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Plant City’s Mary Heysek launches new food business.
OUR TOWN
FREE • THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014
Super sleuths uncover Young Plant City faithful fun at First gymnasts ready Baptist Church VBS. for nationals
new face by Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Plant City names new police chief Edward Duncan brings 34 years of law enforcement with him to the Plant City Police Department.
+ Want to win July 4 VIP tickets? The Plant City Times & Observer and the City of Plant City Recreation and Parks Department have partnered to give away tickets for VIP seating for Plant City’s 2014 Fourth of July Celebration! The celebration will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, July 4, at Plant City Stadium, 1810 E. Park Road. Coordinated by the Recreation & Parks Department, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Strawberry Festival, the celebration will feature inflatables, face painting, balloon art, corn hole, bean-bag toss, rockclimbing wall and Bungee jumping. The 20-minute fireworks show will begin at 9:15 p.m. To enter our contest, simply email Associate Editor Amber Jurgensen, ajur gensen@plantcityobserver. com, and tell us what the Fourth of July means to you! We will contact the winners July 2. Good luck!
Interim City Manager David Sollenberger announced June 20 the appointment of Edward E. Duncan Jr. to serve as Plant City’s new police chief. Duncan will assume leadership of the Plant City Police Department July 7. He has a long history of law enforcement experience and leadership, including 34 years with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, before retiring in 2012 at the rank of colonel. “This is the opportunity of
a lifetime,” Duncan said. “I’m y o u n g enough to still make an impact on the community. It gives me the opDuncan portunity to continue the passion I have.” The appointment comes after a months-long recruit-
ment and screening process facilitated by The Mercer Group Inc. That process resulted in about 80 applications, which were screened to compare the backgrounds of the applicants against the needs of the city. As a result of that screening process, six finalists were identified for further consideration. On June 18, the finalists participated in a comprehensive two-part screening exercise, which included a detailed in-
terview conducted by a panel of both city staff and members of the community. Those panelists included Sollenberger; Assistant City Manager of Public Safety Bill McDaniel; John Borders, interim police chief; Sanders Bush, director of human resources; Cassandra Banning, community leader; William “Bill” Thomas, community leader; and W.D. Higginbotham, senior vice president, The Mercer Group Inc. “He brings to the position a
wealth of experience and wisdom that will benefit both our police department and the community as a whole,” Bill wrote of Duncan in a prepared statement. Duncan said he is excited to deploy his hands-on style of leadership at the department. His first steps will be to study the geographical map of Plant City in relation to the rates of crime.
SEE CHIEF / PAGE 4
+ Be on the lookout for hidden money! The Plant City Times & Observer received an interesting message from a Facebook fan last week. “I’ve recently heard of the pay it forward movement and wanted to bring it to the Plant City/ Brandon area,” the user wrote. “I wonder how long it will take for people to see my new site. Anyway, the goal is simple: This is a scavenger hunt. God has been very good to my wife and me and has blessed us beyond our dreams. We are no millionaires — far from it — but we’re no longer in the poor house, and we want to pay it forward. “Starting June 27 and (continuing) every Friday, we will be hiding money in different parts of Plant City and putting clues on (the user’s Facebook page),” the user wrote. “Please use the money for a good deed. Get creative and post pictures and updates on our Facebook page!” For more, visit the page, facebook.com/profile. php?id=100005135448720.
, 3&
This week’s winner is
Tyler Smith
See her photo on PAGE 15.
GIRL POWER Photo by Will Vragovic | Tampa Bay Times
Durant High School’s “Knuckleball Princess” Chelsea Baker took her signature pitch to the Tampa Bay Rays’ batting practice June 23, at Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg. Baker became the youngest female in Major League Baseball history to throw the ceremonial first pitch. For more coverage, see Sports, page 12.
GOVERNANCE by Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Plant City endorses photo archives’ proposal for sculpture exhibit Plant City commissioners approved June 23 to donate $5,000 to the Plant City Photo Archives and History Center to bring the popular “Man on the Street” collection of sculptures back to Plant City. “It’s an excellent way to showcase the City of Plant City and bring people in,” said Gil Gott, executive director of the center. The collection includes 10 life-sized sculptures by artist J. Seward Johnson that depict a mariachi band, a soldier returning from war, a snooz-
SEE EXHIBIT / PAGE 4
Courtesy of Seward Johnson, The Sculpture Foundation Inc.
strength in numbers by Michael Eng | Editor
Residents pour out in support of Keel & Curley The winery’s rezone request went before a Hillsborough County zoning hearing master June 23. It was after 9 p.m. by the time Hillsborough County Zoning Hearing Master Steve Luce adjourned the first of two hearings of Keel & Curley Winery’s rezone request. But, by the end of the night June 23, Joe Keel, his family and employees all left the Hillsborough County Center astounded by the support they received. “It was awesome,” Keel said.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Hillsborough County Commission, which ultimately will decide the fate of Keel & Curley’s rezone request, is scheduled to hear the item at its Lane Use Meeting, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. “It was bold support — great support.” More than 100 residents — most donning navy T-shirts with the words, “Save the Winery and Craft Brewery,” printed
INDEX Calendar.......................2
on the front — packed the hearing chambers and an overflow room on the center’s 26th floor to show their support for the Plant City business. They were there to stand with the Keel family, whose winery and Two Henrys Brewing Company is under scrutiny after county officials determined the brewing portion of the business, its use of an adjacent lot for overflow parking and its event hosting were not permitted under the company’s current zoning. The Keels maintain they were unaware they were operating outside of their zoning. Keel
SEE WINERY / PAGE 5 Vol. 1, No. 47 | One section
Crossword...................15
Obituaries...................11
Sports.........................12
Weather ......................15
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