Fireworks permits addressed, and Wheeler Street Station agreement amended.
The Regular Meeting of the City Commission began at 6:00 p.m. on January 12. In this, the first installment of the year, Mayor Nate Kilton called the meeting to order. Vice-Mayor Jason Jones, City Commissioner Mary Mathis, City Commissioner Mike Sparkman, City Commissioner Bill Dodson, City Attorney Kenneth Buchman, City Clerk Kerri Miller, and City Manager Bill McDaniel were present for the meeting. Pastor Dave Criner from City Pointe Church gave the invocation. The assembly followed with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
During the 30 minutes allocated for public comments, Rosalee Jones thanked the city for following through on its commitment to repair Ball St., apologizing for “…being a pest,” with her request.
“Well, ma’am, thank you for saying that,” Kilton responded. “But I assure you, you are not a pest. We are all here to take care of each other in this community.”
William Thomas Jr. stood to announce at the meeting the 41st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Festival over the coming weekend, including 10 marching bands at the parade on January 17, a battle of the bands, and a breakfast with keynote speaker Michael Stephens, CEO of Tampa International Airport will speak about business. The Plant City Women’s Club will host a day of service at the Bing Rooming House Museum on January 19 at 10:00 a.m.
The City Manager brought the following items before the commissioners for discussion and voting.
26-047 – A resolution approving the Third Amended and Restated Development Agreement and First Amended and Restated Real Estate Purchase Agreement with Wheeler Street Station, LLC. This motion extended a recently expired agreement with the developer. The developer will submit a revised development agreement that would be brought before the City Commission on February 15. Once the agreement is approved, the developer will close by the end of April, then have two years to complete construction of the revised project.
“Is there be any penalty for not completing it within that time period?” Commissioner Mike Sparkman asked.
“The penalty is they would not get the payment of the refund of the purchase price,” City Attorney Buchman responded.
The developer put up $120,00 in earnest money and $500,000 for the purchase price. The resolution passed 4-0 with Mayor Kilton abstaining.
26-013 – A resolution authorized the purchase of four aluminum-framed cubicles for the Building Department from Commercial Design Services, Inc. With the city’s growth, the Building Department’s workload has increased, and staff have been added to meet the demand. This created the need for additional employee space, so the office space has been reconfigured to make room for more cubicles. The cost for the four cubicles under the second contract is $56,781.
26-014 – A resolution authorizing replacement of the 1914 Building roof. The roof was installed in the 1990s and has become expensive to maintain. The roof replacement will cost $446,844. Part of a $1.5 million grant from Hillsborough County will be used to cover the cost. This grant will fund sealing the exterior of the structure to prevent interior deterioration. Replacing the roof is the first step in this process.
“When do you anticipate a date that all of this will be completed?” Commissioner Mathis asked.
“I will be bold enough to say that if we can come up with a valid procurement method for the vendor we are looking at, by this time next year, you will be looking at a completely sealed exterior on the 1914 Building and you will be making decisions about what we will do next with the interior,” City Manager McDaniel replied.
26-020 – A resolution waiving bid requirements based on a sole source vendor and authorizing the purchase of Aqua-Solv from Flo-Tec Automation Associates, Inc. The city has effectively used this chemical compound for the last 44 years to comply with state and federal regulations for lead and copper control in the city’s drinking water system. This action extended the supplier agreement with Flo-Tec through December 31, 2026, with four one-year extensions that must be mutually approved by the City Manager and Flo-Tec. The annual estimated cost is $180,000.
26-001 – A resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute an engineering work order with Wade Trim to evaluate repair or replacement of several Water Reclamation Facility Components. Digester 2 is out of service due to failed and obsolete mixing components. The influent and effluent ground storage tank valves are failing. The chlorine contact chamber has visible deterioration, including compromised screen covers, and requires a new protective coating to restore integrity and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Finally, portions of the electrical supply remain tied to the original plant infrastructure and must be assessed for potential upgrades to meet current operational demands. These components are all critical to the facility’s ability to effectively treat wastewater and maintain compliance with regulatory standards. Corrective action is essential to sustaining reliable operations. An evaluation by Wade Trim, Inc., and the development of recommendations will cost $76,054.
The City Manager announced that the City of Plant City again won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting. He also informed the public that at 4:00 p.m. on February 9, the city will hold a workshop on Midtown.
26-034 – The first of two legislative public hearings on an ordinance for referendum ANX-2025-03 to annex 29 parcels totaling 187 acres located at the southeast corner of Knights Griffin Rd. and Paul Buchman Hwy. Referendums make a way for voters who live in the immediate area to decide on annexation to the city. The next public hearing will be held on January 26. If approved by the City Commission, the referendum will be forwarded to the county supervisor of elections to be added to items on the next ballot.
26-031 – A legislative public hearing on an ordinance approving map amendment PC/CPA 24-11 located on the north side of Trapnell Rd., west of Timberlane Dr., and east of Turkey Creek Rd. One resident stood to contend with the project because of the increased traffic.
26-032 – A quasi-judicial public hearing on an ordinance to rezone 14.2 acres located on the north side of Trapnell Rd., east of Turkey Creek Rd., and west of James L. Redman from Hillsborough County AS-1 to R-1.
26-033 – A legislative public hearing regarding amending Section 35-1, adding Section 35-11 and 35-12, and amending Section 50-4. The amendments regard the public display of fireworks, requires a permit for public display of fireworks within Plant City Stadium and names the Fire Chief as having the authority to grant permits.
26-035 – A resolution setting a quasi-judicial public hearing on an ordinance to rezone a 1.14-acre parcel from multi-family residential district (R-2) to neighborhood business district (C-1A) located on the east side of North Dort St., south of West Baker St., and west of Carey St.
With the exception of the Wheeler Street Station vote, all resolutions and hearings passed with 5-0 votes. The meeting concluded at 7:50 p.m.
