FREE
VOLUME 6, NO. 190
•
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022
A STEP CLOSER TO BUILDING RESIDENCES OFF REDMAN PKWY THE CITY COMMISSION PASSED A PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE NEW DEVELOPMENT BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER
The Plant City City Commission approved the request to rezone property that will be used as residential space, on Monday. The property will be located off James L. Redman Parkway, just south of Sparkman Road and north of Trapnell Road. It is within the Mixed-U se Gateway district which was analyzed by the city commission at a workshop, held on March 14.
During that evening, the city commission addressed concerns and offered suggestions for the plan. The rezoned property is approximately 45 acres with 68% of it set aside for residential use and 32% for civic/park use that will be along Redman Parkway. The park alone will make up 14 acres of land and the residential area making up approximately 31 acres.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
JULIE GARRETSON
Photos courtesy of Julie Garretson
NAMED NEW DIRECTOR OF PARKS & RECREATION
The appointment comes following former director Jack Holland’s move to Assistant City Manager. TAYLOR JENKINS STAFF WRITER
Julie Garretson has been named Plant City’s newest Director of Parks & Recreation, following former director Jack Holland who had previously served in the role since 2004. Garretson joined Plant City’s Parks & Recreation Department as a Recreation Supervisor II in April 2019, coming on board in advance of the City’s newly-opened Sadie Gibbs Martin Community Center. “Obviously Jack set a great foundation for Parks & Recreation,” Garretson said. “He’s been involved with the city in this aspect for over 44 years which speaks for itself. I’m being handed off a department that’s already very efficient and productive. I want to be able to make an impact and move us into the future, continuing to progress on that foundation.” Garretson grew up in Lakeland, attending George Jenkins High School before the U niversity of South Florida, and it was Lakeland where she got her first job working within a Parks & Rec. department, spending the summer after her freshman year of college as a Rec. Leader I. The
position allowed her to develop a base level of knowledge and experience regarding municipalities and operations within the department and youth sports organizations, and she later returned to Lakeland’s department for two other summers throughout college. At the same time, Garretson was working in retail management where she was able to obtain management experience. Garretson attended the U niversity of South Florida before joining a youth sports organization where she spent over eight years as an operations manager, taking on several different roles that included human resources, payroll, budget management and supervisor for a team of over 30 staff members. The organization ran sports camps, after school sports programs, summer camp programs, sports leagues, lessons and more. “It was a great lens into the sports management world,” Garretson said. “So I was able to take my background in education, my love for sports and educating and being around the youth, combining that with the business aspect that I learned in retail management to make it one position that I was pretty successful at.”
She emerged as the new director from a field of over 60 potential applicants and was recognized before Mayor Rick Lott and the rest of Plant City’s City Commission on Monday. “It’s always very encouraging when we have internal candidates come through a process and shine like this,” city manager Bill McDaniel said. Garretson admits that a jump from the private sector to the public sector was a scary one, and one that she reflects on often. But ultimately it was a chance to step away from a realm where she was comfortable — and admittedly successful — and tackle a whole new challenge that provided the opportunity to try something new, build upon the great team that was already in place in Plant City, open the doors to a brand new recreation center and most importantly build meaningful relationships within the community. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a lot of great leaders and people that I would consider mentors within our department over the past three years,” Garretson said. “All of those people have equally contributed to my success and without them, without their
support, I’m not sure that I would be in the position that I am now. I look forward to growing with our
team and seeing where we can take the Parks & Rec Department over the next 10, 15, 20 years.”