. Registration is required and must be done online at form.jotform.com/202355996099167.

Be sure to select Hillsborough County and the correct date for your zip code.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 VOLUNTEER DAY AT PCC COMMUNITY GARDEN

9 a.m. Spend a couple of hours in the Plant City Commons Community Garden, 2001 E. Cherry St. There are always projects that need special talent and attention. You do not have to be a gardener. You can help by building, painting, cutting, drilling and more. Volunteer days are the second Saturday of every month. Call (813) 435-8111 for more information.

SEED LIBRARY OPEN AT PCC COMMUNITY GARDEN

9 a.m. Choose or donate heirloom seeds at the Seed Library in the Plant City Commons Community Garden, 2001 E. Cherry St. This helps keep diversity in the local food system. The library is open on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. Call (813) 435-8111 for more information.

FOX SQUIRREL CORN MAZE

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Futch Entertainment presents the ninth annual Fox Squirrel Corn Maze at 3002 Charlie Taylor Road North, featuring a corn maze, pumpkins for sale, hayrides, games and simply enjoying the great outdoors! There will be food, fall cakes, roasted corn, boiled peanuts, kettle corn, shaved ice, honey and more yummy delights. Vendors will feature pumpkin painting, a butterfly experience, arts and crafts, handmade children’s clothing, face painting, horse and pony rides and more. Most vendors are cash only and there is no ATM on site. Fox Squirrel Corn Maze is open Oct. 10 through Nov. 1 on Saturdays and Sundays only. Guests are asked to exit the venue by 6 p.m. See FoxSquirrelCornMaze.com for COVID-19 restrictions, rules and pricing.

HERE TO BUILD

A STRONGER

YOU

WHEN YOU’RE READY, WE’RE HERE.

SIGN UP FEE WAIVED through Sept. 30th!

PLANT CITY FAMILY YMCA 1507 YMCA Pl., Plant City | 813 757 6677 | tampaymca.org

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

FORECAST

Send your photo submissions to Associate Editor Justin Kline at jkline@PlantCityObserver.com or hashtag #iloveplantcity on Instagram for @igersplantcity to feature.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17 High: 88 Low: 77 Chance of rain: 80%

FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 High: 87 Low: 73 Chance of rain: 40%

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

SUNRISE/SUNSET

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, Sept. 17

7:15a

7:30p

Friday, Sept. 18

7:15a

7:29p

Saturday, Sept. 19

7:16a

7:28p

Sunday, Sept. 20

7:16a

7:26p

Monday, Sept. 21

7:17a

7:25p

Tuesday, Sept. 22

7:17a

7:24p

Wednesday, Sept. 23

7:17a

7:23p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 High: 87 Low: 72 Chance of rain: 30%

SUNDAY, SEPT. 20 High: 85 Low: 71 Chance of rain: 40%

OKRA Alex Rhoades started last Thursday morning by catching a beautiful sunrise on her way to work.

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(C) 2020 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

ACROSS 1 Penthouses, e.g.: Abbr.

5 Smartphone downloads 9 Metaphor for responsibilities 13 Adriatic port 14 March Madness org.

15 “Beavis and Butt-head” spin-off 16 Bickering 17 Start of a Charles M. Schulz quote 19 Rub the wrong way 21 Twelve-step helper 22 Quote, part 2 24 Non-neutral atom 25 Light sleeper’s distrac-

tion 26 Living area in “The Martian,” with “the” 28 A Gabor sister 30 Acts of faith?

34 Classic sci-fi villain 38 Quote, part 3 41 1980s attorney general 42 Shade related to violet 43 Responsibility 44 Bend 46 Cope with 48 Dept. head 50 Quote, part 4 56 Source of a siren 58 “__ Mio” 59 End of the quote

61 Avian crop 62 Score symbols 63 “You’re kidding!”

64 Whodunit canine 65 Club with a blue and white diamond logo 66 Phillies slugger Hoskins 67 Nair rival, once DOWN 1 Old counters 2 Hiking network 3 Defense attorney’s concern 4 Be paid to watch, as children 5 Prefix with -gram

6 Techie training site 7 Caroline Islands republic 8 Dost speak 9 Legendary Carthaginian general 10 “You __ busted!”

11 Attach with string 12 __ City, Iraq 15 The Carpenters, for one 18 Deep-water fish 20 More wicked, in Worcester 23 Touching competition?

27 Guacamole fruit 28 Disease-stricken tree 29 Face off 31 Knee injury initials 32 Key letter 33 La preceder 35 Long shot 36 Coming-in hr., roughly 37 Sales staff member 39 Romanov adherents 40 Lyricist Sammy 45 Tech tutorials site 47 ER diagnostic tool 48 Bucks 49 Sparkle 51 Yellowish brown 52 “Brideshead Revisited” novelist 53 Assortment 54 Thrill 55 Unfamiliar with 56 Sharable PC files 57 Brain and spinal cord: Abbr.

60 Saints’ achievements: Abbr.

15

Oct. 16 New

Oct. 21 First

Oct. 2 Full

Oct. 12 Last

RAINFALL Monday, Sept. 7

0.06

Tuesday, Sept. 8 0.61 Wednesday, Sept. 9

0.02

Thursday, Sept. 10 0.67 0.14

Friday, Sept. 11

Saturday, Sept. 12 0.47 0.04

Sunday, Sept. 13 YEAR TO DATE:

MONTH TO DATE:

2020 45.04 in.

2020 5.84 in.

2019 33.21 in.

2019

1.55 in.

WEATHER

I LOVE PLANT CITY

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16

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

when treating a heart attack or stroke, time is of the essence. even during these times.

Don’t hesitate when it comes to getting emergency treatment.

Even during a pandemic, you still need to be treated immediately if you have an emergency.

Debating whether or not to risk going to an emergency room during a heart attack, stroke or other health emergency—waiting even a few extra minutes—could be harmful. That’s why in

20-1213541-0920

all BayCare hospital emergency rooms, patients who have symptoms of COVID-19 are screened and treated in a separate area. This helps keep emergency room patients and our team members safe. So if it’s an emergency, don’t wait. For more information: BayCareEmergencyCare.org