A Plant City man dies from motorcycle accident, Walden Lake is granted a mediation with Visions Golf and South Florida Baptist Hospital is offering free back-to-school physicals.
Free back-to-school physicals
South Florida Baptist Hospital is partnering with the Hillsborough County Back to School Coalition to provide free back-to-school physicals for children in Plant City on July 22. The physicals are available for Florida students grades K through 12.
The primary goal of the free physicals is to provide the necessary screenings so no child will fail to start school on time because they couldn’t afford to go to a doctor to get a physical.
The screening will include vision, blood pressure and height and weight. Sports, Head Start and child care physicals are not available. Immunizations will also be available for those on Medicaid or uninsured children. An immunization record will be required to receive any shots.
Appointments are highly recommended due to demand. However, if there is time they will try to accommodate walk-ins. To make an appointment, register at www. back2schoolfair.org.
Plant City man dies in motorcycle accident
On July 16, at 1:33 p.m. 19-year-old Melvin Cline Ford Jr., from Plant City, was driving his father’s Suzuki motorcycle westbound on Lithia Pinecrest Road approaching Allen Road. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Ford was driving at 80 to 100 miles per hour approximately a tenth of a mile from the crash scene.
Leroy Newton Purk, 73, was driving a black Mazda Protege eastbound on Lithia Pinecrest Road and began to turn left. Purk, from Lithia, Florida, didn’t see the motorcycle and it struck the passenger side of the Mazda, according to HCSO. Upon impact the Mazda rotated and flipped over onto it’s passenger side and Ford was thrown from his motorcycle.
Ford was wearing a helmet and transported to Lakeland Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Park was taken to Tampa General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Walden Lake vs. Visions Golf
The Walden Lake Community Association July 14 was granted a mediation with Visions Golf, former owner of the Walden Lake Golf and Country Club. The mediation is set for 11 a.m. Oct. 4.
Harley Herman, a Walden Lake resident and Plant City attorney, said residents have invested their life’s savings into their homes and thus have a right to know where the golf course is headed. However, Alice Huneycutt, the lawyer representing Visions Golf LLC, said when the golf course was created, the community had no stake in the course, which means they have no say in what takes place.
