Of course, the month of March kicked off with the Florida Strawberry Festival! This year the event drew record crowds with 606,116 visitors. The last Saturday of the event saw 103,000 people enter the gates making it the largest single-day attendance in its history. In addition, the Festival held its first-ever Special Smiles Day, inviting guests with special needs to enjoy a sensory-considerate festival environment.
Sixteen local high school students were recognized for their submissions to the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s largest, longest-running scholarship and recognition program for teenage artists and writers.
The 11th Annual Dean’s Ride was held with 223 riders raising roughly $14,000.
The City of Plant City’s Finance Department earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal year 2022-2023 budget from the Government Finance Officers Association. Chief Financial Officer Diane Reichard and her team work hard to keep the city’s budget balanced.
Longtime Executive Planner, Mark Hudson, received a proclamation for his dedicated service to the city. He retired after more than 35 years of service to Plant City and Hillsborough County.
The Planning Board’s official findings and recommendations on the Walden Lake Community Unit District were forwarded to the commission. The document detailed the board’s findings, which stated the proposed application is inconsistent with the city’s Comprehensive Plan, incompatible with surrounding uses, does not meet the requirements of Chapter 102, Plant City Code, and is not in the public interest.
