Jack Holland named Assistant City Manager
Jack Holland has spent over four decades working for Plant City, recently being named the community’s newest Assistant City Manager.
“I love being a part of Plant City and am very proud to have the opportunity to continue to serve the city in this new role,” Holland said in a press release. “It’s been phenomenal to see the way Plant City has evolved over the years, and I look forward to working to help the city continue to grow while we also preserve what makes this such a special place.”
Holland began his career with the Plant City Government as a part-time soccer official with the Recreation Department in 1977. Holland then joined the department as full-time employee in 1979, first working as a recreation athletic manager and later serving several different positions within the department before ultimately becoming superintendent of the Recreation Division in 1997 when the Recreation Department merged with the Parks Department. Holland held the position of superintendent until his appointment to Director of Parks & Recreation in 2004, a role that he has served in since.
Holland will now oversee various city departments and city team members, joining the office of City Manager Bill McDaniel and serving alongside Mercedes Hermida-Perez as one of two Assistant City Managers.
“Jack is ideally suited to serve as Assistant City Manager, and I look forward to having him in this role as we move the city organization forward toward the exciting and bright future ahead,” McDaniel said.
Holland has served on a variety of key projects within the City government, including Request for Proposal evaluations, new employee hiring panels, “think tank” exercises, employee benefits analyses, project consultations, ribbon cutting events, and employee recognition events.
“I’ve been a Parks & Rec person for a long time,” Holland said. “We’ve done some great things in that department and I’m very fortunate to have been a part of it for so long. I’m excited to use the skills and knowledge that I’ve gained over the years to help make things run as smoothly as possible for some other departments in the city and to move some great projects forward for our residents.”
In addition to his work as a city employee, Holland has also volunteered in a number of capacities throughout the years, including past and current tenures with the Optimist Club of Plant City, the Plant City Area Soccer Club Lancers, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of Recreation & Parks Corporation, the Alliance for Lupus Research, the Plant City Family YMCA and the Plant City High School Business Advisory Board.
Free COVID vaccines to be distributed in Dover
On Saturday, Dec. 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the RCMA’s Dover Child Development Center, 3103 San Jose Mission Dr., RCMA will provide free COVID vaccines to all who qualify and are in need.
As a part of it’s commitment to their local community and with grants that the organization applied for, RCMA will have first doses, second doses and booster shots for adults and children from age five to 16 available.
RCMA is a community development organization that aims to create opportunities for children, specifically those that are the children of migrant and other low-income families. Founded in 1965, RCMA has grown with 66 child development centers, two charter schools, over 40,000 alumni, over 1,700 employees and over 6,500 children served each year.
For more information on RCMA, visit www.rcma.org.
ProActive Sports Academe to hold second round of 7-on-7 tryouts
ProActive Sports Academe will be holding a second round of tryouts for their 7-on-7 football teams on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Marshall Middle School track in Plant City, 18 S. Maryland Ave. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and tryouts begin at 11 a.m. for all of their teams, including 10U, 12U, 14U. 15U and 18U age groups. There is no cost for the tryouts.
ProActive Sports Academe’s 7-on-7 teams allow budding football players an opportunity to showcase their skills through tournaments and league play against some of the most talented players in the area.
ProActive Sports Acadame co-founder Gerold Dickens emphasizes that not only is this an opportunity for players to sharpen their skills under the instruction of local high school and junior college coaches, but it also provides them an opportunity to prepare for the college recruiting process.
The 7-on-7 season will “kick off” in late January. For more information, contact Coach Dickens at 813-770-8367.